Due to a demonstration by protestors in support of Palestine, the police were required to shut down Tower Bridge to both cars and pedestrians.
Activists were observed igniting flares and displaying Palestinian flags while urging for a halt to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, as seen in videos on social media. The City of London police closed the landmark at around 5:30pm on Saturday and reopened it approximately an hour later.
The police in the City of London stated on X that the Tower Bridge is currently shut down because of a protest happening. They have officers present at the location.
The authorities stated: “The Tower Bridge was back in operation at approximately 6:25pm after a previous demonstration. We are grateful for the support from @metpoliceuk.”
After the Palestine Solidarity Campaign stood up for the right to lobby Members of Parliament (MPs) in large groups, its director Ben Jamal expressed disappointment that thousands of individuals were not allowed into parliament on Wednesday. They were trying to persuade MPs to vote for a ceasefire in Gaza.
On Friday, The Times stated that Jamal addressed a group of protestors prior to Wednesday’s demonstration, saying, “We hope to have such a large turnout that they will be forced to close the doors of parliament.”
Jamal reported that this week, a total of 80,000 individuals sent emails to their MPs in anticipation of the ceasefire discussion. Additionally, more than 3,000 people traveled from various parts of the UK to personally lobby their MPs, making it one of the biggest physical lobbies in parliament’s history.
Unfortunately, the majority of individuals were not allowed to enter and instead had to wait in line for more than four hours in the rain. This was due to special restrictions put in place to limit the amount of people who could have direct contact with their Members of Parliament.
There have been reports that the safety of MPs was cited as a reason for the speaker to break standard procedures in the House of Commons and allow the Labour amendment to be discussed.
The matter of protecting MPs is a significant concern, but it should not be used as an excuse to protect them from being held accountable in a democratic system.
Source: theguardian.com
