Tens of thousands take to streets of London in solidarity with Palestine
Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters marched through central London on Saturday, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the escalating conflict in the middle east.
Groups of activists gathered on Saturday morning in Russell Square – ahead of the one-year anniversary of the October 7 attacks in Israel today – before marching into Whitehall, where speakers including ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn addressed demonstrators.
The event was organised by groups including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC). The PSC has organised 20 marches in support of Palestine since October 7, 2023.
The Met said it was hard to estimate turnout, but the protest “appeared to be greater than other recent protests”.
A counter-protest also took place, with police physically separating the two groups. Conditions were imposed to move the counter-protest group back to Trafalgar Square as it got “too close to the main march and well away from the agreed area”, causing a pocket of tension within the largely peaceful protest.
The Met said officers made 17 arrests as part of a “significant” policing operation across the capital on Saturday.
Two people were arrested on suspicion of supporting a proscribed organisation, one of which included a protester wearing what appeared to be a parachute, and there were eight arrests on suspicion of public order offences, four of which were allegedly racially aggravated. Parachutes and paragliders were used by militants from Hamas to launch their aerial assault to enter Israel from Gaza last October.
Three people were arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker, three were arrested on suspicion of assault and one person was arrested on suspicion of breaching a Public Order Act condition. The force said the arrests were made when people tried to get past officers who had formed a cordon to stop any groups breaking away from the main protest.
A number of further potential offences have come to light on social media, the force said today.
Given the size of the crowd the force asked witnesses to take photos of anyone holding offensive placards. A spokesman said: “What is easy to spot when walking among the crowd with a mobile phone is not always easy for officers to see from the edge of the crowd.”
The Met have now released images and are appealing for the public’s help to identify those involved.
Anyone who can identify those pictured is asked to call 101, message @MetCC on X or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. They should give the reference 3919/06OCT and the specific reference on the image.
More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks since October 7, 2023, according to Gaza’s ministry of health. Many of those identified have been women, children and elderly.
The revised death toll in Israel from Hamas’s October 7 attacks stands at around 1,200, with more than 100 people still held hostage.
Pictured top: Thousands gather in central London on Saturday before marching into Whitehall (Picture: Ben Bauer/PA Images)