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Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of London over the weekend to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the escalating conflict in the Middle East. Organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, people travelled from around the country to take part, marching from Russell Square to Whitehall. The protest came one year after the 7 October attacks in Israel, and included speeches outside Downing Street. Although the Metropolitan Police said it was hard to accurately estimate the turnout, they acknowledged that it appeared “greater than other recent protests”.
As the crowd stretched from Downing Street to Trafalgar Square, speakers addressed demonstrators, and chants of “stop the bombing now” could be heard. People carried placards with the message “ceasefire now” and “hands off Lebanon”, and Palestinian flags. However, a small group broke away from the pro-Palestinian protest and tried to approach a counter-protest at Aldwych, leading to police intervening and three arrests.
The counter-protest forced police to form a cordon between the two marches, while conditions were imposed to move the counter-protest group back to Trafalgar Square. The Metropolitan Police reported that 15 arrests had been made, primarily for assault, public order offences, and breaching Public Order Act conditions. Social media posts also showed people holding placards with messages of support for Hezbollah – proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the UK government and others – and the police were working to identify those involved.
Separately, pro-Palestinian supporters were marching through the centre of Edinburgh. The following day, a memorial event was held in Hyde Park, organised by the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Jewish Leadership Council, and other groups. The war began last year when Hamas gunmen attacked Israel in October, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 others as hostages. Israel responded with a military campaign in Gaza that has killed at least 41,825 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry
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