Police estimate 300,000 pro-Palestinian protesters calling for a Gaza ceasefire have marched in central London, in the biggest UK rally since the Israel-Gaza war began
More than 100 counter-protesters have been arrested including a large number in Pimlico, near the protest route, the Met Police says
Officers earlier faced aggression from some of the counter-protesters - who include some far-right groups - near the Cenotaph war memorial, police say
Video shows counter-protesters shoving police officers and chanting: "You're not English anymore"
Rishi Sunak says criminality disrespects the armed forces - as he condemns violent scenes
The PM condemned "EDL thugs" for attacking police officers and also protesters "singing antisemitic chants"
Met Police say nine officers were injured – two of them needing hospital treatment for a broken elbow and dislocated hip
At 11:00, hundreds of people gathered at the Cenotaph to observe two minutes of silence and commemorate the UK's war dead
These pictures taken from above give you an idea of just how many people are protesting today.
At the moment, the march is extending from the Hilton Hotel on Park Lane to the US Embassy in Nine Elms - a distance of roughly 2.5 miles.
Police have said about 300,000 people have attended today's march.
Image source, Pool
Image source, Pool
Image source, Pool
Image source, Pool
Thomas Mackintosh
Reporting from the protest
We’ve been stood outside the White Swan pub for an hour or so, observing the large police presence.
All of a sudden, they’ve moved into a formation surrounding the pub, where we believe some counter-protesters have been contained.
One by one these people are being brought out, stopped, and searched by officers.
All of them are complying with very little fuss.
Some are being cuffed and arrested, then led away.
Police surround London pub with counter-protesters inside
Image source, ReutersAs we've been reporting, officers have arrested a significant number of counter-protesters in Tachbrook Street to prevent a breach of the peace, according to the Metropolitan Police.
In a fresh update, the Met says that it arrested 10 more people today for other offences.
These include possession of offensive weapons, affray, and possession of drugs, the force says on X, external, formerly Twitter.
The Met confirmed to the BBC that those additional arrests were of counter-protesters, bringing the total number of arrests to 92.
As we've been reporting, about 82 counter-protesters have been arrested today near the huge pro-Palestinian march in London, police say.
There are far-right groups among today's counter-protesters - groups of men following English Defence League founder Stephen Yaxley Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, were seen earlier. He is a known far-right activist.
The Met Police has said its officers were met with violence and abuse from counter-protesters, who threw bottles and other missiles.
On X, formerly Twitter, the Met posted a video showing counter-protesters shoving police officers and chanting: “You’re not English, you’re not English, you’re not English any more.”
Callum May
Reporting from the Met Police control room
More now from the Met Police control room, where assistant commissioner Matt Twist has been talking to me about the force's operations around the protests in London today.
Mr Twist said the counter-protesters were “not a cohesive group,” but an “assorted collection of right-wingers”.
Here's everything else he said:
Quote MessageThe main pro-Palestinian march formed up about midday. It’s fair to say the march is absolutely enormous. It’s the biggest we’ve seen since the start of this period.
Quote MessageFrom about 09:00 GMT this morning we’ve seen several hundred counter-protesters that came towards Whitehall. They came intent on confrontation, intent on violence, and intent on causing trouble.
Quote MessageWe’ve made a number of arrests within the counter protest including for possession of a knife, possession of a baton, possession of class A drugs and assault on an emergency worker.
Quote MessageOur intent is to prevent them coming into contact with the main march, that is the primary goal.
Quote MessageWe have a very substantial policing operation but that is being distracted by the counter protest that we’ve had to deal with.
Matt Twist, Assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police
Callum May
Reporting from the Met Police control room
Police say more than 300,000 people have taken part in the pro-Palestinian protest in London.
'It's like their lives don't matter' - protesters on why they attend march
One demonstrator, asked what he hopes the outcome of the pro-Palestinian protest will be, tells the BBC without hesitation: "Ceasefire."
"We want a ceasefire. People are suffering, children are dying under the rubble, and no one seems to care about them."
He also criticises Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for saying the timing of today's march has been disrespectful as it coincides with Armistice Day. The man adds: "It is disrespectful to allow children to die."
We've just got an update on those arrests from the Metropolitan Police.
The force says a total of 82 people have been arrested on Tachbrook Street "to prevent a breach of the peace".
"They’re part of a large group of counter-protesters we have been monitoring who have tried to reach the main protest march," the police statement says.
"We will continue to take action to avoid the disorder that would likely take place if that happened."
Callum May
Reporting from the Met Police control room
About 80 counter-demonstrators have now been arrested at Tachbrook Street, I have been told.
Thomas Mackintosh
Reporting from the protest
I’m on Causton Street just off Vauxhall Bridge Road.
