Five are arrested for 'inciting racial hatred' as pro-Palestine marchers defy face-mask ban on October 7 anniversary
From the Newshound archive · first published 6 October 2026 · last updated 7 October 2026.
A masked protester at Lincoln's Inn Fields, where the Met imposed a ban on face coverings — a condition police said was needed before they ruled out seeking an outright ban on today's march.Protesters outside the Board of Deputies headquarters, where demonstrators gathered over the organisation's lobbying for Israel.Officers detain a protester during the march, as Met Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman had warned anyone breaching conditions faced arrest with 'zero tolerance for hate crime' — yet no arrests were made.Masked protesters at the Lincoln's Inn Fields demonstration, which went ahead despite Education Secretary Lucy Powell urging marchers to 'show compassion and respect' by moving the date.
Five people have been arrested for inciting racial hatred after allegedly shouting and chanting slogans calling for intifada during a pro-Palestine march through central London on the third anniversary of the October 7 massacre. The arrests came after a "spontaneous protest" outside the Board of Deputies in Camden, with roughly 100 demonstrators gathering at Lincoln's Inn Fields. Some marchers defied an explicit police ban on face coverings, with protesters pictured wearing masks despite the restriction. Pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups clashed near Russell Square, with counter-demonstrators chanting 'Shame on you' and 'Terrorist supporters off our streets.'
The march went ahead despite police, the Education Secretary Lucy Powell and Jewish student leaders — who called it 'outrageous' — urging organisers to move the date.
Met Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman had warned anyone chanting intifada slogans or displaying extremist placards would face arrest under 'zero tolerance' rules.
Bystander Mark Rose, 55, said protesters should be 'swept off the streets': 'It is a celebration of mass murder, rape, and torture.'
