Khalid Abdalla read ‘If I Must Die’ by Palestinian poet Refaat Alareer at the protest on 18 January [GETTY]
British actor Khalid Abdalla has revealed he was asked by the Metropolitan Police to attend a “formal interview” in relation to a pro-Palestinian rally he spoke at on 18 January.
Abdalla, sharing a statement on his social media, said that he and others, including Holocaust survivor Stephen Kapos, received a letter “summoning” them to a “formal interview” about the protest.
“The right to protest is under attack in this country and it requires us all to defend it,” Abdalla wrote.
“While there is an alarming rise in attempts to censor voices that stand up for Palestine, even as it faces open calls for ethnic cleansing, it will not work.”
The actor added “it remains to be seen if this will result in charges”.
The Met Police told The New Arab it “invited a further eight people to be interviewed under caution at a police station” as part of its “ongoing investigation into alleged breaches of Public Order Act conditions on Saturday, 18 January”.
“While we are aware of names being attributed to those who have been invited for interview, we do not confirm the identity of anyone under investigation,” the police added.
The actor was one of the many speakers of the pro-Gaza event, including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Abdalla, a prominent actor known for his roles in The Crown, The Kite Runner and The Day of the Jackal, has been vocal critic of Israel’s war on Gaza, as well as other issues including the Egyptian revolution and anti-trans censorship.
The actor has attended many Gaza rallies and is a signatory of the Artists for Palestine UK open letter to the BBC condemning the broadcaster’s decision to remove a documentary about children’s lives in Gaza.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), the organisers behind the rally at Whitehall, condemned the police action, calling for the Met to halt any prosecutions or proceedings against those involved.
“This apparently co-ordinated attack against the Palestine solidarity movement is endeavouring to halt public protest on the issue, through harassment of those involved in the movement, and through increasingly draconian restrictions on demonstrations,” the PSC said in a statement.
The group said Stephen Kapos was called in “for the alleged offence of carrying a bunch of flowers into Trafalgar Square”.
Protesters charged
The protesters were initially planned to assemble at the BBC’s headquarters, but changed the location to Russell Square following restrictions from the Met police.
More than 70 people were arrested on the day of the protest on suspicion of breaching restrictions that banned protesters from marching towards the broadcasting house.
At the end of the rally, in protest against the restrictions, the PSC said a group would walk towards the BBC and leave flowers at the feet of the police and then disperse.
However, as they reached the police line, they were allegedly invited to proceed into Trafalgar Square and the police “violently” arrested and charged the vice-chair of the Stop the War Coalition, Chris Nineham, who was serving as chief steward for the rally.Â
The Met said that protesters breached the conditions of the Public Order Act that were in place for the protest, which the police say were “clearly communicated to the organisers and advertised in advance”.
The organisers denied claims that protesters forced their way through the police cordon and marched towards the Portland Place headquarters after concluding the Whitehall rally.
So far 21 people have been charged, including PSC Director Ben Jamal, who has since pleaded not guilty.
Corbyn and former shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, were questioned under caution in January.
The march, which took place on the eve of the current Gaza ceasefire, was attended by over 100,000 protesters who called for an end to Israel’s war on the enclave and for the UK to stop arms sales to the state.
