Shocking moment man 'spits towards group of Israel supporters' near pro-Palestine protest at university in London

5 May 2024, 07:55 | Updated: 5 May 2024, 08:35

A man has been arrested
A man has been arrested. Picture: X/@RADOCLUB
Kieran Kelly

By Kieran Kelly

This is the shocking moment a man 'spat towards a group of Israel supporters' near a pro-Palestine protest at a university in central London.

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Footage provided to LBC shows a man spitting in the direction of a group of counter-demonstrators in front of several police officers.

The man is then ushered away by the police near the University College London (UCL) campus, where a pro-Palestine protest had been taking place.

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that a man has been arrested.

There was initial confusion about why the Met took no further action against the man, before he was moved away by the officer.

The person who filmed the incident, an Iranian journalist, told LBC: "[I was with] Israeli friends, and I came to them with a camera to see what happened, and he spat at me."

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It comes as university protests appear to be growing in London, following trends that have been seen in the United States.

Tents have been pitched near the UCL main campus as protesters demonstrate their opposition to Israeli actions in Gaza.

Around 100 protesters were seen calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, as they chanted 'free Palestine' and 'divest from death', The Telegraph reports.

Meanwhile, another 50 pro-Israeli counter-demonstrators hit back: "Terrorist supporters off our streets. Anti-Semites off our streets."