Police arrested two people after thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators took to the streets of central London on Saturday to demand a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
Aerial footage showed large crowds setting off on the march organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which has coordinated multiple protests in response to the escalating conflict in the Gaza Strip.
As many as 100,000 protesters are believed to have taken part, with counter-demonstrations also taking place in Whitehall.
Dozens of people who did not support a ceasefire stood on the Cenotaph holding union flags, drawing chants of “shame on you” from the pro-Palestinian marchers, according to reports.
At times, the march erupted into violence. One man was detained on Whitehall in connection with an officer assault, with the officer later taken to hospital. Another was arrested in Waterloo Road on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence and making threats to kill.
Reporters also witnessed officers appearing to detain someone close to Downing Street before demonstrators began scuffling with them.
According to PA, punches and kicks were thrown and officers ordered the demonstrators to move away. One person was then taken to the floor and carried away to chants of “let him go” from other protesters.
Cries of “Allahu Akbar”, the Arabic phrase for “God is great”, also rang out.
A Section 60 and Section 60AA authority has been put in place until midnight, giving police stop and search powers in the London boroughs of the City of Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea.
A Section 60 AA requires a person to remove items that might be used to conceal their identity, such as masks.
Controversial chants of “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” rang out from the crowd, referring to the land that lies between the Mediterranean and the River Jordan. Earlier this month, Suella Braverman said it was “widely understood” the chant calls for the destruction of Israel – and most Jewish groups agree – but pro-Palestinian campaigners argue the slogan refers to the “right of all Palestinians to freedom, equality and justice”.
Other chants included “Stop arming Israel. Stop bombing Gaza” and “We are all Palestinian,” according to reports.
One emotional demonstrator, Chrif El Amraoui, told the BBC he was crying because children are killed daily: “Why? Why do they want more to be killed?”
Abdul Mahfuudi, who attended the protest with his children, also told the BBC: “The most important thing for us is for them to stop killing kids. They need to stop.”
The UK has so far stopped short of calling for a ceasefire, with Rishi Sunak’s government instead advocating for humanitarian pauses to allow aid to reach people in Gaza.
The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, is also in favour of this approach, which has put him at odds with nearly a quarter of his MPs who have called for a ceasefire.
Friday marked the heaviest day of bombing since the war began, as the Israel Defence Forces warned their air and ground forces were stepping up their operations in Gaza.
The IDF has since said that 150 underground Hamas targets were struck by about 100 jets overnight, while internet and mobile services had been almost entirely cut off since Friday evening.
On Friday, the UN general assembly overwhelmingly called for an “immediate, durable and sustainable humanitarian truce” between Israel and Hamas and demanded unhindered aid access to the besieged Gaza Strip.
The UK was one of 45 countries to abstain on the motion, which was voted for by 120 nations. Only 14 – including the US and Israel – voted against.
Amid an increasingly dire situation, protesters have taken to the streets yet again in an attempt to push the UK government towards calling for a ceasefire.
During the demonstration more than 200 people staged a sit-in on the concourse of London Waterloo station chanting “ceasefire now”, according to activist group Sisters Uncut.
More than 1,000 Met Police officers were on duty for the demonstration, the force announced on X.
“There is absolutely no place in London for hate crime,” the Met said on X.
“Officers will respond to any criminality where they see it and take decisive action, but there may be things not seen in the moment.
“We’ll also be reviewing CCTV and images/video shared by the public to identify offences.”
Rallies have also been organised elsewhere in the UK for Saturday, including in Manchester and Glasgow.
A protest was also due to take place in Bristol city centre on Sunday, with Avon and Somerset constabulary expecting between 2,000 and 5,000 people to gather.
PA contributed to this report.
