Margaret Thatcher’s former aide has hit out at pro-Palestine protesters, claiming they are “supporting Hamas”.
In a fiery rant on GB News’ Mark Dolan Tonight, Nile Gardiner hit out at calls to “free Palestine” as hundreds of thousands of people around the world take to the streets to make their feelings on the matter known.
In London, 100,000 people marched calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in a demonstration that saw nine people arrested.
Five of those were charged with public order offences in a protest that was mostly peaceful.
Nile Gardiner has hit out at pro-Palestine demonstrations in London
GB NEWS / PA
Gardiner hit out at the “absolutely appalling” scenes as he spoke to Mark Dolan about what the demonstrations mean for the future of Britain.
“In my view, with regard to what we’re seeing on the streets, it’s absolutely appalling”, he said.
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“We are seeing outright anti-Semitism, hatred, violence, a menacing atmosphere on the streets of London.
“A lot of these pro-Palestine supporters are actually supporting Hamas.”
Some protesters chanted “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, despite controversy surrounding the slogan’s meaning.
Thousands of protesters have gathered in London to take part in a pro-Palestinian demonstrations
REUTERSHome Secretary Suella Braverman is among those to have discouraged its use, branding it anti-Semitic, adding it is “widely understood” to call for the destruction of Israel.
Pro-Palestinian protesters have contested this definition.
Protesters had gathered at noon on Saturday before marching through the streets of Westminster, bringing traffic to a halt.
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was among the politicians to take to a stage in Parliament Square to address the crowds.
He said: “The world’s nations voted at the United Nations last night in the General Assembly by an overwhelming majority to demand a ceasefire.
“It’s not much to ask, a ceasefire, when children are being killed by weapons coming through the rooms of their homes.
“It is in eternal stain that the British Government abstained on that vote.”
A Section 60 and Section 60AA authority was later put in place until midnight, giving police stop and search powers in the London boroughs of the City of Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea.
A Section 60 AA requires a person to remove items that might be used to conceal their identity, such as masks.
Protests also took place in Manchester, Glasgow, Belfast and other cities.