Three Metropolitan Police officers were assaulted and injured when they attempted to arrest anti-Israel protesters in London on Tuesday when they refused to disperse by nightfall.
Two of the officers sustained minor injuries, but according to the Met the third suffered a serious facial injury when one of the protesters threw a bottle and hit her.
"The suspect for that assault has not yet been identified but an investigation is underway," the Met said in a Tuesday statement.
Thousands of protesters
The hundreds of protesters who had clashed with police had refused orders to finish their demonstration by 8 p.m., enacted after the turnout "significantly exceeded the estimates of the organizers."
The Met estimated that between 8,000-10,000 people had attended the protest at its height, and noted that most "left without incident at the required time."
The Westminster Police said on social media that the protesters were warned repeatedly about continuing to obstruct the roadways after dark, before arrests began. The police said that they had identified ringleaders and sent "specialist arrest teams in protective equipment" to detain them.
A total of 40 demonstrators were arrested for breach of the Public Order Act, assaults on officers, and blocking the highway. Those that refused to provide identification to officers were also arrested, said the Met.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism, which has been critical of British law enforcement's handling of the weekly protests in the UK capital, said of the incident that "anti-Israel protestors showed their true colors again. They are getting bolder and their actions are becoming more frequent and more disorderly."
"It is clear that the mob is used to getting its way, and three brave officers were subjected to violent attacks," said CAA. "For over half a year, our urban centres have become no-go zones for Jews and other law-abiding citizens when these demonstrations take place. They used to be weekly, now they have increased the tempo to multiple times a week. We regularly witness violent calls for intifada, support for Houthi attacks on British vessels, and glorification of Hamas terrorism at these demonstrations."
CAA said that if the demonstrations were not banned or curtailed then such incidents would become the norm.
"This country is at a tipping point," said CAA.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign had organized the rally along with several other groups in response to the death of dozens of Palestinian civilians in a Rafah incident that they blamed on the IDF.
"Our government and the Labour leadership have provided support for Israel whilst it commits genocide," said PSC. "They have blood on their hands. They must call for a ceasefire now and stop arming Israel."