Israel-Hamas War: Pro-Palestine Protests Sweep Across UK Cities

Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said the Met acknowledges “strong views on these issues”, adding “we will be objective and act without fear or favors”.

In an update provided at 16:30 BST, the Metropolitan Police reported a reduction in the number of protesters in central London, as a significant portion of the participants began to disperse and head home.

The Metropolitan Police also stated that they had made two arrests in response to individuals launching fireworks at police officers in Trafalgar Square.

One other person was arrested at the demonstration in relation to an “incident last week”, the force added.

Approximately 1,000 demonstrators in Cardiff, brandishing Palestinian flags and holding signs of support, participated in a procession towards the Welsh Parliament.

The event was coordinated by multiple organizations advocating for the British and Welsh governments to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the prompt delivery of “comprehensive humanitarian assistance.”

Maggie Morgan, from the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign Cardiff, said: “We are taking to the streets as a show of solidarity to the people of Gaza, to show our support for them, but also to make the government listen, and say ‘not in our name, we’re not having this.'”

Israel suspended the supply of fuel, electricity, and water to Gaza following an incursion by Hamas’s military wing into Israel on October 7th, resulting in casualties and the abduction of over 200 individuals.

Meanwhile, the United Nations reports that approximately 1.4 million Gazans have been displaced, with more than half a million people seeking refuge in 147 UN shelters.

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has expressed concern that the conflict is posing a significant threat to the stability of the Middle East. Mr. Cleverly has undertaken diplomatic missions to Israel, Turkey, and Qatar as part of efforts to address the escalating crisis in Israel and the Occupied Territories.

Speaking at the Cairo Peace Summit, he said: “This has been an issue which has long stimulated passions and we are now all seeing on social media and in our communities how divisive and polarising the current situation has become.

“So we have a duty to work together to prevent instability from engulfing the region and claiming yet more lives.”

Protesters on the London march were heard chanting a slogan that some use to call for Palestinian control of all land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, including Israel.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has said the slogan “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, calls for the destruction of Israel.

She has previously urged police chief constables to “consider… whether its use in certain context may amount to a racially aggravated” offence, though the Met has said the chant alone does not constitute a criminal act.

The Community Security Trust (CST), responsible for safeguarding Jewish communities, has acknowledged plans for a smaller protest in Golders Green, a neighborhood in north London with a substantial Jewish population.

The group is in communication with law enforcement regarding social media posts that encourage a gathering in the area and has advised people to remain vigilant and prioritize personal security.

In Belfast, protesters organized a demonstration outside the BBC Northern Ireland headquarters.

Gerry Carroll, a member of the People Before Profit assembly, stated that their goal was to challenge how the BBC had reported on the conflict in the Middle East.

A spokesperson for the BBC responded by noting that the corporation had provided global audiences with coverage and firsthand accounts of “the atrocities committed by Hamas and the suffering in Gaza.”

“We have made clear the devastating human cost to civilians living in Israel and Gaza, and the unprecedented nature of what has happened,” the spokesperson added.

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