The Metropolitan Police says around 20,000 people are currently marching through London in a pro-Palestine protest after organisers claimed ‘hundreds of thousands’ would be taking to the streets.
Today’s London march is the first since the International Court of Justice scolded Israel for its strikes on areas of Gaza heavily populated by civilians, following claims by South Africa that Israel is perpetrating genocide – a claim it denies.
Organisers from the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) had predicted ‘hundreds of thousands’ of people to attend the march, which set off at noon from Portland Place in Marylebone.
The Met says it has made a number of arrests after one marcher was accused of setting off a suspected smoke bomb or flare; another was handcuffed for allegedly chanting slogans that could incite racial hatred.
Scotland Yard has dispatched hundreds of additional officers to the streets for the protests.
Protesters have gathered in Whitehall outside Downing Street to hear speeches from the likes of Jeremy Corbyn on Gaza
The protesters gathered on Portland Place before marching down Regent Street towards Westminster
This is the eighth national ‘day of action’ calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas
Protesters with their faces painted in the colours of the Palestinian flag listen to speeches on Whitehall
Protesters are marching through London in the first major pro-Palestine action since the International Court of Justice called on Israel to minimise civilian casualties
Protesters march down Regent Street heading for Westminster as they call for a ceasefire in Gaza
A woman with a megaphone rallies pro-Palestine activists as they march through London
Pro-Palestine protesters continue to claim that Israel is perpetrating genocide – a claim the country has strongly rebuked
Pro-Palestine protesters gathered in London’s Portland Place ahead of the march to Whitehall
The parade is winding its way through central London and will end on Whitehall, where speeches will be made
It says ‘anyone crossing the line today should expect to be dealt with swiftly…(including) anyone who carries placards and banners, or makes statements, that may be a religious or racially aggravated offence.’
in a video message the senior officer running the operation vowed the force would not tolerate hate or inexcusable behaviour.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Ward said in a clip posted on X, formerly Twitter: ‘I know that these protests can be incredibly disruptive to businesses, to residents, to people trying to travel through central London.
‘But I want to reassure you that the majority of protesters will be peaceful and we’ve got an extensive operation with hundreds of officers working to make sure that anybody who tries to cause any difficulties is dealt with swiftly and effectively.’
While the PSC had warned that ‘hundreds of thousands (were) expected in London’, the Met estimated around 20,000 people were taking part, according to a post the force made on X.
Protesters carried banners reading ‘Freedom for Palestine’ and ‘End the Occupation’ as they marched down Regent Street, where police stood at the side of the roads outside shops.
Some carried signs in the shape of watermelons – in deference to the fruit’s use as a symbol of Palestinian resistance to the early years of Israeli occupation, when the displaying of Palestinian flags was banned.
The procession is set to take in Piccadilly Circus, Haymarket, Cockspur Street and Trafalgar Square before advancing down Whitehall.
The road outside Downing Street was initially off-limits after the Met refused to allow the march to proceed down the road while negotiating with organisers – but the force later capitulated and allowed the full route to go ahead.
Officers were seen guarding the Cenotaph, which was surrounded by waist-high metal fences.
Speakers including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn are making speeches to the crowd imploring Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to call for a ceasefire.
The Met has ordered speeches to end by 5pm and for the crowds to disperse within half an hour following that time.
It has been handing leaflets to protesters advising them to ‘keep on the right side of the law’, with guidance on how to ‘avoid ending up in our cells’ through the displaying of offensive signs or those that advocate for ‘acts of terrorism’.
DAC Ward has also authorised a Section 60AA order that permits officers to ask for face coverings to be removed if they suspect they are being used in order to conceal an individual’s identity.
But the force has rubbished a claim from the Stop the War Coalition that it serves as a ‘ban’ on face coverings; the use of such orders does not extend to religious face coverings such as burqas, or to those wearing masks for medical reasons.
