Police arrest 14 after protest outside synagogue
ReutersFourteen arrests have been made after protests outside a synagogue in north London where an Israeli property sales event was being held.
The Edgware United Synagogue was hosting The Great Israeli Real Estate Event on Sunday which showcased consultants in areas including mortgage advice, financial planning, home management and help to "find your dream home", according to its website.
Protesters said the "criminal" event openly advertised the sale of land" in an "illegal Israeli settlement", while counter protesters refuted those claims.
Footage shared on social media showed angry confrontations between protesters waving Palestine flags and counter-protesters waving Israel flags.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews said the events organisers had denied they featured land for sale in the West Bank.
The board added it was "deeply disturbed" at the "wholly unjustified" demonstration.
The Palestinian Youth Movement said more than 100 parliamentarians and human rights organisations had condemned the "criminal event".
Amnesty International denounced the event, which it described as "one of a series of international roadshows targeting diaspora communities, normalising illegal settlements by marketing them alongside properties in mainstream Israeli cities".
ReutersThe Metropolitan Police said five arrests were for violent disorder, with one of them also arrested for assault on an emergency worker.
There were six arrests for Section 4a Public Order Act offences, with four of those for racial or religiously aggravated matters, and one arrest for Section 18 Public Order Act offences.
Two others were arrested, both on suspicion of common assault and assault on an emergency worker.
Seven arrests were of pro-Israel protesters, six pro-Palestine and two not clear at this stage, the Met Police said, adding that all those arrested have now been bailed pending further inquiries.
Metropolitan Police Commander Adam Slonecki said: "We are mindful that Jewish communities are experiencing heightened fear and concern following two-and-a-half years of sustained protest and, in recent months, a series of arsons and other attacks.
"There is a distinction between protesting in central London and protesting in the heart of communities where the potential to cause serious disruption and intimidation is greater and our policing plan reflects that."
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