Thousands gather for pro-Palestine march to mark two years since Gaza war

A counter-protest by Stop The Hate was also organised to take place in central London with police putting measures in place to try to prevent a clash between the two groups.

Counter protest

In a post on X, police said a “small group” of counter-protesters had breached conditions by demonstrating at the form up area of the pro-Palestine march, leading to a “scuffle between several individuals from the two groups”.

Officers separated those involved and made a “small number of arrests”, police said.

Before the march set off, police ushered away multiple people carrying placards that read “We stand with Britain’s Jews”, taking them out of the crowd of pro-Palestine protesters.

Another sign, decorated with the image of a bee in the Star of David, read “It was never about Palestine, it was always about hate”.

Scotland Yard said it has imposed conditions on both demonstrations under the Public Order Act to “prevent serious disruption” and has set out specific areas protesters can gather as well as a march route.

After the pro-Palestine demonstration dispersed, police said officers had made 14 arrests in total during the day including seven for breaching conditions under the Public Order Act.

Other arrests were made for offences including supporting a proscribed group and affray, the force added.

The pro-Palestinian protest is the 32nd national demonstration in support of Palestine since October 2023, according to organiser Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC).

Cumulative impact 

Last weekend, the Government announced that police would be given greater powers to restrict protests by allowing them to consider the “cumulative impact” of repeated demonstrations.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said repeated large-scale protests had caused “considerable fear” for the Jewish community.

The Metropolitan Police said it was aware of the plans, but that “at this time, the law remains unchanged”.

Calls for restraint were made following the terror attack on a synagogue in Manchester on October 2 in which two people were killed, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer urging protesters to “respect the grief of British Jews”.

Protesters shouted “from the rivers to the sea, Palestine will be free” as they marched towards Westminster on Saturday, a chant that Sir Keir has suggested the Government may crack down on.

Some consider the slogan to be antisemitic as they believe it calls for the eradication of Israel, while proponents of the chant claim they are calling for an end to conflict in Gaza and the West Bank.

Free Palestine

Your Party co-founder Jeremy Corbyn walked at the front of the crowd across Westminster Bridge, helping to carry a large banner that said “National march. Free Palestine”.

He stayed silent as a woman using a megaphone led the “from the rivers to the sea” chant, and “Keir Starmer you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide”.

Zarah Sultana, Your Party co-founder, later criticised the Home Secretary for switching sides on Palestine and “locking up pensioners and priests for opposing the ban on Palestine Action” during a speech outside Downing Street.

The Independent MP for Coventry South said Shabana Mahmood “doesn’t want to just ban demonstrations, she wants to criminalise dissent – she wants to send a message that if you march for Palestine, if you speak out against genocide, if you demand justice, then the state considers you the problem. Shame on her.”

During the march, more than 25 police officers escorted one handcuffed woman away from the pro-Palestine demonstration as she shouted “because I said coconut I have been arrested”, adding “the word coconut is not illegal, it has been proven in a court of law.”

Ceasefire

At one point, a large stationary crowd of counter-protesters waving Israeli flags blared loud music that included the lyrics “you can stick your Palestine up your hole” and ended with the line “you’re not welcome any more” as they faced pro-Palestinian protesters passing from Waterloo Bridge on to the Strand.

A blue “make America great again” flag was flown at the front of the Stop The Hate counter-protest, as well as several Union flags while a man on a megaphone shouted “Shalom losers”.

Lily Allen’s song F*** You blasted from the speakers at the counter-protest, as a man sang from a microphone “f*** you” and said “bye, bye, bye see you never”.

Ben Jamal, PSC director, said the group will “never stop” supporting Palestinians to “achieve a free Palestine”.

The Israeli military said on Friday that the ceasefire agreement came into effect at noon local time (10am BST).

The pause in the two-year war in the Middle East follows Hamas agreeing to release the remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

News of the ceasefire agreement came just two days after the second anniversary of October 7, the attacks by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel.