Eight arrests have been made as pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through central London in protest at the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Thousands of campaigners set off from Piccadilly Circus shortly after 1.30pm on Saturday, with the march passing alongside Hyde Park before ending on Kensington Road.
The Metropolitan Police said in a post on X that the arrests were for a range of offences, including those under the Public Order Act.
Protesters held signs at the demonstration that read ‘Starmer has blood on his hands’ and ‘Stop the war coalition’.
The march was briefly halted when at least two counter-protesters, including one holding up a sign reading ‘Hamas is terrorist’, blocked its progress outside the Park Lane Hotel near Green Park. It has now, however, completely ended.
Two men were then detained by police after a significant struggle.
A separate counter-protest gathered on Kensington High Street, with participants dancing to music and waving Israeli, British and American flags, but was kept away from the much larger pro-Palestinian march by police officers and barricades.
The protest is the 18th organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) since the conflict began last October.
The Metropolitan Police had imposed a series of conditions on the event, including that the demonstration must end by 5pm.
Another event which had been scheduled to take place on the intended route for the march was cancelled, the force said.
The demonstration comes after senior MI6 and CIA officials said in a rare public statement they were together ‘working ceaselessly’ for a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza, and have ‘exploited our intelligence channels to push hard for restraint and de-escalation’ in the Middle East.
Tens of thousands of activists have made their way onto Kensington Road, around 300 yards away from hundreds of counter-demonstrators who have been allowed to gather on Kensington High Street.
The smaller counter protest waved dozens of Israeli and Union Jack flags and played loud dance music on speakers, including this year’s controversial Eurovision entry Hurricane by Eden Golan.
Met police officers have formed a ring of steel around the Israeli embassy to keep protesters from swarming the building.
Dozens of officers were stationed around Old Court Street, where the embassy is located, while six police vans were also parked on Kensington High Street.
One counter-protester held a sign that read: ‘We love life more than Hamas loves death.’
One sign compared the attack by Hamas on the Nova Festival on October 7 to the 2017 Manchester Arena attack by Islamist terrorists with the slogan: ‘Your fight is our fight’.
Another flag read: ‘Nova – we will dance again.’
One counter-protester said: ‘We are proud to be Jewish. Hamas are terrorists and we are here to stand behind Israel.
‘We are calling for the October 7 hostages to be brought home. The attack on the Nova Festival was shocking but we want to show it has not broken us.’
Police officers manned gates on the west side of Kensington Gardens to stop protesters from clashing.
However a small number of pro-Palestine protesters wandered through to the counter protest after finding their way through roadblocks.
During the brief clashes the pro-Palestinian protesters were heckled with calls of: ‘Gaza is a fascist state’, ‘Gaza is homophobic’ and ‘Bring them home’ before officers quickly escorted them away.
The march was briefly halted when at least two counter-protesters blocked its progress outside the Park Lane Hotel near Green Park.
Two men were detained by police after a significant struggle. Some pro-Palestine demonstrators shouted angrily at the duo as they passed.
The National March for Palestine, which has been organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, is set to conclude by 5pm at the latest, following restrictions imposed by the Met.
The force had originally set out stricter conditions for the rally to begin at 2:30pm instead, which saw organisers accuse Scotland Yard of deliberately trying to ‘deter people from attending’.
However the timings were later changed after another event, which was taking place along the protest route, was cancelled, with the PSC claiming it as a ‘major victory in defence of the democratic right to protest’.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said after the change of plan on Friday: ‘The risk-assessment process in relation to planned events is dynamic and takes into account the constantly changing picture across London.
‘Conditions were imposed to mitigate concerns from communities, including in relation to a specific event which would have clashed with the intended route of the march.
‘The last-minute decision to cancel one of the other pre-planned events means we have reviewed the conditions imposed on the march – this in line with our legal obligation to balance the lawful right to protest and the risk of serious disruption to the wider community.’
Following the changes, the PSC said in a statement: ‘With less than 24 hours to go, the Metropolitan Police has dropped its attempt to frustrate our national march for Palestine. Tomorrow we will march to the Israeli Embassy as planned.’
It added: ‘Following a week of argument and attempts to bully and intimidate the demonstration organisers, the police have now agreed that protesters will assemble from 12 noon, at Regent Street St James’s as we had originally intended.
‘Previous conditions that were imposed in a wholly unjustified attempt to prevent us from doing so have now been rescinded.’
The campaign group said the restrictions were an ‘unacceptable curtailment of our right to demonstrate peacefully’.
Saturday’s march is the first to be organised by the PSC in the capital for over two months with the last protest having taken place in July.
Protesters have been prevented from entering the street where the Israel embassy is located.
Protesters have also been seen on the streets of Dublin today objecting to Britain’s continued military support of Israel.
The Irish-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) said it was staging the demonstration to ‘let the visiting British Prime Minister know that Ireland stands with Palestine’.
Speaking at the event on O’Connell Street, IPSC spokesman Harun Siljak said the group was asking Sir Keir ‘to end British complicity in the ongoing genocide and illegal occupation of Palestine’.
He added: ‘It is really concerning to see how persistent and unwavering the idea of the British Government maintaining support for Israel really is, especially at this stage when we can’t even estimate the number of people who have been killed.’
Demonstrators, some wearing keffiyehs, waved Palestinian and Irish flags as they chanted slogans including ‘free, free Palestine’.
The IPSC said the recent suspension of 30 arms export licences to Israel is a ‘testament to the tireless work’ of Palestine solidarity activists in the UK.
However, it added: ‘But it doesn’t go anywhere near far enough – Britain is still exporting components for F-35 warplanes to Israel via the US, and still giving diplomatic cover for genocide.
‘This needs to end now.’
Meanwhile pro Israeli and anti Tehran regime protesters have been gathering on High Street Kensington where the Free Palestine march is expected to hear speeches from a platform.
The protest is the 18th organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) since the conflict began last October.
The Metropolitan Police had imposed a series of conditions on the event, including that the demonstration must end by 5pm.
Another event which had been scheduled to take place on the intended route for the march was cancelled, the force said.
The demonstration comes after senior MI6 and CIA officials said in a rare public statement they were together ‘working ceaselessly’ for a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza, and have ‘exploited our intelligence channels to push hard for restraint and de-escalation’ in the Middle East.
The crowd reached their destination near the Israeli embassy at 3pm.