Jeremy Corbyn & John McDonnell to be quizzed by cops on pro-Palestinian rally as they demand release of bodycam footage

FORMER Labour person Jeremy Corbyn and ex-shadow chancellor John McDonnell are to beryllium quizzed by cops aft attending a pro-Palestine rally.

The 2 MPs, aged 73 and 73, who presently beryllium arsenic independents successful the Commons, were owed to voluntarily be a police presumption connected Sunday afternoon.

Corbyn antecedently demanded cops merchandise each bodycam footage, claiming they were portion of delegation wishing to laic flowers successful representation of children killed successful Gaza.

It is unclear if they person yet been interviewed. The Sun has approached the Met for immoderate updates.

The unit is investigating what it claims was a coordinated effort by organisers to breach conditions imposed connected the objection successful London yesterday.

The Met said: "Three men person agreed to be voluntarily astatine a Central London Police Station contiguous to beryllium interviewed nether transgression caution arsenic officers analyse a coordinated effort by organisers to breach conditions.

"The 75-year-old, 73-year-old and 61-year-old volition beryllium interviewed by officers this afternoon."

Corbyn earlier disputed the force's relationship of the rally successful a station connected X connected Saturday.

The cops said: "Officers were holding the enactment astatine the apical of Whitehall to halt immoderate groups marching which would beryllium a breach of the conditions.

"Despite their efforts a ample radical has forced its mode done and are successful Trafalgar Square."

But the ex-Labour main said: "This is not an close statement of events astatine all.

"I was portion of a delegation of speakers, who wished to peacefully transportation and laic flowers successful representation of children successful Gaza who had been killed.

"This was facilitated by the police. We did not unit our mode through."

He added: "When we reached Trafalgar Square, we informed constabulary that we would spell nary further, laic down flowers and disperse.

"At that point, the Chief Steward, Chris Nineham was arrested. We past turned backmost and dispersed.

"I impulse the constabulary to merchandise each bodycam footage and retract its misleading relationship of events."

McDonnell added: "We did not unit our mode [through], the constabulary allowed america to spell [through] & erstwhile stopped successful Trafalgar Square we laid our flowers down & dispersed."

He besides urged constabulary to merchandise the bodycam footage of a speech helium had with an officer.

It comes aft 10 radical were charged with nationalist bid offences aft the protesters allegedly breached conditions arsenic they marched from a rally successful Whitehall to Trafalgar Square, breaking done a constabulary enactment successful the process.

Saturday's Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) protestation was adjusted to beryllium a static rally aft constabulary curtailed organisers' plans for a march past the BBC and adjacent a synagogue, and conditions were enactment successful spot that prevented radical progressive from entering circumstantial areas.

Thousands of demonstrators, including Corbyn and McDonnell marched towards Trafalgar Square from Whitehall aft speeches were made astatine the rally.

Police announced connected Saturday that 77 radical had been arrested - including Corbyn's member Piers Corbyn, the highest fig crossed much than 20 nationalist PSC protests since October 2023.

Some 65 radical had been detained for a breach of conditions, 5 for nationalist bid offences, 2 for obstructing police, 1 for supporting a proscribed organisation, 1 for inciting radical hatred, 1 for communal assault, 1 for battle connected an exigency idiosyncratic and 1 for intersexual assault.

The unit said connected Sunday that 24 radical person been bailed and 48 stay successful custody.

Piers Corbyn, 77, of Elephant and Castle, south-east London; Angela Zelter, 73, of Knighton, Powys; Tessa Roe-Stanton, 20, Starr Thomas, 20, Christian Adair, 23, each from Brockley, south-east London; Monday Rosenfeld, 21, of Limehouse, eastbound London; Colin Weedon, 78, of Vauxhall, south-west London; Matthew Brennan, 44, of St George, Bristol; David Ok, 40, of Kilburn, north-west London; and Christopher Nineham, 62, of Bow, eastbound London, were charged with nationalist bid offences.

They volition look astatine Westminster Magistrates' Court successful the coming days.

Commander Adam Slonecki said: "Yesterday we saw a deliberate effort, including by protestation organisers, to breach conditions and effort to march retired of Whitehall.

"This was a superior escalation successful criminality and 1 which we are taking incredibly seriously. Officers person worked astir the timepiece to prosecute those involved."

He said 3 officers were spat astatine and 1 was assaulted during the protest.

A protestation was held connected Sunday successful enactment of 1 of the 10 charged - Nineham, who is vice seat of the Stop the War Coalition (SWC).

SWC nationalist serviceman John Rees told astir 35 supporters gathered extracurricular Walworth constabulary presumption successful south-east London: "This is simply a archetypal fertile all-out battle connected the close to escaped assembly, of the close to escaped speech.

"It is unprecedented successful modern times successful British history. It is unprecedented for the constabulary to apprehension a elder serviceman of a large protestation organisation successful this country, and to harvester that with a expanse of hundreds of actors who person been taken into custody, and immoderate of them already charged with akin offences.

"It is, successful short, a authorities effort to adjacent down protests connected the question of Palestine."

Ahead of the demonstration, the PSC had described the Met's conditions arsenic "repressive" and called for the unit to assistance them.

The Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) criticised the Met's determination to artifact the march, calling it "an outrageous battle connected democracy, state of assembly, and state of expression".

"Silencing peaceful protesters who basal against genocide and successful solidarity with the oppressed is not lone undemocratic but shameful," MAB said successful a statement.

A spokesperson for the Campaign Against Antisemitism described Saturday's scenes arsenic "a acheronian time for London", adding: "For implicit a twelvemonth we person called for these marches to beryllium banned; we reiterated that telephone yesterday erstwhile it was wide that the constabulary would not beryllium capable to power the situation.

"Police authorised a static protestation for activists who repeatedly declared, '#WeWillMarch'. The effect was chaos successful London."

Before Saturday, the Met denied putting a "ring of steel" astir Broadcasting House successful Portland Place, but blocked protesters from gathering determination due to the fact that of its adjacent proximity to a synagogue and the hazard the objection could origin "serious disruption" to the Jewish beatified day, arsenic radical attended Shabbat services.

The protestation was adjusted to beryllium a static rally successful Whitehall instead.