Thousands peacefully march in London in support of Palestinians as right-wing protesters clash with police

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Hundreds of thousands of people marched through the streets of London on Saturday in a show of support for Palestinians and a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas.

Police estimated the crowd at around 300,000 while organizers put the total at 800,000. Either way it was the largest pro-Palestinian march in London since the war began on Oct. 7. The procession stretched along a four-kilometre route from Hyde Park to the U.S. embassy.

Thousands of marchers carried Palestinian flags while many others held signs that read “Gaza, Stop the Massacre,” “Free Palestine” and “End Israeli apartheid.” There were chants of “Israel is a terror state” and “from the river to the sea, Palestinians will be free.”

“We have no political issues with Israel, we just want a ceasefire,” said Ejaz Mansha, who held a giant Palestinian flag and waved it at the embassy as he walked by.

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“We blame both sides,” he added referring to Hamas and Israel. “They are both culprits. It’s just sad that the world isn’t seeing that.”

The march came after days of controversy over whether it should take place because it coincided with Remembrance Day commemorations at the Cenotaph near Westminster Palace.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had called the march disrespectful and pressured police to use their powers to ban the gathering. Home Secretary Suella Braverman referred to it as a “hate march” and criticized police for being too soft on Palestinian supporters during previous demonstrations.

Under the Public Order Act, London’s Metropolitan Police Service has the authority to stop a demonstration from taking place, but only if there is a risk of serious public disorder. Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said on Tuesday that while he recognized the importance of Remembrance Day activities, he would not intervene. Instead, he brought in nearly 2,000 officers to handle the crowd.

There had been fears that the heightened rhetoric surrounding the demonstration and the calls for it to be banned, would encourage counter demonstrations from far-right groups.

Tommy Robinson, the former leader of the English Defence League who has led protests against Islam, had urged his supporters to show up on Saturday at the Cenotaph. In the morning, Mr. Robinson and several dozen men made their way toward the monument just before a ceremony at 11 a.m. to mark Armistice Day with two minutes of silence.

The group pushed through a barricade and shouted “You’re not English anymore” at police officers as they tried to stop them from going farther. There were more clashes later after a group followed Mr. Robinson to his car and then threw bottles at officers.

Police said they arrested more than 100 people for various infractions on Saturday, and most were far-right extremists. “The counter-protest arrived earlier this morning and groups of several hundred arrived and seemed intent on confrontation and intent on violence,” police said on X, formerly Twitter. “We’ve had arrests for possession of a knife, possession of a baton, possession of Class A drugs and assault on an emergency worker.”

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In a statement on Saturday, Mr. Sunak condemned the “despicable actions of a minority of people” that he said undermined those who had chosen to express their views peacefully. “All criminality must be met with the full and swift force of the law,” he said.

For all the controversy surrounding the march the procession went off largely without incident. There were many families with young children among the marchers and several people stopped to pray along the way, including outside the U.S. embassy.

“I think it’s great that everyone is standing up and not letting this war happen,” said Elaine Clifford who walked alongside her husband Paul Clifford.

Ms. Clifford came to London from Ireland where she lived through decades of sectarian violence known as the Troubles. “I don’t agree with Hamas, but I understand oppression,” she said. “When you treat people the way Israel has treated the Palestinian people, what did they expect? Once this starts it’s not going to stop.”

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Sarah Stiefel was among a group of Jews who joined the march to protest the war and Israel’s occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. She understood the outrage Israelis felt when Hamas fighters launched their attack on Oct. 7 and killed around 1,200 people, but she felt Israel’s response had been counterproductive.

“When someone comes and attacks you, you have the response of hating them,” Ms. Stiefel said as she walked wearing a large sticker that said; “Jews against the war”.

“They are angry, and I understand how they are feeling but the thing is that they are making Palestinians feel exactly the same way, so it’s just a cycle of violence that will never ever end,” she added. “I think the only solution is to end the occupation. You cannot live in security when there are six million people being oppressed.”

Nick Sherwood, who is also Jewish, grew up in South Africa where his family fought against apartheid. “It’s just very obvious that how the Israeli regime behaves toward its population and its neighbours, is very much the same aggressive militaristic way that South Africa behaved toward its population and its neighbours,” he said.

He added that it was important for Jews to speak out against the war. “I know people who are loath to criticize Israel because they worry about being antisemitic,” he said. “So, it’s really important for Jews to stand up and say, ‘Hey guys if we can criticize Israel, you can.’”

Police are now gearing up for Remembrance Sunday when a special service of commemoration will be held at the Cenotaph attended by King Charles, Mr. Sunak and hundreds of veterans. No demonstrations have been planned, but police have expressed concern that break away groups of pro-Palestinians and far-right extremists could disrupt the proceedings.