300,000 pro-Palestinian protesters take to streets of London

Hundreds of thousands of pro-Palestinian protestors took to the streets of central London on Saturday to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, as officers in riot gear sought to contain far-right counter-protesters.

More than 300,000 people attended the National March for Palestine, the latest in a series of weekly demonstrations calling for an end to the violence in Gaza, where more than 11,000 people have died under Israeli bombing in just over a month.

People with cancer, people in wheelchairs and parents with children on their backs and in prams were among the huge crowds marching from Park Lane near Hyde Park to the US embassy in Vauxhall, south of the Thames.

London’s Met Police said it had made 82 arrests of counter-protesters in a move designed to keep the peace, as far-right groups had tried to get close to the pro-Palestinian rally. Another 10 arrests were made for other offences.

Against the backdrop of the Home Secretary trying to ban Saturday’s demonstration, and the UK Government’s wider support for Israel and refusal to call for a ceasefire, demonstrators are chanting “Rishi Sunak shame on you, Suella Braverman shame on you”.

One placard read “Protestors 1 – Cruella 0”, while another called US President Joe Biden a “baby killer”.

A British health worker who hasn’t heard from her family in Gaza in days has called on the UK to push for a ceasefire.

Lekaa Abuzayed, who attended the march with her children, told i: “Every time I call Gaza there is someone who is killed or someone who knows someone who was killed… or a house which was destroyed or people who fled their house.

“People don’t have food. The whole family will feed on one piece of bread for two day, kids are starving and it’s just horrific.”

The medic, who has her mother, sister and cousins in the besieged enclave, said she dreads what might happen to them.

“Every morning you wake up and you’re just thinking you’ll hear the worst to be honest, because every day there is someone, I feel it’s just who is coming next.”

She said the UK government’s position so far has been “very shameful… they have to say stop and call for a ceasefire now.. they have the ability to do that.”

Sohail Rahim, a 43-year-old working in transport, travelled down on Saturday morning from the Midlands with 15 of his friends and family to join the march.

“No one is intervening, no one is helping: this is as much as we can do to show our support. You feel kind of helpless really, he said.

“We go to work, come home and see it on the news. You can’t get away from it.”

Mr Rahim said he wanted to see the Government “stop supporting it: try and help stop it.”

“We want you to do a lot more. There’s a lot of people – not just Muslim, from all backgrounds – who are seeing this and want it to stop.”

Mohammed, who was born in Gaza but has lived in the UK for the last 18 years, came to the march with his wife and six-month-old baby.

“It’s very devastating to watch what’s happening Gaza. I feel very frustrated seeing these children dying, and there is no action from the world to try and protection,” he said.

“When I see my child I feel thankful, but I feel very bad for… they’re fathers, parents who are not able to do anything for them.”

Mohammed’s aunts, uncles and cousins are in Gaza: he doesn’t know how they are. They spoke to the family recently for just two minutes to confirm they were alive, but weren’t able to connect with them this morning.

“They are strong, but it’s very frustrating having all the world against them,” said Mohammed, who works in IT and preferred not to give his last name.

“Everyone feels like, I could die in the next minute or two.”

While the two events have been cast in conflict, at least one decorated military veteran attended the two-minute silence at the Cenotaph – before heading down to join the pro-Palestinian march.

John, who served in Afghanistan, told i: “I wanted to show my frustration with our government’s stance – we need to do more for a ceasefire and also put more pressure on Israel for humanitarian aid.

“I came down because it was 11th November – I was just at the Cenotaph and now I’m here for the protest. It was a dual purpose, particularly after the inflammatory comments of the Home Secretary.”

Marching with his medals still on display, he added: “When I do the two minutes’ silence, I remember my lost British and American colleagues and also my lost Afghan colleagues, and right now I’m thinking about my colleagues in Gaza.

“I’ve worked [as a humanitarian] all over the world, but the Palestinian territories are the one place I’ve gone to where seeing things on the ground made my attitudes and preconceived assumptions do a 180.”

Richard Guy, 69 and who travelled to the march with his partner, said his cancer diagnosis couldn’t stop him from attending.

“For our family, Palestine has been huge since 1948”, Mr Guy, who has a Palestinian uncle, said.

“I always try to come. I’ve actually got cancer and am struggling a bit, but I definitely wanted to come today.”

Asked what his message was to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Mr Guy said it was to stop the bombing of Gaza, which he feared has become “revenge” rather than self-defence.

He added: “I’m a pacifist. I don’t like what Hamas did. But our leaders are taking selfies with Netanyahu while he’s bombing women, children and hospitals. It’s outrageous. We need a ceasefire. [French President Emmanuel] Macron has come out now: let’s join him.”

The pro-Palestinian march drew counter-protests from right-wing groups on Armistice Day, amid commemorations of Britain’s war dead at the Cenotaph.

Police said there were “significant numbers” of counter-protesters present in central London, and skirmishes broke out between them and police near the war memorial, close to the Houses of Parliament and in Westminster.

The Metropolitan Police’s Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said that hundreds of counter-protesters “seemed intent on confrontation and intent on violence” while there were “no issues with” the main march.