05 May 2024 , 15:14
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A man has been arrested after pro-Israel counter-protesters were spat at on the street during a demonstration over Gaza at a central London university.
Footage from the incident shows a police officer ushering the spitter away while telling the furious group: ‘Yes I saw it, go away.’
The incident took place at the campus for University College London (UCL) in the Bloomsbury area of the city yesterday.
Nearby, a separate group of people was involved in the latest pro-Palestine march in the capital.
For several months, the Met has faced the challenge of policing weekly protests and counter-protests over the extremely sensitive issue of the war in the Middle East.
The video from Saturday’s event shows officers speaking to a man who is standing near the pro-Israel group.
As he appears to be preparing to leave, the man turns around and spits on the ground, enraging a counter-protester who shouts: ‘Shame on you, you violent thug.’
When asked if he saw the spit, a police officer responds: ‘Yes, I saw it, go away.’
A police officer is seen ushering the man away from the counter-protest (Picture: Twitter/RADOCLUB)
The man filming asks why the spitter did not say sorry, and the same officer says: ‘He done it in front of you, yeah he’s not said sorry – he’s being rude.’
Responding to tweets containing the video, the Met posted on X to confirm a man was arrested over the incident shortly afterwards.
Spitting deliberately towards a person or people can constitute assault in UK law.
It comes just two weeks after an inflammatory row between the force and Gideon Falter, the boss of the Campaign Against Antisemitism.