The Crown actor Khalid Abdalla ‘told to attend police interview’ over pro-Palestinian protest
The Crown actor Khalid Abdalla says he has been told to attend a police interview in relation to a pro-Palestinian protest in January.
Abdalla, who played Dodi Fayed in the popular Netflix series, wrote in an Instagram post that he had received a letter from the Metropolitan Police on Thursday.
The 44-year-old said that others, “including Stephen Kapos, an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor”, had also received letters “summoning” them to interviews.
Abdalla said it relates to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign protest which took place on Whitehall on 18 January.
The actor, who also appeared in the 2024 thriller The Day Of The Jackal, added that it “remains to be seen” if he and the others will be charged.
He also says that the “right to protest” is under attack in the UK and it “requires us all to defend it”.
“I will not be making further comment on the 18th January protest for legal reasons”, he wrote.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “As part of our ongoing investigation into alleged breaches of Public Order Act conditions on Saturday, January 18, we have invited a further eight people to be interviewed under caution at a police station.
“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.”
Abdalla, who was born in the UK to Egyptian parents, has attended several pro-Palestinian demonstrations and shared posts on social media calling for Western nations to “stop arming Israel”.
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Khalid Abdalla at the premiere for season six of The Crown. Pic: Reuters
The day after the 18 January protest, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was interviewed under caution by police, Sky News understands.
Mr Corbyn, who wrote on social media that he attended to give a speech and lay flowers for children killed in Gaza, voluntarily went to a police station in the capital.
The Met Police said on the day of the demonstration that the “static” protest would be contained on Whitehall after organisers had initially planned to march past the BBC and near a synagogue.
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However, the force later accused demonstrators of forcing their way through police lines and entering Trafalgar Square.
Mr Corbyn disputed the police’s version of events and said police had allowed protesters through the line.
The demonstration came as Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire and hostage release deal following the 15-month-long war in Gaza.
