Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters marched through London on Saturday, with rallies also held in cities including Manchester, Glasgow, and Bristol. The demonstration, organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, saw crowds walk from the BBC's New Broadcasting House to Downing Street, waving Palestinian flags and chanting slogans.
The Metropolitan Police deployed over 1,000 officers and reported 15 arrests for offences including assaults on emergency workers and setting off fireworks in public places. A Section 60AA order was in place in parts of central London, requiring people to remove items that could conceal their identity. Police warned that support for Hamas, a proscribed terrorist organisation, would lead to arrest.
Small pockets of disorder were reported, with flares, bottles, and fireworks thrown at police. In Trafalgar Square, officers detained several individuals, including a man who threw an object at a police van and jumped into a fountain. Another man was arrested in Whitehall, though police said it was not related to carrying a Union Flag.
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn addressed the London gathering, calling it a 'day of solidarity' and urging condemnation of Israel's bombing campaign in Gaza. Protesters chanted 'Rishi Sunak, shame on you' and 'from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free'. Home Secretary Suella Braverman had earlier urged police to consider whether the latter slogan could constitute a racially aggravated public order offence.
The protest began at the BBC's headquarters, which was vandalised overnight with red paint. Activist group Palestine Action claimed responsibility, saying the paint symbolised the BBC's 'complicity in Israel's genocide'. The Met Police are investigating the criminal damage.
The demonstrations come a week after Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing at least 1,300 people and taking hostages. Israel's retaliatory strikes have killed over 2,200 people in Gaza, with a ground offensive expected.
