Hundreds of thousands demonstrated in London on Saturday in support of the Palestinians. The police detained several demonstrators, but the demonstration was largely peaceful.
The largest British pro-Palestinian organization, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), which timed the demonstration before the upcoming first anniversary of the start of Israeli operations in the Gaza Strip, said in its report on Saturday evening that at least 300,000 people demonstrated for a free Palestine and the end of “the genocide”. . According to a statement from Scotland Yard, however, it was difficult to accurately assess the number of participants, but the movement “appeared larger” than the protest demonstrations of the recent period. The PSC organized Saturday’s demonstration on the occasion of the first anniversary of the “genocidal attack” launched against the Gaza Strip and continuing ever since, according to the organization.
In the call announcing the demonstration, the pro-Palestinian organization did not mention the terrorist attack committed by Hamas, which dominates the Gaza Strip, against Israel a year ago. In the attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, 1,139 people were killed and around 3,000 were injured. The militants of the terrorist organization took 240 hostages to the Gaza Strip, several of whom are still prisoners of Palestinians.
Israel then began sweeping operations in the Gaza Strip with the stated goal of dismantling the political and military machinery of Hamas.
According to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, more than 41,000 Palestinians died in the operations, including 17,000 children, the number of missing is tens of thousands, and 90 percent of the 2.3 million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip were forced to leave their homes. Saturday’s demonstration in London was the twentieth mass demonstration organized by the PSC since last October.
In its report on Saturday evening, Scotland Yard announced that it had detained 17 people at the demonstration, primarily on suspicion of supporting banned organizations, attacking emergency services workers, and disturbing public order. The London police already announced before the demonstration that they will detain those who support groups classified as terrorist organizations and banned by the United Kingdom at the demonstration. According to a police memo, these organizations include the Sunni Hamas and Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah.
Demonstrators started from near the British Museum and marched to Whitehall, the main street in London’s government quarter, where speeches were made. Among the speakers was Jeremy Corbyn, the former leader of the ruling British Labor Party and former prime ministerial candidate, who called for a complete halt to arms exports to Israel and an “end to the occupation of Palestine.”
On Saturday, counter-protesters waving Israeli flags will also march near the route of the pro-Palestinian demonstration, and on Sunday, the advocacy organizations of the 300,000 British Jews will commemorate the first anniversary of the terrorist attack against Israel in London’s Hyde Park last October.
Source: nepszava.hu
