Police arrest 14 at rival protests over Israeli property event in London

Arrests after rival protests

Police arrested 14 people after rival demonstrations outside Edgware United Synagogue in northwest London over an invitation-only property event linked to Israel.

About 1,000 people gathered on June 14 for the protests outside the venue hosting the Great Israeli Real Estate Event. The Metropolitan Police said officers moved to prevent serious disruption and made the arrests as tensions rose around the synagogue.

Commander Adam Slonecki said police had liaised with the synagogue and the Community Security Trust before the event. He said officers were mindful of heightened fear and concern in Jewish communities after sustained protest and recent arsons and attacks.

What police said

The Guardian reported that five people were arrested for violent disorder, including one who was also arrested for assaulting a police officer.

Police said seven people were arrested for Public Order Act offences, four of them alleged to be racially or religiously aggravated. One person was arrested for assaulting a police officer and one for common assault.

The force has not said whether any of those arrested had been charged.

Pressure before the event

The protest followed a day of political pressure over the event itself. On June 13, 101 parliamentarians and members of the House of Lords signed a letter to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper calling for it to be cancelled.

The letter said allowing the event to proceed would be inconsistent with UK government guidance on settlement-related economic activity and with obligations under international law. Critics said the event appeared to advertise property in Gush Etzion, in the occupied West Bank.

Organisers denied that settlement properties were being sold and said all the projects on display were within Israel's Green Line. The event was described as part of a global real-estate roadshow aimed at people considering moving to Israel.

Competing claims

The dispute highlighted a wider clash over protest rights, synagogue security and the legality of settlement-linked economic activity.

Campaigners and opponents said they were objecting to what they saw as an effort to normalize property sales tied to Israeli settlements. The Board of Deputies of British Jews described the protests as intimidation based on false pretences.

Further updates may follow if police release a fuller arrest breakdown, file charges or provide more detail on any injuries or damage. Organisers and officials may also face continued pressure over guidance on settlement-related economic activity.