Hundreds of Thousands March in London in Solidarity with Palestine
LONDON – Hundreds of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators took to the streets of London to protest Israel’s ongoing genocidal war in Gaza, its occupation of the West Bank and the British government’s support for Israel.
The demonstration was organised following a call by several civil society groups, including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), the Stop the War Coalition and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND).
The march began at Victoria Embankment in central London, with demonstrators making their way towards Downing Street, where the UK prime minister’s official residence is located.
Throughout the approximately four-kilometre march, protesters chanted slogans including “Free Palestine”, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “Stop arming Israel”.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign said more than 250,000 people had taken part in the demonstration.
Photo: @DuvenAlpaslan
Speakers Call for Justice for Gaza
Addressing demonstrators from a stage near Downing Street, Maryam Eslamdoust, general secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA), highlighted the devastating human cost of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
“Even the bodies recovered from the rubble after three years in Gaza could not be buried with the dignity every human being deserves,” she said.
Eslamdoust described pro-Palestinian demonstrations around the world as a reflection of the moral stance taken by an entire generation.
“While the government protects arms companies, universities and ordinary people are boycotting. We are being obstructed as we seek justice for Gaza,” she said.
“The only way to stop the genocide is to change the world that allows it to happen,” she added.
Photo: @DuvenAlpaslan
Gazan Journalist Shares Personal Tragedy
Hala Hanina, a journalist from Gaza and head of the Gaza Families Platform, also addressed the crowd, sharing her personal experiences of displacement and loss.
Hanina said she had left Gaza just days after her wedding, shortly before Israel’s attacks on the territory began.
She recalled keeping the lace gifted to her on her wedding day, along with photographs taken during the celebration.
“When you look at the photographs, everyone is happy, but now they only exist in pictures,” she said.
Hanina described how Israel’s assault on northern Gaza created conditions of famine, recounting the killing of a child in her family who had gone to collect flour being distributed as humanitarian aid.
She also stressed the importance of preserving Palestinian cultural identity in the face of the destruction.
“The lace I was given is part of Gaza’s culture. We cannot allow Israel to erase us. They can kill people, but they cannot kill our culture,” she said.
“They have failed to destroy us since 1948, and they will fail again,” she added.
Photo: @DuvenAlpaslan
Police Make Arrests
Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police said officers had arrested a number of demonstrators, including two people carrying placards in support of Palestine Action, which is a proscribed organisation in the UK.
Police also reported arrests involving demonstrators who climbed onto a monument.
The march came amid continued calls from pro-Palestinian campaigners for an end to Israel’s military operations in Gaza, an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories and a halt to British arms sales to Israel.