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Thousands of supporters-Palestine protesters gathered in central London For a march to mark two years of the war in Gaza.
Stalls were selling keffiyehs and outside Embankment station people were distributing placards reading “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, “Taking action against genocide is not a crime” and “Starmer has blood on his hands, liberate Palestine”.
comes as display Thousands of Palestinians started returning to their homes In Gaza following the withdrawal of Israeli forces following the implementation of a US-brokered ceasefire on Friday.
A counter-protest organized by Stop the Hate is also taking place at the junction of Aldwych and The Strand.
Police escorted several people from the crowd of pro-Palestinian protesters carrying signs reading “We stand with Britain’s Jews”.
Chants of “shame” and “Free Palestine” were heard loudly from the pro-Palestine crowd gathered on Victoria Embankment as they were cleared away shortly before 12.45pm.
The cheering crowd was led by a woman riding a mobility scooter with a sign reading “Palestine. Freedom Peace”, with a mannequin on the back of the scooter wearing a skullcap.
Behind him a line of men and women wearing Palestine Solidarity Campaign high-vis jackets walked holding hands.
One of them was wearing a white T-shirt and a red-covered skirt with a sign reading “No more blood sacrifices. Free Palestine. Your taxes help pay for bombing innocent civilians in Gaza”.
Your Party co-founder Jeremy Corbyn also walked at the front of the crowd on Westminster Bridge and helped carry a large banner reading “National March. Free Palestine”.
He remained silent as the woman on the megaphone led the chant “from the rivers to the sea”, but after shouting “Netanyahu you will see” he was seen chanting “Palestine will be free”.
Scotland Yard said it has imposed Terms on both displays under the Public Order Act to “prevent serious disturbance” and set out specific areas where protesters could gather as well as the march route.
The pro-Palestine protest is the 32nd national demonstration in support of Palestine since October 2023, according to organizer Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), and will see protesters marching along the Embankment before a rally in Whitehall.
Last weekend, the government announced that police would be given more powers to restrict protests by allowing them to consider the “cumulative impact” of repeated demonstrations.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has claimed that repeated mass protests have created “a lot of fear” for the Jewish community.
The Metropolitan Police said it was aware of the plans, but “at this time, the law remains unchanged”.
The government has also said it may begin a crackdown on some chants used in pro-Palestinian protests.
Some consider the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” as anti-Semitic because they believe it calls for the elimination of Israel.
Supporters of the chant claim they are calling for an end to the conflict in Gaza and the West Bank.
Nearly 500 people were arrested in last week’s protests, most of them on suspicion of supporting the banned terrorist organization Palestine Action.