Thousands of people participated in the largest-ever Pro-Palestine march through central London while shouting “Ceasefire now” and “Stop bombing Gaza.”
About 300,000 protestors are thought to have participated in the march on Saturday, which coincided with the yearly Armistice Day observances honoring those who lost their lives in combat and commemorating the conclusion of World War I.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak referred to the event’s schedule as “disrespectful” prior to it.
The “National March for Palestine” was the most recent in a string of demonstrations in the capital of the United Kingdom in favor of the Palestinian cause since Israel began an air and ground assault on the Gaza Strip on October 7 in response to strikes on southern Israel by the Palestinian organization Hamas.
The on-going conflict
Over 240 Israelis were taken prisoner, and about 1,200 Israelis were murdered in the Hamas attack.
Over 11,000 Palestinians have died in 34 days as a result of Israel’s bombardment, which it claims are intended to destroy the Palestinian organization that controls Gaza, including over 4,500 children.
Islington MP and former leader of the British opposition, Jeremy Corbyn, also attended the demonstration and called for an end to hostilities.
Counterprotesters of the Pro-Palestine march arrested
According to police, at least 82 people were taken into custody on Saturday “to prevent a breach of the peace” in central London. They belonged to a group of counterprotesters who were against the city’s pro-Palestinian demonstration.
About 1,000 people lined the streets to watch the memory rituals at the Cenotaph war memorial a few hours before the protest started on Saturday, one mile (1.6 km) from the march’s starting point.
Some right-wing counterprotesters shouting “We want our country back” and other statements against the pro-Palestinian march were in the crowd.
Clashes between right-wing demonstrators and police broke out close to the Cenotaph. The protesters were dispersed by police using batons, and the memorial’s ceremonies continued unhindered. There were also fights in other areas of the city, such as Chinatown and the area around the Houses of Parliament.
Police indicated that the counterprotesters were not a single group after the altercation outside the Cenotaph and that they were being followed as they dispersed throughout London.
“Several hundred counterprotesters appeared in groups, and it appeared that they were determined to engage in conflict and use violence,” Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Matt Twist stated in a statement.
Twist said, “We’ve made arrests for class A drug possession, knife possession, baton possession, and assault on an emergency worker.”
He affirmed that there were no incidents during the pro-Palestine march, which was the “largest we’ve seen so far.”
I pray for the day children of Palestine wake up to the sounds of birds not bombs
As hundreds of thousands of people took part in the Pro-Palestine march on Saturday, several were holding placards which displayed outstanding compassion and humanity towards the people in Gaza. One of the photos taken by Andy Worthington showed a woman holding a placard saying “I pray for the day children of Palestine wake up to the sounds of birds not bombs”, which was truly emotional.
The current situation in Gaza is devastating as Israel continues its bombardments. It has already targeted several hospitals and schools taking the lives of thousands of children. The IDF also targeted a UN school in the Jabalia camp, which was sheltering hundreds of displaced Palestinians. Leaders from all over the world are now calling for a ceasefire as innocents are being massacred daily by Israeli forces.