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Due to a protest in support of Palestine in central London, the police have been compelled to shut down Tower Bridge.
The City of London Police declared that the bridge would be closed to both vehicles and pedestrians on Saturday evening, due to the large number of people congregating on the street and sidewalk.
Protesters advocating for a halt in the conflict in Gaza could be seen and heard on social media, shouting “liberate Palestine” and waving flags representing the Palestinian cause.
At approximately 5:40pm, the police announced that Tower Bridge was closed because of ongoing protests. Officers were present at the location. After about 45 minutes, authorities declared that the bridge had been reopened.
The City of London Police posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) that Tower Bridge is currently shut down due to protests. They have officers present at the location.
Afterwards, it stated: “The Tower Bridge is now open again. We appreciate your patience.”
After facing backlash, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign reaffirmed their support for the right to lobby Members of Parliament with a large group. This comes after reports that the group intended to bring such a large number of protesters that Parliament would be forced to close its doors.
The organization stated that the matter of MPs’ safety is a significant concern, but it should not be used as an excuse to protect MPs from being held accountable for their actions in a democratic manner.
According to the director of the organization, Ben Jamal, on Wednesday, thousands of individuals were unjustly barred from entering Parliament while trying to persuade MPs to support a ceasefire in Gaza. He stated that this was one of the biggest physical lobbying efforts in history.
According to The Times, Mr Jamal addressed a group of protesters before the demonstration on Wednesday, stating, “We hope to have such a large turnout that the doors of Parliament will have to be locked.”
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker who has faced calls to resign after going against convention during the SNP’s Opposition Day debate on a ceasefire, said his motivation for widening Wednesday’s discussion was fuelled by concern about MPs’ security because of intimidation suffered by some parliamentarians.
According to Mr Jamal, the group does not advocate for protests outside of MPs’ residences and believes that parliamentarians should have their privacy respected.
The political violence overseer of the Government has expressed the opinion that the police should be granted the authority to “break up” demonstrations near Parliament, members of Parliament’s offices, and local government meeting places if they are deemed to pose a threat.
On Friday, Baron Walney, the Government’s consultant on political violence and disruption, stated that the “hostile intimidation of Members of Parliament” by groups of people is being misinterpreted as a form of democracy.
The independent member of the House of Lords, who was tasked by the government to conduct a review on the potential criminal and disruptive actions of political groups, stated on BBC Radio 4’s Today show that he wants police forces to consistently intervene and prevent protests from occurring outside of politicians’ residences.
Source: independent.co.uk
