Jeremy Corbyn interviewed by police after pro-Palestine rally, Sky News understands
Jeremy Corbyn has agreed to be interviewed under caution by police following a pro-Palestinian rally in central London, Sky News understands.
The former Labour leader, 75, voluntarily attended a police station in the capital this afternoon.
The BBC reports that John McDonnell, 73, who was the shadow chancellor during Mr Corbyn’s leadership, also agreed to be voluntarily interviewed.
Sky News saw the pair leaving Charing Cross Police station this afternoon. They declined to comment when approached.
Nine other people have been charged with public order offences following arrests at the protest organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) on Saturday.
Get Sky News on WhatsApp
Follow our channel and never miss an update
Tap here to follow
The Met said they witnessed a “deliberate effort, including by protest organisers” to breach conditions that had been imposed on the event.
That included a condition that the protest would be static, to prevent crowds forming in the vicinity of a synagogue located a short distance from Portland Place, which is near the BBC’s headquarters, the force added.
In a statement, the Met said those who have been charged, which includes Mr Corbyn’s brother Piers, are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in the coming days.
It added that three men had agreed to attend voluntarily at a Central London Police Station today to be interviewed under caution.
Giving only their ages, the Met said: “The 75-year-old, 73-year-old, and 61-year-old will be interviewed by officers this afternoon”.
Commander Adam Slonecki, who led the policing operation, said: “Yesterday we saw a deliberate effort, including by protest organisers, to breach conditions and attempt to march out of Whitehall.
“This was a serious escalation in criminality and one which we are taking incredibly seriously. Officers have worked around the clock to pursue those involved.
“We will continue to work through CCTV footage, videos from social media and our body-worn cameras so we can make further arrests and bring forward charges where we identify criminality.”
However, the PSC has accused the Met of promoting “a misleading narrative about the events” in “claiming that a peaceful delegation pushed through police lines”.
The PSC said that after the Met banned their march to the BBC, they made clear they intended to protest against that “anti-democratic” decision if the restrictions were not lifted.
“The police were fully aware of these statements and our intentions,” the campaign group said.