Authorities say Suella Braverman’s allegations of bias in the use of force were “a factor” in attacks on them.

According to police, far-right attacks on force personnel were largely sparked by Suella Braverman’s allegations of police bias in the days preceding Saturday’s pro-Palestinian march.

The level of attacks by far-right supporters on police officers in central London, according to a police source with close knowledge of the events over the weekend, was “unprecedented.” Police think that some of them were high on cocaine and in possession of it. Tensions between the government and police were evident in the wake of the march, with at least two officers hospitalised and the home secretary battling for her political life.

By asserting that tensions had escalated following “intense debate about protest and policing,” a government source claimed that police were attempting to “dictate” what could be discussed in public. Although senior police officers were clear about what they believed to be the cause of far-right violence towards officers, they still do not want to get into a public spat with the government. Matt Twist, the assistant commissioner for the Mets, stated that the operation happened in exceptional circumstances on Armistice Day, amid a backdrop of Middle Eastern conflict, and after a week of heated discussion concerning protest and law enforcement.

The extraordinary and extremely concerning acts of violence committed today by right-wing protestors against the police

Sir Peter Fahy, a former chief constable of Greater Manchester, asserted that the police were incited to act in this way by being called biassed and having their support for football hooligans and the far right questioned. He believed that a responsible politician should try to calm and unite the populace.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s (PSC) director, Ben Jamal, criticised Braverman and charged that “pro-Israel actors” were planning the march on Saturday in an effort to find antisemitic incidents on purpose. Numerous people associated with the pro-Palestinian demonstration are still being sought by the police. These individuals include one who appeared to be wearing a headband endorsing Hamas and another who was brandishing antisemitic signs and symbols.

More arrests were expected, according to deputy assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor. British Transport Police (BTP) have released an image of a young woman in relation to a “antisemitic hate crime” that happened at Victoria station on Saturday.