Nearly 1,00,000 individuals gathered in the middle of London on Saturday for a demonstration supporting the Palestinian cause. They walked through the city to demand an immediate stop to the fighting in Gaza. This conflict had started after the Hamas organization launched an attack on Israel two weeks ago.
The protesters, who were chanting “Free Palestine” and carrying signs while waving Palestinian flags, walked through London. They eventually gathered at Downing Street, where the British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak lives and works.
The police said that about 100,000 people participated in the “National March for Palestine” event, which was put together by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
Reuters reported that, “A woman, who didn’t want to share her name, expressed her feelings as a Palestinian. She mentioned that she hopes to go back to her homeland one day and has family in Gaza. She explained that protesting is one way they can show support and solidarity at the moment.”
During the protest, many of the people chanted and held up signs with strong messages against Israel. One protester even had a banner that showed pictures of Sunak, U.S. President and Israeli Prime Minister. The banner accused them of being “Wanted For War Crimes.”
Before the protest, the police warned that people showing support for Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization in Britain, could be arrested. They also made it clear that any hate crimes would not be tolerated. Fortunately, the protest seemed peaceful, and there were no reports of immediate arrests. Recent data revealed a significant increase in antisemitic offenses, up by 1,353%, compared to the same period last year. Additionally, there was a 140% increase in Islamophobic offenses.
At a peace summit in Cairo, the British foreign minister, James Cleverly, spoke about a long-standing issue that stirs strong emotions. He pointed out that in our online interactions and communities, we can all witness how the current situation has become very divisive and has caused a lot of disagreements.
