13 January 2024 , 16:50
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Nine people have been arrested after pro-Palestine protesters took to the streets of London calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Around 1,700 police officers patrolled the capital on Saturday. The protest, part of a global day of action involving 30 countries, came after the UK and US carried out air strikes against Houthi bases in Yemen. It was also the seventh march organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign to have taken place in the capital since the war Israel-Hamas war broke out in October.
Demonstrators gathered in their thousands in and around the Bank area of central London at around midday, before heading west along Fleet Street, on a previously planned and agreed route, to Parliament Square in Westminster. Several protesters made references to the military action, with one man holding a placard claiming the UK and US "want war" and that Yemen "supports Palestine", while one speaker told crowds at Parliament Square that RAF planes were "flying where they do not belong".
The Met Police confirmed there were a total of six arrested made throughout the day. The force tweeted: "The last protesters have now headed home and the policing operation is being stood down. The majority of those who attended today did so peacefully and lawfully. There were a total of nine arrests: Three arrests for inciting racial hatred - one in relation to a placard and two for chanting.
"Two arrests for a racially aggravated public order offence - one in relation to a placard and one for wording on a piece of clothing. One arrest for being in possession of items to cause criminal damage - specifically stickers. Three arrests on suspicion of supporting a proscribed organisation (an offence under the Terrorism Act) in relation to the distribution of leaflets."
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it was the seventh march organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign to have taken place in the capital since October (AFP via Getty Images)During the march, protestors brandished banners and placards saying: “End the siege” and "Ceasefire now”. Protestors were not allowed to deviate from the designated march route, while speeches were also given a strict end time.
Officers had previously been on the look out for groups distributing inflammatory leaflets during the protest. Sharing a picture, the force earlier tweeted: "Officers have located the group distributing these leaflets. Three people have been arrested on suspicion of showing support for a proscribed organisation which is an offence under the Terrorism Act."
Ahead of the central London march, Home Secretary James Cleverly told reporters he had been briefed by the Met's commissioner Sir Mark Rowley on plans to "ensure order and safety" during the protest. "I back them to use their powers to manage the protest and crack down on any criminality," Cleverly said.
And of the conditions in place for the march, rules included a directive that no participant in the protest shall venture near the Israeli Embassy. Officers from outside of London had been drafted in ahead of the march. And according to reports, users on social media posted images showing flyers allegedly handed out by police, telling people to “keep on the right side of the law”.
Pro-Palestinian activists and supporters wave flags and carry placards during a National March for Palestine (AFP via Getty Images)The London march was one of several others being held in European cities including Paris, Rome, Milan and Dublin, where thousands also marched along the Irish capital's main thoroughfare to protest Israel's military operations in the Palestinian enclave. Nearly two-thirds of the 23,843 people killed during Israel's campaign in Gaza have been women and children, according to figures.