Scuffles and Counter Demonstrations Greet Netanyahu's Controversial Visit to Britain

Pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian demonstrators faced off in London on Wednesday, sparked by an upcoming visit to the UK by Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu.

Minor scuffles with police broke out as around 300 protesters waving flags and "Free Palestine" banners surged into the main road outside the Downing Street residence of British Prime Minister David Cameron who will hold talks with Netanyahu on Thursday morning.

"Arrest Netanyahu!" and "war criminal!" were some of the slogans chanted by the pro-Palestinian group as they held up images of the Israeli prime minister with the words "child killer" stamped across his head.

This group faced a smaller group of around 40 pro-Israeli counter demonstrators, who waved the Israeli flag.

More than 107,000 people in Britain have signed an online petition for Netanyahu's arrest after last summer's war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu spoke to reporters as he prepared to fly to London, using emotive language to claim Israel and Europe faced the same threats from violent Islam.

"Europe should support Israel — not pressure Israel, not attack Israel, but support Israel, which is the only real shield that Europe and the Middle East have against extremist Islam, which is surging," the Israeli prime minister said.

"We're challenged by the opposite of modernity, which is a barbaric medievalism, early medievalism, primitive, savage, murderous, that comes from the two sources of militant Islam," he added, referring to Sunnis and Shias.

Related: Netanyahu Calls UN Investigation of Alleged Gaza War Crimes a 'Waste of Time'

Back in London, 21-year-old student Marion Tehami said outside Downing Street: "We're here because we feel that Netanyahu should pay for his war crimes. We're here to protest and let him know that he's not welcome in our country."

Britain says visiting heads of state have immunity from legal process and thus cannot be arrested.

In a statement, the government said on Tuesday: "We recognise that the conflict in Gaza last year took a terrible toll.

"However the prime minister was clear on the UK's recognition of Israel's right to take proportionate action to defend itself, within the boundaries of international humanitarian law."

More than 500 children were among the 2,100 Palestinians, the majority of them civilians, who were killed in last year's conflict. Seventy-three Israelis, almost all soldiers, were killed.

Related: The UK Has Voted to Recognize Palestine as a State