Met Arrests Seven Across London as October 7 Anniversary Protests Test Police Powers

Five people were taken into custody on suspicion of inciting racial hatred after a demonstration erupted outside the north London headquarters of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Metropolitan Police confirmed on Wednesday.

According to the force, the suspects were detained when a "spontaneous protest" formed outside the Camden offices of the organisation, which serves as the representative body for the UK's largest Jewish community. Police said slogans "calling for intifada" were chanted during the gathering, and all five individuals remain in custody while enquiries continue.

Video footage circulating from the scene showed a crowd of a few dozen demonstrators, a number of whom had their faces covered. The term intifada gained widespread usage during the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip that began in 1987. Jewish organisations have long characterised the word as an incitement to violence against Jewish people, while pro-Palestinian groups insist it denotes peaceful resistance to Israeli occupation.

The Board of Deputies issued a statement after the arrests, saying the community "would not be threatened or intimidated" and expressing gratitude to officers for their "swift" response. The group was scheduled to hold a vigil later on Wednesday in Richmond Terrace, close to Whitehall in central London.

In a separate development, two further arrests were made at a larger student-led pro-Palestinian march in central London. One individual was detained for breaching protest conditions and another for common assault, according to police.

That demonstration, attended by roughly 100 people, moved from Lincoln's Inn Fields to Russell Square. The Metropolitan Police said the march concluded before a dispersal time imposed by officers, a restriction introduced after organisers declined requests to reschedule the event away from 7 October. Counter-demonstrators carrying Israeli flags assembled in Russell Square, and police reported minor scuffles between the two sides. Participants in the pro-Palestinian group were heard chanting "Zionists not welcome here" and "free Palestine from the river to the sea."

The river-to-the-sea slogan is interpreted by some as a demand for Palestinian sovereignty over all territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, which would encompass Israel. Critics describe it as a call for Israel's destruction, an interpretation contested by pro-Palestinian activists who maintain that most people using the phrase are demanding an end to the occupation of the West Bank and the blockade of Gaza rather than the elimination of the Israeli state.

Wednesday's events unfolded three years after the 7 October attack on Israel by Hamas, in which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were seized as hostages by the militant group, which governs Gaza.

Israel launched a military offensive in Gaza in response to the attack. According to the Hamas-run health ministry, more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed during the campaign. The casualty figures supplied by the ministry cannot be independently verified, and the conflict has continued to generate intense international debate over its conduct and humanitarian consequences.

The anniversary has become a flashpoint for public demonstrations across the British capital, with policing decisions facing scrutiny from communities on multiple sides of the issue. Forces across the UK have grappled in recent years with how to balance the right to protest against the need to prevent public disorder and offences motivated by hatred.

Legal experts note that incitement to racial hatred is a serious offence under UK law, carrying potential custodial sentences, and that prosecutions require evidence that words or behaviour were threatening, abusive or insulting and intended or likely to stir up racial hatred. The arrests outside the Board of Deputies building suggest officers concluded the threshold had been met, though any charges would follow further investigation by the Crown Prosecution Service.

The dispersal order imposed on the student march reflects a broader police tactic of setting conditions on protests assessed as posing a risk to community safety or public order. Organisers who reject such conditions can face enforcement action, as occurred on Wednesday when the march was required to end by a set time.

Community leaders have warned that the anniversary period represents a particularly sensitive moment for Jewish and Muslim communities in Britain, with faith groups reporting elevated anxiety and increased demand for security at communal buildings. The Board of Deputies building in Camden has been the site of previous protests, and its leadership has repeatedly called for stronger protections around Jewish institutions.

The Metropolitan Police has not named any of the seven individuals arrested, and it remains unclear whether any will face charges. Under standard procedure, those held on suspicion of incitement to racial hatred can be questioned and released on bail pending further investigation, or charged if evidence is deemed sufficient.

Both the Camden demonstration and the central London march form part of a wider wave of activism marking the third anniversary of the Hamas attack and the subsequent war in Gaza. Student groups have been prominent in organising rallies, and universities have faced pressure from politicians and community organisations over the handling of campus activism connected to the conflict.

The force is expected to maintain a visible presence in the capital in the coming days, with further gatherings possible around the vigil in Westminster and other commemorative events. The outcome of the seven arrests will be watched closely as an indicator of how aggressively authorities intend to police speech at protest events tied to the anniversary.