Activists have wreaked havoc across London last night in their latest rally to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.
Pro-Palestine protesters climbed Royal Artillery Memorial in Hyde Park, shut down streets and swarmed around elderly couple’s car as they stage a huge rally yesterday.
Met Police issued a dispersal order throughout Westminster from 7.50pm last night until 2am this morning.
No one was arrested for climbing the memorial because ‘there is no law explicitly making it illegal to climb on a memorial,’ the force said in a statement.
The demonstration took place outside the Houses of Parliament.
Pro-Palestine protesters climbed Royal Artillery Memorial in Hyde Park last night
Activists have wreaked havoc across London last night in their latest rally to demand a ceasefire in Gaza
Met Police issued a dispersal order throughout Westminster from 7.50pm last night until 2am this morning
Protesters climbed on the Royal Artillery Memorial at Hyde Park Corner after a demonstration outside the Houses of Parliament last evening.
A video posted online of people on the memorial sparked criticism, but a statement from the police said the protesters had not broken any laws by their actions.
The statement said: ‘We know some online have asked why the protesters were not arrested.
‘There is no law explicitly making it illegal to climb on a memorial so officers cannot automatically arrest, but they can intervene and make it clear the behaviour isn’t acceptable.
‘The videos shared online show them doing that.’
Police said the protesters who climbed on the memorial were a breakaway group who had been dispersed at Hyde Park Corner.
‘Most people would agree that to climb on or otherwise disrespect a war memorial is unacceptable,’ the statement said. ‘That is why our officers have made every effort to prevent it happening in recent days.
‘While officers were on scene quickly, we regret they were not there quickly enough to prevent the protesters accessing the memorial.’
A dispersal order was in place across parts of the City of Westminster from 7.50pm on Wednesday to 2am on Thursday.
Police said one arrest had been made at the protest for possession of an offensive weapon.
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