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Britain's Interior Minister voiced regret that pro-Palestinian protests went ahead on Thursday evening after the terrorist incident that took the lives of two men outside a synagogue in the city of Manchester.
The top security official additionally called on protesters to "pause" from intentions to organize protests in the next few days.
"I do think that proceeding in this fashion does feel contrary to British values, it seems inappropriate," she remarked concerning protests scheduled for this weekend.
Protesters in central London demonstrating against the Israel's naval forces intercepting a flotilla carrying aid to the Gaza Strip clashed with police officers near Downing Street on Thursday night.
Substantial groups displaying flags of Palestine and placards could be seen on the government district into the night.
The Metropolitan Police reported that 40 people had been taken into custody. Six of those arrested were detained over assaults on police officers.
"It's essential to establish separation between events unfolding in the Middle Eastern region and situations developing at home," the home secretary stated during a television interview on Friday.
"My message would be to people who are planning to join a demonstration is to just take a step back for a minute, and imagine if you had lost a loved one to a terrorist incident in this nation," she continued.
There were "robust" powers to protect the freedom to demonstrate, she mentioned, but they could be superseded on the advice of the law enforcement.
"I can act based from the law enforcement, if they were to inform me there was an inability to respond and to oversee the demonstrations, then there are powers that are at my disposal," she explained.
Community representatives express apprehensions
The UK's senior rabbinical leader remarked that many people of the Jewish community questioned why protests in support of Palestinian causes had been authorized to take place.
The group was proscribed as a terror group in the summer. At multiple protests following the ban, hundreds have been taken into custody for showing support for the group, which has secured approval to dispute the proscription.
"A portion of them include outright antisemitism, clear support for the militant group. Not every single person, however there is a significant amount of these elements, which undoubtedly represents dangerous to many within our society," the religious leader declared.
"You cannot separate the rhetoric on our streets, the actions of individuals in this manner, and what subsequently occurs, which was Thursday's violent act."
Additionally, he appealed to the administration "yet again", to "assert authority on these demonstrations, they are risky."
