Flintshire man charged following Armistice Day clashes in London

In the aftermath of Saturday’s Armistice Day demonstrations in London, a 33-year-old Flintshire man finds himself among 11 individuals facing charges.

The protests, marked by the participation of Pro-Palestinian groups and counter-protests by right-wing factions, led to a total of 145 arrests.

The individuals charged face a range of offences, encompassing assault, possession of weapons, criminal damage, breaches of public order, incitement of racial hatred, and drug possession

The charges so far follow investigations led by detectives from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command and the Public Order Crime Team.

Sam Fairclough, of Buckley has been charged with the possession of an offensive weapon.

Following his arrest, he has been released on bail and is scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 1 December.

The pro-Palestinian demonstration saw some 300,000 people march through central London calling for a Gaza ceasefire.

It was the biggest UK rally since the war between Israel and Hamas began on 7 October.

Police said that while the march itself did not see such physical violence, other serious offences were being investigated.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor of the Met Office, who led the policing operation on Saturday, said: “Public order policing doesn’t end when demonstrators go home.”

“We have teams of officers who continue to build cases against those in custody and launch investigations into those who come to our attention when images and videos are shared on social media.”

“Since the end of yesterday’s demonstration we’ve published appeals in relation to six incidents and I have no doubt there will be more to follow.“

“We urge anyone who has information about the identity of suspects, or who has footage or photos of further potential offences, to get in touch so we can take the appropriate action.”