Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators rally in London

Several thousand pro-Palestinian demonstrators rallied in London on Saturday, demanding an end to Israeli attacks on Gaza, three years after the Hamas attack on October 7. Participants carried signs reading "End the genocide" and "Free Palestine" as they marched through central London near the British parliament. Aimee Shalan, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, stated that current UK-led sanctions against Israel were insufficient, calling for "full sanctions on Israel."

A ceasefire initiated a year ago has done little to stem the ongoing violence, with Israel continuing to attack Gaza nearly daily. This has resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,450 Palestinians since the ceasefire, according to Gaza's health ministry. Despite reducing the overall level of attacks, Israel has maintained its presence in Gaza, killing over 74,200 people, as reported by the health ministry.

Hibo Hassan, a recent graduate, attended the march to show solidarity, emphasizing that while the conflict occurs in the Middle East, it affects people globally. He described the situation as "extremely dystopian" and expressed fear about the ongoing violence. The National March for Palestine, organized by the Palestine Coalition, occurred three days after the third anniversary of the October 7, 2023 attack, which was the deadliest in Israel's history, resulting in 1,221 deaths and the kidnapping of 251 hostages, 44 of whom have since died.

In response to the attack, Israel initiated a military offensive that has left much of Gaza in ruins and caused the deaths of more than 74,200 people, as per Gaza's health ministry. A small counter-demonstration was organized by Stop The Hate UK, a Jewish-led, pro-Israel campaign group. London's Metropolitan police, in advance of the march, announced their intention to enforce public order legislation, requiring individuals wearing face coverings to remove them if they intent to hide their identity.

Senior police officer Carl Galvin stated that the police would take a "zero-tolerance approach to hate crime and other offending."