Hundreds gathered outside the Town Hall

CAMDEN’S mayor took the rare step of excluding the public from Monday’s council tax setting meeting in the council chamber as a large Gaza demonstration gathered outside.

Extra security was called in and Mayor Nazma Rahman ordered the public galleries not to be opened. It followed disruption at the last all-member meeting at the Town Hall.

She asked Borough Solicitor Andrew Maughan to explain the exclusion – and why campaigners had seen a request for a deputation refused; the Camden Palestine Solidarity campaign wanted to call on councillors to pass a motion demanding an immediate ceasefire.

Mr Maughan said Camden had been monitoring social media and had “intelligence” that this week’s meeting would also be targeted.

“This is an extremely rare and unusual thing for a mayor to do but nevertheless is something which is in the mayor’s common law powers,” said Mr Maughan, adding that “something had been thrown into the chamber” last time and that the council’s business had to be conducted safely.

Councillor Nazma Rahman

Outside, hundreds had gathered the council’s building in Judd Street, King’s Cross, chanting to the beat of a drum and demanding that all governments and politicians demand an end to Israel’s bombing of Gaza, which has led to thousands of Palestinian deaths.

It followed killings and hostage taking by Hamas after their ranks crossed into Israel on October 7. Local authorities across London and beyond have faced campaigners asking councillors to send a clear message demanding a ceasefire through the use of motions.

Demonstrators say lobbying politicians – both local and national – has been a normal method of campaigning for decades, and that decisions should always be taken in public.

Mr Maughan said a live webcast of the meeting was running and the press had been allowed in. In a speech to the chamber, Council leader Councillor Georgia Gould said vulnerable residents had been scared by protesters who had turned up to her surgery last week, adding: “We support people’s right to protest but we cannot see councillors targeted because of their faith and unable to serve constituents because of protests…

“We need to see the fighting end immediately, a sustainable ceasefire observed by all sides with civilians protected, a return of the hostages and a lasting peace agreement with the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.”

But she added: “I want to say very clearly that no one in this room is responsible for the actions of Hamas or the Israeli government.”