Twenty arrested at pro-Palestine march in central London as protesters clash with police

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Police arrested 20 people during skirmishes at a major pro-Palestinian protest through central London that attracted thousands of demonstrators.

The march proceeded mostly peacefully, although minor clashes occurred when some individuals climbed the Battle of Britain memorial on Victoria Embankment.

Six people were arrested for criminal damage relating to the incident, while another was detained for an assault on a police officer during the bout of arrests at the World War Two memorial.

The demonstration was arranged to show support for Palestinians on the third anniversary of October 7, when the conflict between Gaza and Israel reignited. It was also the first demonstration organised after the UK government declared last month that Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank were unlawful.

Palestine Coalition, the umbrella group that organised the National March for Palestine, said more than 250,000 people attended on Saturday. The Metropolitan Police are yet to release a figure on how many people attended but had estimated that up to 10,000 people would turn-up.

Pro-Palestine supporters are arrested after an altercation adjacent to a counter protestGettyProtesters, many draped in keffiyeh scarves and waving Palestinian flags, assembled on the Embankment before marching to Whitehall for a rally.

A bride and groom appeared to be among those who attended to show their support, with John McDonnell, the Labour MP for Hayes and Harlington, sharing a picture of the couple.

A two-minute silence was held to reflect on the lives lost in Gaza. As many as 74,000 people in Gaza are reported to have lost their lives in Israel’s response to October 7, when Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostages.

A counter-protest by Stop The Hate, a Jewish-led campaign group, drew approximately 30 people outside New Scotland Yard.

As pro-Palestine demonstrators went past, counter-protesters chanted “Shame on you”, but their voices were eclipsed by the chants of the larger crowd. Police officers and metal barricades kept the two groups apart.

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The Met Police confirmed that a total of 20 arrests were made. As well as the six detained for criminal damage related to Battle of Britain memorial incident, two individuals were held for refusing to remove face masks when directed by officers.

Demonstrators were warned beforehand that police would utilise Public Order Act powers to compel them to remove face masks intended to disguise identity, warning that non-compliance could lead to arrest.

A man and a woman were among two arrested for displaying placards in support of the proscribed organisation Palestine Action.

In a video posted by the Palestine Online account on X, a woman holding a placard can be seen having her rights read to her by police before being arrested. The placard she held up read: “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.”

Asked why she had been inspired to hold the placard, the woman said; “I can’t stand the injustice, the attack on our freedoms and the misuse of terror laws.”

The Met placed legal restrictions on the event, as well as the counter-protest, to “minimise the risk of serious disruption to communities”.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Carl Galvin, who led the police operation on Saturday, had vowed for the force’s presence to be “significant”.

The march route covered Embankment, Westminster Bridge, York Road, Waterloo Bridge and The Strand, culminating in the Whitehall assembly which concluded shortly before 5pm.

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn MP was among the speakers addressing the crowd, receiving loud cheers for his comments.

The Islington North MP, who is the parliamentary leader of Your Party, said that recent wide-ranging UK sanctions against illegal West Bank settlements, announced by Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband in September, were achieved because of “our demonstrations, our marches”.

The Palestine Coalition includes the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War, CND, the Muslim Association of Britain, Friends of Al Aqsa and the Palestinian Forum in Britain.

The conflict in Gaza started after 7 October 2023, when Hamas-led militants invaded Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking more than 250 others hostage.

The Palestinian death toll in the past three years surpassed 74,000 last month, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government.

A ceasefire was declared a year ago but Israeli airstrikes have reportedly continued in Gaza.