Viral Westfield Stratford Video Is Genuine, but the Arrest Claim Is Not

A video circulating again on X shows security staff confronting pro-Palestinian demonstrators around a large Palestinian flag inside Westfield Stratford City in London. The footage is real, but it was not recorded in September 2026. It comes from a protest held on December 26, 2025, and official police information says no one was arrested.

The clip resurfaced on September 26, 2026 with a caption claiming that security personnel removed the flag and “arrested everyone involved.” The same post also described the participants as Hamas supporters. Neither claim is supported by the official record examined for this article.

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The footage dates back to Boxing Day 2025

The demonstration took place at Westfield Stratford City in East London on Boxing Day, December 26, 2025.

According to the Metropolitan Police account later cited by the Greater London Authority, officers were alerted at about 5:20 p.m. Police estimated that roughly 100 pro-Palestinian supporters were involved in a spontaneous protest spread across two floors of the shopping centre.

Contemporary footage showed a large Palestinian flag draped over an upper-level railing, along with smaller flags, banners and leaflets. Chants included “Free Palestine” and “Free the Filton 24.”

Police said the protest caused disruption to shoppers and blocked access to some businesses. Local officers attended, and the crowd was dispersed with help from shopping-centre security.

No arrests were made

The strongest evidence concerns the arrest claim.

In a February 2026 response published by the Greater London Authority, based on information from the Metropolitan Police, officials stated that no arrests were made during the Westfield Stratford protest.

Police had authorized a dispersal order under Section 35, but the group left before enforcement action became necessary. Police also said no offences were disclosed and no further incidents were reported after the crowd dispersed.

That means the claim that security “arrested everyone involved” is incorrect.

The video itself also does not show mass arrests. It shows security personnel and participants pulling at the large flag from opposite sides of the railing, but it does not show protesters being handcuffed or taken away.

The protest was not identified as a Palestine Action event

The viral caption also creates confusion about the group behind the demonstration.

Palestine Action was added to the United Kingdom’s list of proscribed organizations in July 2025. However, the Metropolitan Police later told the Greater London Authority that the organization involved in the Westfield incident was not Palestine Action and was not another proscribed organization.

The protest did include slogans supporting the “Filton 24,” a group of defendants and detainees linked to alleged actions associated with Palestine Action. Reporting from the time also connected activists associated with Prayers for Gaza to the demonstration.

Those links are not the same as evidence that Palestine Action itself organized the event.

No evidence supports the “Hamas supporters” label

The post that revived the video described the protesters as Hamas supporters. The available evidence does not establish that.

The footage does not show Hamas flags or other visible Hamas insignia, and the Metropolitan Police described the participants as pro-Palestinian supporters rather than Hamas supporters.

A Palestinian flag, by itself, is not proof that the person displaying it supports Hamas.

What the video actually shows

The underlying footage is authentic. The misleading element is the description attached to it months later.

The protest occurred on December 26, 2025, involved about 100 people according to police, spread across two floors of Westfield Stratford City and disrupted access to some shops. Security intervened, police arrived and the crowd was dispersed.

But official information says there were no arrests, and the available evidence does not support describing the demonstrators as Hamas supporters.