As we've been reporting, a huge number of police officers are currently surrounding the White Swan pub. There are also a handful of officers on horseback.
It appears there are a number of counter-protesters inside, sipping pints as the march outside continues south.
The protest itself remains peaceful. It is being well marshalled and police officers - from various forces - appear to be containing situations well.
A couple of people have tried to get into the White Swan pub and have been turned away by officers.
Counter-protesters inside the pub appear to be more interested in the protest than the Spurs vs Wolves game on the telly.
Callum May
Reporting from the Met Police control room
Police have begun arresting a large group of counter-protesters near a pub in central London.
So far about 50 people have been arrested on Tachbrook Street.
More counter-protesters have been held inside the White Swan pub by police.
Callum May
Reporting from the Met Police control room
Meanwhile, in the Met Police’s huge underground control room in south London, officers are working on every aspect of the operation.
Police lawyers and staff from the Crown Prosecution Service sit alongside officers to advise on whether the law is being broken, incident by incident.
Thousands of CCTV cameras belonging to police, Transport for London, and local authorities can be beamed to any room’s three huge video walls.
Officers’ portable cameras can also send back live pictures.
Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist has said this is the most significant counter-protest since the current situation in Israel and Gaza began.
Previous counter demonstrations had stayed still in Parliament Square and had involved between one and 30 people, he said.
Thomas Mackintosh
Reporting from the protest
More on that now. Several dozen people appear to be being contained within a pub on Vauxhall Bridge Road, along the route of the pro-Palestinian protest.
Lots of police officers are arriving at the pub.
It is not immediately clear who the people inside are.
Thomas Mackintosh
Reporting from the protest
I’ve followed the protest along Vauxhall Bridge Road and the large crowd has stopped maybe half a mile from Vauxhall Bridge itself - although it is not quite clear why.
The crowd is backing up, filling gaps and packing out the main road.
Some protesters are handing out sweets to some families and children who have attended.
We can give you a little bit more now on the security measures announced by the Met ahead of today's demonstration.
They include an exclusion zone using metal barriers around Whitehall and Parliament, and the US and Israeli embassies, as well as a 24-hour police guard at the Cenotaph.
A dispersal zone covers Trafalgar Square, and much of Soho and north Westminster to prevent impromptu gatherings. Police have also banned demonstrations at Waterloo, Charing Cross and Victoria train stations.
There are also plans to prevent a "convoy of cars" carrying pro-Palestinian protesters, which was expected to arrive from elsewhere in the UK, reaching Jewish communities.
No major protest is scheduled to take place on Remembrance Sunday, although the policing operation will continue with some 1,375 officers deployed amid commemoration events in the capital.
Image source, PA MediaAhead of this weekend's march, the officer in charge of policing today's protest, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, said the Met's job was to police "without fear or favour", balancing the rights of all.
He said it would be a "very difficult weekend" but the focus of officers was "to ensure that people are kept safe".
Earlier this week, Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the legal threshold which would allow him to ask the Home Office for permission to ban the march had not been met. He also stressed there were no powers in UK law to ban a static demonstration.
Image source, Sky PoolAerial images over central London have captured the scale of the pro-Palestinian protest as it moves from Hyde Park to the US embassy in Vauxhall, south of the Thames.
The demonstration was styled as a march for peace as it coincides with Armistice Day. The Metropolitan Police and our reporters at the scene say it has so far been calm.
Image source, Sky Pool
We've just caught sight of Metropolitan Police chief Sir Mark Rowley - who has been inspecting policing efforts near the US embassy in Nine Elms, near Vauxhall.
Rowley has been scrutinised this week over the policing of today's pro-Palestinian march.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak held a meeting with him to discuss security, and he met with Home Secretary Suella Braverman on Friday.
Braverman sparked a row after writing an opinion article for the Times newspaper in which she accused the Met of applying a "double standard" to its policing of protests.
The pro-Palestinian march is nearing the US embassy site, where the demo will eventually conclude.
As we've reported, the Metropolitan Police have released a short statement on X about the pro-Palestinian march, saying: "As expected there is a very large turnout.
"There have been no incidents related to this protest so far."
Thomas Mackintosh
Reporting from the protest
I’ve stopped outside Victoria Station where there was a brief and very small flare-up outside the Duke of York pub.
A group of men shouted abuse and expletives at the crowd and were held back by police. Marshalls did well to usher protesters back to the route, urging them not to engage.
As I walk along towards Vauxhall Bridge Road, I spot one man wearing a poppy and holding a Palestinian banner.
“I bought the poppy this morning at Marylebone station because it’s Armistice Day and Armistice means ceasefire," he says.
He tells me he is tired but will carry on despite the brief aggro from the group outside the pub.