The officer sustained a head injury from the alleged Whitehall assault
A Walthamstow resident has been charged with causing actual bodily harm to a police officer during Saturday’s demonstration for Palestine in central London.
Atif Sharif, 41, of Albert Road, was arrested on Saturday following the assault of a police officer in Whitehall. The officer sustained a head injury. Sharif was one of nine people who were arrested at the protest. He was remanded after his arrest and will appear at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court today (30th October).
More than 1,000 Metropolitan Police officers policed the large-scale demonstration, which was reportedly one of the largest pro-Palestine protests in British history, with over 100,000 people believed to have attended.
The protest culminated in Parliament Square where speakers including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn MP, Hackney and Stoke Newington MP Diane Abbot, and RMT boss Mick Lynch, all called for an immediate ceasefire.
The Israel-Hamas war has so far claimed the lives of over 8,300 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The war was sparked by Hamas’ 7th October surprise attack that killed over 1,000 Israeli civilians and saw 233 Israelis being taken hostage. Four hostages have so far been released, including Yocheved Lifshitz, whose daughter Sharone lives in Walthamstow.
Israel is currently a ground and air offensive in the Gaza Strip with the stated intention of destroying Hamas and rescuing hostages. Over 1.4 million Gazans have been displaced by the operations.
Update: An earlier headline was amended as it implied the man had been found guilty of assaulting a police officer.
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