Tens of thousands of people marched through central London on Saturday, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The demonstration, organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), moved from Hyde Park Corner to the US Embassy in Nine Elms, marking the 10th pro-Palestinian march in the capital since the start of Israel's campaign in Gaza.
Singer Charlotte Church was seen at the front of the march, stating she joined to "show solidarity" with Palestinians. The Welsh singer was among an all-female line-up of speakers at the rally, held to mark International Women's Day. Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, now an independent MP, also attended, saying the demonstration was "enormous" and that participants were "appalled at the bombing that's still going on in Gaza".
During the event, Metropolitan Police officers arrested four people on suspicion of public order offences, including for chanting offensive slogans or holding an offensive placard. One man was arrested for assault during an altercation between protesters and counter-protesters but was later de-arrested. The Met said there had been no "significant public order disturbance".
The march followed comments by the government's counter-extremism commissioner, who said London had become a "no-go zone for Jews" at weekends during demonstrations. Mark Gardner of the Community Security Trust said some Jewish people were avoiding central London due to the marches. However, march organiser Ben Jamal called the comments "disgraceful", noting the marches were "overwhelmingly peaceful".
The conflict began after Hamas's attacks on Israel on 7 October, which killed about 1,200 people and took 253 hostages. Israel's subsequent military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 30,800 people, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. The UN has warned that famine in Gaza is "almost inevitable", with 576,000 people facing catastrophic food insecurity and one in six children under two in the north suffering from acute malnutrition.
