Thousands of demonstrators descended upon central London on Saturday, marching from the Embankment toward parliament to express their solidarity with Palestinians. Many participants wore keffiyehs and carried Palestinian flags, while others held placards calling for an end to what they described as a three-year genocide. Among the crowd, which included a bride and groom, a two-minute silence was observed to honor those who have lost their lives in Gaza.
Organized by the Palestine Coalition, which has coordinated over 30 mass demonstrations since October 2023, the event drew an estimated 250,000 people by the afternoon. Protesters demanded that the UK government cease supplying arms to Israel. This call aligns with accusations of genocide leveled by various international and Israeli-based bodies, including the UN, Amnesty International, B’Tselem, and Physicians for Human Rights.
Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to the UK, praised the turnout on social media, noting that the solidarity of the British people remains steadfast after three years of conflict. The march follows a recent, significant shift in UK government policy. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband recently announced sweeping trade sanctions on Israeli settlements and declared the UK’s official position that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank is unlawful in its entirety. Miliband further stated in the Commons that settler terrorists, supported by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, are committing ethnic cleansing in the region.
The Metropolitan Police imposed strict conditions on the march to minimize potential disruption, requiring the procession to follow a specific route via Westminster Bridge and The Strand toward Whitehall, with a mandate for all speeches and music to conclude by 5.30pm. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Carl Galvin, who led the policing operation, noted the sensitivity of the timing given the proximity to the third anniversary of the 7 October attacks. Officers utilized Public Order Act powers to require protesters to remove face coverings used to conceal identities.
Police reported several arrests throughout the day, including individuals holding placards in support of the proscribed organization Palestine Action. Additional arrests were made on suspicion of criminal damage after protesters climbed the Battle of Britain memorial on the Victoria Embankment. A separate counter-protest by the group Stop The Hate took place outside New Scotland Yard, where about 30 people gathered within a designated area.
Despite a ceasefire declared one year ago, airstrikes in Gaza have continued, and the regional death toll has climbed by 1,400 over the past year. Furthermore, UN figures indicate that 230 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces and settlers during 2025.
The force has also imposed conditions on the demonstration “to minimise the risk of serious disruption”. The demonstrators must remain within a designated area outside the Met’s headquarters, with the assembly concluding at 2.30pm.
The Met publicly appealed to those behind the demonstration to “exercise [their] right to protest on a different date” and admitted that finding the organisers had been “frankly difficult”. In the end, it went ahead and about 100 people attended. Five people were arrested for breaching conditions imposed on the march.
