Hundreds of thousands of pro-Palestine demonstrators gathered in London, UK on November 11, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas war began a month ago.
Protesters marched through the city, starting from London’s Hyde Park. The march ended at 4 pm at the US Embassy on the south bank of the River Thames, 5 km away.
Authorities said the march was the largest in London since the start of the conflict. Police estimated that some 300,000 people took part in the march, reports AP.
According to Stop the War Coalition, one of the organizers of Saturday’s event, people arrived at the march on buses from different parts of the country.
“Coach companies across the country reported that all their vehicles were fully booked,” it said.
Palestinians living in Britain have been holding peaceful protests every Saturday for a month to protest the brutal Israeli attack in Gaza.
Security was strengthened at various points around the procession since Saturday morning. Barricades surroundings the ‘Remembrance Sunday Footprint’ in Whitehall were reinforced.
The Metropolitan Police Service said around 2,000 additional officers were deployed in central London to ensure peace and order. This was double the usual because the protest coincided with Armistice Day.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak objected to the procession on Armistice Day, saying that the commemoration events are “sacred” to Britain and should be a time for unity and “solemn reflection.”
More than 11,000 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and children, have been killed since Israel began its offensive, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza. At least 1,200 people have been killed on the Israeli side, mostly civilians killed in the initial Hamas attack.
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
