Pro-Palestinian protests 'un-British' after Manchester attack, home secretary says

October 3, 2025

Pro-Palestinian protests 'un-British' after Manchester attack, home secretary says

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has told the BBC she was "disappointed" pro-Palestinian protests went ahead on Thursday in the wake of the terror attack that killed two men outside a synagogue in Manchester.

The home secretary also called for demonstrators to "step back" from plans to hold marches in coming days.

"I do think that carrying on in this way does feel un-British, it feels wrong," she said of protests planned for this week.

Demonstrators in central London protesting the Israeli navy halting a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza clashed with police officers outside of Downing Street on Thursday evening.

Large crowds carrying Palestinian flags and placards could be seen on Whitehall into the evening.

The Metropolitan Police said 40 people had been arrested. Six of those detained were arrested for assaults on police officers.

"It is important to draw a line between what is happening in the Middle East and what is happening at home," Mahmood told BBC Breakfast on Friday.

"I would say to people who are planning to go on a protest is to just take a step back for a minute, and imagine if you had lost a loved one to a terror attack in this country," she said.