Demonstrations at stations regarding the conflict in Israel and Gaza
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On Saturday 4 November, British Transport Police officers were in attendance at stations including Glasgow Central, Manchester Piccadilly and Charing Cross to ensure the safety of passengers and minimise disruption to services.
At Glasgow Central, there was a peaceful protest from midday to 1.00pm. All trains ran as usual and people could access all platforms.
At Manchester Piccadilly, around 400 to 500 people gathered between 2.30pm and 4.30pm. There was one arrest for a racially aggravated public order offence.
At Edinburgh Waverley, about 1,200 people gathered from 3.30pm to 4.45pm. The protest initially stopped some passengers from accessing the trains and platforms. British Transport Police were in attendance to minimise disruption to passengers. At 4.45pm, all protesters had left the station and the station was working as normal, with no disruption to services . There were no arrests. British Transport Police received a report of an assault. Assistant Chief Constable Sean O’Callaghan said:
“Detectives from British Transport Police are investigating a reported assault at Edinburgh Waverley Station on Saturday 4 November.
“The incident occurred at approximately 3.30pm during a demonstration at the station.
Detectives have been investigating the incident since it was reported to police on 4 November. We are working with Scot Rail regarding the investigation.”
At Charing Cross station, a protest at 4pm stopped some passengers from accessing the trains and platforms. This was in breach of Section 7 Public Order Act 2023. Officers spoke with protestors and advised them to leave the station. At 5pm, all protesters had left the station and services resumed running as usual. There were no arrests.
By the evening of Saturday 4 November, the day's protest activity had ended and stations were working as normal, with no disruption to services.
At 5pm on Monday 6 November, a peaceful protest took place at Glasgow Queen St Station. British Transport Police were in attendance and working closely with station teams to ensure the safety of all those using the station and travelling through. Around 100 to 200 protesters attended. By 6.30pm, all protesters had left the station. There was no disruption to services. There were no arrests.
British Transport Police will continue to work with the rail industry and community partners to ensure that everyone using the rail network feels protected.
Officers will take robust action against abuse, intimidation or violence - especially if religiously motivated. Abuse, intimidation or violence will never be tolerated and our officers will take robust action against those who seek to cause harm or spread hate.
If you see or experience this behaviour on the railway, we urge you to report it to us by texting 61016 or calling 999 in an emergency.
For additional support before and during travel, we recommend passengers download the Railway Guardian app for help at hand if they need it.