The Metropolitan Police has said the ‘majority of protesters will be peaceful’ – but vowed to crack down on any disruptive actors ‘swiftly and effectively’
Protestors march down Regent Street during the ‘Ceasefire Now Stop The Genocide In Gaza’ national UK demonstration on Saturday
Around 10,000 people are belived to be taking part in today’s march, according to the Met
A woman with a face mask holds a ‘watermelon’ sign calling for a ceasefire in Gaza – the fruit is sometimes used as a symbol of Palestinian resistance to Israel’s occupation of the territories
Protestors hold signs reading ‘rom the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ – a controversial slogan among some who feel it calls for the displacement of Israel
Pro-Palestinian protesters hold up banners, flags and placards during a demonstration in London on Saturday February 3
Piers Corbyn is pictured during a pro-Palestine march in central London today, organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Pro-Palestinian protesters hold up banners, flags and placards during a demonstration in London on Saturday
A man holds a sign reading ‘Over 9000 chrildren killed. Stop genocide. End apartheid’ during a protest in London today
It said on X: ‘This legislation is not a ban. It only applies if officers believe a face covering is being worn to conceal identity. It does not apply to religious face coverings and we will always be conscious of the medically vulnerable.’
Stop the War had said: ‘Apart from the fact that this has not been raised at any of our meetings (with police), this is a gross violation of civil liberties.’
As with previous marches, protesters are banned from entering the area of Kensington Palace Gardens and Kensington Road outside the Israeli Embassy.
Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, accused Israel of committing ‘genocide’ in Gaza with its near-ceaseless shelling of the occupied territory since Hamas terrorists brutally killed 1,200 Israelis on October 7.
He said of today’s protest: ‘We have been marching and protesting in our hundreds of thousands for more than three months warning … (that) Israel’s actions demonstrate a genocidal intent.
‘Israel has so far killed more than 27,000 Palestinian men, women and children. How long will our political leaders continue to aid and provide cover for genocide?
‘We will march to Whitehall to bring our message home to Downing Street – the UK must end its complicity in Israel’s genocide and demand a ceasefire now.’
This is the eighth Day of Action for Palestine since Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, organised by a coalition of organisations including Stop the War, Friends of Al-Aqsa, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to ‘destroy’ Hamas in response to the October 7 attacks. Israel has carried out strikes and deployed troops throughout the Gaza Strip almost endlessly since October, save for mediated breaks in the conflict to allow for the exchange of hostages.
Last week, the International Court of Justice demanded that Israel do all it can to reduce civilian casualties after South Africa lodged a case alleging genocide.
It has also told the state to avoid taking any actions that could fall under the UN’s definition of genocide, which defines the act as killing, seriously harming or deliberately seeking to bring about the end of a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, including by preventing births.
In a ruling that covered most of what the African country had asked for, the 17-judge panel also called for Israel to facilitate the ongoing delivery of aid to the 1.4million Gazans that had been displaced by the war.
Smoke rises from an explosion in northern Gaza after an Israeli missile strike on January 31
A Palestinian girl stands in a doorway in Rafah on February 3 after a building was hit by an Israeli shell
A woman cries as she sifts through rubble of a destroyed house in Rafah following Israeli bombardment
Satellite photographs from 2019 (left) and now (right) show the devastation caused in Gaza by months of Israeli shelling following Hamas’ terror attack on October 7
Hamas terrorists burst into Israel on October 7 and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to ‘destroy’ Hamas, maintaining that Israel has a right to defend itself
The International Court of Justice has called on Israel to do all it can to minimise civilian casualties in Gaza (pictured making its ruling last week)
But Mr Netanyahu fired back, calling the fact that the court was willing to discuss the genocide charges a ‘mark of shame that will not be erased for generations’ as he vowed to press ahead with the war.
He said: ‘Like every country, Israel has the basic right to defend itself. The court in the Hague rightfully rejected the outrageous request to take that away from us.’
‘We will continue to do what is necessary to defend our country and defend our people.’
Despite this, the Associated Press reports that Hamas-sanctioned police officers are started to appear on the rubble-strewn streets of Gaza City again, suggesting the terror enclave is far from defeated.
Civil servants are also believed to be resuming duties in makeshift offices, as the group’s bureaucratic arm attempts to resume public services that it has been operating since taking power in 2007.
Hamas is also studying a proposed ceasefire deal that would see fighting halt in Gaza so further prisoner exchanges can be made with Israel.
But a call by the group’s top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, for the IDF’s military operations to ‘completely end’ in Gaza and for troops to withdraw has already been rejected by Israel.
The UN estimates that more than 69,000 buildings in Gaza – nearly one third of all structures in the territory – had been destroyed or moderately damaged in the months since the war began.