Police Separate Protests Outside British Library Concert

London, United Kingdom – Metropolitan Police officers kept a pro-Palestinian protest and a pro-Israeli counter-protest apart across Euston Road on Monday, November 10, as an Arab-Jewish ensemble from the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra performed at the British Library.

Video from the scene shows police vans and officers in high-visibility jackets around metal barriers on wet streets at night, Palestinian flags and banners on one side of the road, and Israeli and Union flags, music and a smaller crowd on Ossulston Street on the other. Later clips show the counter-protest winding down, then officers speaking with pro-Palestinian demonstrators as people begin to leave in the rain.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign organised a protest against the concert by Shesh Besh, a six-piece ensemble of Jewish and Arab musicians, calling for a boycott of the orchestra. Stop The Hate UK announced a counter-demonstration in support of the musicians. Police imposed conditions requiring the protesters to stay in a designated area on Euston Road and disperse by 7:30 p.m. The Met said officers later arrested a 70-year-old man on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence after an alleged comment towards the counter-protest group. The British Library said it had carried out a risk assessment and put security measures in place for those attending.