Professional-Palestinian demonstrators have marched by central London, with protesters calling for an instantaneous ceasefire in Gaza and an finish to the escalating battle within the Center East.
Tens of hundreds have walked from Russell Sq. to Whitehall, the place speeches had been happening outdoors Downing Road.
The occasion has been organised by teams together with the Palestine Solidarity Marketing campaign, with folks travelling from across the nation to participate.
Fifteen folks have been arrested, the Metropolitan Police stated.
The protest comes one yr after the 7 October assaults in Israel.
The Metropolitan Police stated it was exhausting to precisely estimate turnout however the protest “seems to be larger than different latest protests”.
The group stretched from Downing Road to Trafalgar Sq. whereas audio system had been addressing demonstrators.
Individuals may very well be seen carrying Palestinian flags and placards with message “ceasefire now” and “arms off Lebanon”, and chanting “cease the bombing now”.
A counter-protest additionally occurred on Saturday afternoon, forcing police to type a cordon between the 2 marches.
However a small group broke away from the pro-Palestinian protest and had been stopped attempting to method the counter-protest at Aldwych. Three folks had been arrested after officers intervened.
Circumstances had been imposed to maneuver the counter-protest group again to Trafalgar Sq. because it bought “too near the primary march and effectively away from the agreed space”, police stated.
Police stated 15 arrests had been made: three for assaulting an emergency employee, one for supporting a proscribed organisation, three for assault, seven for public order offences and one for breach of Public Order Act circumstances.
The pressure additionally stated it was conscious of social media posts exhibiting folks holding placards with messages of help for Hezbollah – proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the UK authorities and others – and it was working to seek out these concerned.
Individually, pro-Palestinian supporters had been strolling by the centre of Edinburgh on Saturday afternoon.
On Sunday, a memorial occasion will happen in Hyde Park organised by the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Jewish Management Council and different teams.
The struggle started when Hamas gunmen attacked Israel on 7 October final yr, killing about 1,200 folks and taking 251 others as hostages.
Israel responded with a army marketing campaign in Gaza that has now killed at the least 41,825 folks, in line with the Hamas-run well being ministry.