Dozens Arrested During Pro-Palestinian Protest in London
Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered in central London on Saturday, during a protest in which more than 70 people were arrested.
The police stated in a statement that “this is the largest number of arrests we have witnessed” since the pro-Palestinian marches began in London in October 2023. Sophie Mason, a 50-year-old woman from London who regularly participates in pro-Palestinian protests in the British capital, told AFP: “We want to be optimistic” about a ceasefire agreement, and “we must take to the streets to ensure the ceasefire holds.”
The proposed ceasefire includes the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel, Israeli withdrawal from densely populated residential areas in Gaza, and an increase in humanitarian aid.
The march turned into a stationary rally in Whitehall, a main street in an area housing key ministries, after the police rejected the route proposed by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which passed by a Jewish synagogue.
The police, who deployed a large number of officers, announced on the X platform that they arrested “between 20 and 30 protesters” after they crossed the allowed boundary, following an earlier announcement of the arrest of seven other demonstrators.
Participants held signs reading “Stop Arming Israel” and “Stop the Massacre in Gaza,” and some chanted, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” Ben, a 36-year-old union member who declined to give his last name, said: “We need to pressure for the ceasefire to be respected” and for international aid to reach Gaza. Anisa Qusher, a student who came with her mother, believed the ceasefire “came too late and is not enough.” While hoping for a “temporary ceasefire,” she thinks “much more needs to be done,” referring to the challenges of rebuilding Gaza.
Sonia Hadiya (28) stated that bringing in more humanitarian aid is an “victory,” but “it shouldn’t require a permit; it should be a right.”
Not far from the rally, a counter-protest took place, gathering about a hundred people holding Israeli flags.
At least 46,899 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the Israeli attack on Gaza following the October 7 attack, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. The United Nations reports that the war has caused “unprecedented destruction in modern history” in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
