Two arrests as thousands join pro-Israel demonstrations

Published on Sunday 11 January 2009 21:22

TWO pro-Israel demonstrations in London and Manchester passed off peacefully yesterday after violence marred a protest on Saturday against the country's military action in Gaza.

Speakers at both rallies defended Israel's right to protect itself, to the approval of thousands of supporters.

Organisers of an event in London's Trafalgar Square said 15,000 people attended, though police put numbers at 4,000. More than 2,000 people attended an event in Manchester. In both cases, small groups of counter-demonstrators barracked from the sidelines.

The rallies followed disorder outside the Israeli Embassy in London and the US Consulate in Edinburgh on Saturday. By late yesterday afternoon, 24 people had been arrested and bailed over the violence in London.

Thousands of supporters of Israel gathered in Trafalgar Square yesterday to "reclaim the public space" from their political opponents. Two people were arrested for public order offences.

In Manchester, local Labour MPs received cheers when they called for an end to Hamas rocket attacks on Israel and asserted Israel's right to defend itself.