LONDON: About 100,000 individuals joined a pro-Palestinian demonstration in central London on Saturday, marching via the British capital to demand a right away ceasefire in Gaza following the Hamas assault on Israel two weeks in the past.
Chanting “Free Palestine”, holding banners and waving Palestinian flags, the protesters moved via London earlier than massing at Downing Avenue, the official residence and workplace of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Police estimated 100,000 individuals had taken half within the “Nationwide March for Palestine” demonstration, organised by the Palestine Solidarity Marketing campaign.
“As a Palestinian who’d wish to return dwelling at some point, as a Palestinian who has brothers and sisters in Gaza, and household, I want we are able to do extra however protest is what we are able to do on the minute,” one girl, who declined to provide her identify, advised Reuters.
Most of the chants and banners contained sturdy anti-Israeli slogans, and one protester held a banner with footage of Sunak, US President Joe Biden, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the message “Wished For Struggle crimes”.
Police had cautioned earlier than the march that anybody exhibiting help for Hamas, banned as a terrorist organisation in Britain, would face arrest, and any incident of hate crime wouldn’t be tolerated.
The protest was principally peaceable, and police stated they’d made 10 arrests.
Figures on Friday confirmed there had been a 1,353% enhance in antisemitic offences this month in comparison with the identical interval final yr, whereas Islamophobic offences have been up 140%.
“This has been a difficulty which has lengthy stimulated passions and we are actually all seeing on social media and in our communities, how divisive and polarising the present state of affairs has turn out to be,” British international minister James Cleverly stated at a peace summit in Cairo.
Chanting “Free Palestine”, holding banners and waving Palestinian flags, the protesters moved via London earlier than massing at Downing Avenue, the official residence and workplace of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Police estimated 100,000 individuals had taken half within the “Nationwide March for Palestine” demonstration, organised by the Palestine Solidarity Marketing campaign.
“As a Palestinian who’d wish to return dwelling at some point, as a Palestinian who has brothers and sisters in Gaza, and household, I want we are able to do extra however protest is what we are able to do on the minute,” one girl, who declined to provide her identify, advised Reuters.
Most of the chants and banners contained sturdy anti-Israeli slogans, and one protester held a banner with footage of Sunak, US President Joe Biden, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the message “Wished For Struggle crimes”.
Police had cautioned earlier than the march that anybody exhibiting help for Hamas, banned as a terrorist organisation in Britain, would face arrest, and any incident of hate crime wouldn’t be tolerated.
The protest was principally peaceable, and police stated they’d made 10 arrests.
Figures on Friday confirmed there had been a 1,353% enhance in antisemitic offences this month in comparison with the identical interval final yr, whereas Islamophobic offences have been up 140%.
“This has been a difficulty which has lengthy stimulated passions and we are actually all seeing on social media and in our communities, how divisive and polarising the present state of affairs has turn out to be,” British international minister James Cleverly stated at a peace summit in Cairo.
