Tens of thousands of people are estimated to have attended a pro-Palestine rally in London on Saturday, coinciding with Nakba Day. The march took place as a far-right ‘Unite the Kingdom’ demonstration led by Tommy Robinson occurred in the capital.
Police deployed armoured vehicles, horses, dogs, drones, helicopters, and about 4,000 officers to prevent clashes between the two groups. A total of 43 arrests were made across both marches.
Protesters carried banners reading “Bristol stands with Palestine”, “Stop Trump, Stop Farage”, and “Free Palestinian Hostages”. Many wore keffiyehs, and one demonstrator held a St George’s Cross with the words “have a heart”. Organisers claimed at least 250,000 attendees, while police had estimated 30,000.
The Labour MP Diane Abbott addressed the crowd, calling the far right a “common enemy” that is “viciously rightwing, viciously racist, anti-black, anti-Muslim and viciously antisemitic”. Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Westminster needed a “change of policy, not the personalities”.
Zarah Sultana, co-founder of Your Party, criticised Andy Burnham as “another establishment politician cut from the same Zionist cloth”, while Labour MP Apsana Begum said the movement would not be divided by the far right.
