Pro-Palestinian march draws thousands in London with protests across UK

Demonstrators protest in solidarity with Palestinians in central London, flares have been set off and flags are being wavesReuters

Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters have taken to the streets across the UK, including in London and Manchester.

In London more than 1,000 police officers were deployed as crowds marched from the BBC's New Broadcasting House to Downing Street.

The Met Police said 15 people had been arrested for offences including assaults on emergency workers and setting off fireworks in public places.

It comes a week after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel.

Fighters from the Palestinian militant group entered communities near the Gaza Strip, killing at least 1,300 people, and took scores of hostages.

More than 2,200 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched retaliatory air strikes and a ground offensive is also expected.

In London at the Palestine Solidarity Campaign demonstration, Palestine flags and supportive placards were waved as people chanted during the march to Downing Street.

The Met Police said as of 19:40 BST on Saturday the area around Trafalgar Square is clear and the main crowd from the march dispersed.

The force previously said there have been "small pockets of disorder" including flares, bottles and fireworks being thrown at police.

Police had earlier warned that anyone showing support for Hamas, a proscribed terrorist organisation, or deviating from the route, would face arrest.

Reuters

Palestine flags and supportive placards were waved during the march

Police appeared to detain several men in Trafalgar Square. One person allegedly threw an object at a police van at the pro-Palestinian demonstrations, near to Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square.

He was chased by officers and caught whilst jumping into a fountain in the square, which sparked a confrontation between protesters and Met officers - with a semi-circle formed around the man.

After a video of a second man being detained in the Whitehall area began circulating on social media, the force confirmed he had been arrested but said it was "not for anything in connection to carrying the Union Flag".

In updates on arrests, the Metropolitan Police initially said seven people had been arrested during the protest, two for public order offences and one for criminal damage.

Certain areas of central London were covered by a Section 60AA power, which requires a person to remove items such as masks that might be used to conceal their identity, until 22:00 BST. Four of the seven arrests were made under these powers.

The force later said eight more people had been arrested in the evening over offences including assaults on emergency workers and setting off fireworks in a public place.

Protesters on the route to Westminster could also be heard chanting "Rishi Sunak, shame on you" and the slogan "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free".

Earlier this week, Home Secretary Suella Braverman urged police chiefs to consider whether the slogan should be interpreted as an "expression of a violent desire to see Israel erased from the world", possibly making it a "racially aggravated" public order offence in some contexts.

EPA

Some protesters set off green or red flares, with police warning "action will be taken" if they are identified

Rallies took place in a number of UK cities including Liverpool, Bristol, Cambridge, Norwich, Coventry, Edinburgh and Swansea.

In Glasgow, thousands of people marched at an event organised by the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

Among those addressing the London gathering was former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. He said British politicians should not condone Israel's bombing campaign.

Describing the march as a "day of solidarity", the now-independent MP said: "If you believe in international law, if you believe in human rights, then you must condemn what is happening now in Gaza by the Israeli army."

At least 1,500 people took part in the rally in Manchester

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A demonstration was also held in Edinburgh

The London protest began at the BBC's headquarters in Portland Place, which was vandalised overnight with red paint splattered over the building's entrance.

In a social media post later on Saturday, activist group Palestine Action claimed responsibility for daubing the building in "blood red paint, symbolising their complicity in Israel's genocide of the Palestinian people through biased reporting".

The Metropolitan Police said it was "investigating an incident of criminal damage to a building in Portland Place, W1A".

"We are aware of a video posted online claiming responsibility and this will form part of our investigation," the force said, adding that no arrests had been made and its enquiries are ongoing.

The BBC declined to comment, saying it was a matter for the police.

Reuters

On Friday Met Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor told a press briefing there had been a "massive increase" in antisemitic incidents in London since the Hamas attacks.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called the rise "disgusting" and said that intimidating or threatening behaviour would be "met with the full force of the law".

He said Israel had "every right to defend itself" from Hamas attacks, but stressed that civilian safety must be "paramount in our minds".

Orly Goldschmidt, spokeswoman for the Israeli Embassy to the UK, said Israel was not targeting civilians but told Times Radio: "There will be innocent people who will pay tragically with their life, but this is a state of war and we have to prevent anyone from harming us again."

"We have no quarrel with the Palestinian people. We are trying to protect ourselves from the Hamas barbaric organisation, which is exactly if not worse than Isis."

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