Overview

• Two people were killed in a car-ramming and stabbing outside a Manchester synagogue, and the attacker was shot dead by armed officers, prompting heightened protective policing.
• The Metropolitan Police and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood urged organisers to cancel or delay Saturday’s Trafalgar Square demonstration, citing stretched resources and community safety concerns.
• Defend Our Juries said the action will proceed, estimating around 1,500 participants and arguing that cancelling a peaceful protest would “let terror win.”
• Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley warned the Met will call in support from other forces and arrest anyone committing offences linked to the proscribed group Palestine Action, following more than 1,500 arrests since the ban in July.
• About 40 people were arrested during London protests on Thursday, including six on suspicion of assaults on officers, and legal experts note there is currently no power to impose a blanket ban on static assemblies.