Thousands of people joined a pro-Palestinian march in central London demanding that Britain stop arms sales to Israel. The demonstration was organized by the Palestine Coalition and went from Victoria Embankment to Whitehall.
The Metropolitan Police expected between 7,000 and 10,000 participants, but by the end of the event, a final number of attendees had not been announced. The route passed through Westminster Bridge, York Road, Waterloo Bridge and the Strand. The rally in Whitehall was supposed to end by 6:30 p.m.
Demonstrators' demands
The main demand of the demonstrators was to stop British arms sales to Israel. The organizers are also demanding full sanctions against Israel, an end to British military and intelligence support, and unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza.
“This means ending the arms trade with Israel, stopping military and intelligence support, and comprehensive sanctions against Israel,“ the organizers said in a statement released before the march.
Restrictions and police presence
The police imposed a mandatory route and prohibited participants from deviating from it. The authorities have allowed officers to require the removal of a mask if there is reasonable grounds to believe that it is being used primarily to conceal identity.
“The majority of participants are behaving peacefully and lawfully“, the Metropolitan Police said, while warning that it will take action for hate crime, incitement to racial hatred and support for banned terrorist organisations.
The Palestine Coalition brings together the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War Coalition, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Friends of Al-Aqsa, Muslim Association of Britain and Palestinian Forum in Britain. According to police, the groups have organised 35 major protests since October 2023.
Sources: itv.com, theconflictpulse.com