Many march for Gaza ceasefire – 17 November 2023

HUNDREDS of thousands of Palestinian supporters took to the streets of London on Saturday 11 November calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Police say around 300,000 took part in the rally, while organisers claim it was closer to 800,000.

The crowd urged world leaders, including UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, to call for an end to the fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Palestinian territory of Gaza. Hamas, which runs Gaza, has been named a terrorist organisation by many countries, including Israel, the UK, the USA and the European Union.

The latest fighting began after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, killing 1,200 people and taking around 240 men, women and children hostage. Israel has responded with heavy bombing of Gaza, killing more than 10,000 people, in its attempt to destroy Hamas.

Saturday’s rally took place on Armistice Day, an annual commemoration to mark the day when the agreement was signed that brought an end to World War One.

While for many it was a peaceful protest in London, for others it was a chance to spread violence and hatred. A group of people who were against the protest shouted offensive chants at campaigners and threw bottles at the police.

London’s Met Police condemned the “extreme violence” from those it says set out to confront Saturday’s march. Nine officers were injured and 145 people were arrested, the “vast majority” of whom were counter-protesters. The police also said they were investigating serious offences relating to anti-Semitic (anti-Jewish) hate crimes.

Many senior police officers said that the problems on the day weren’t helped by comments from Suella Braverman, the Government’s Home Secretary at the time, who said the police were not being strict enough with pro-Palestinian protesters.

Ms Braverman was sacked by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday as part of a reshuffle of his top Government ministers. See page 3 to see who replaced her and who else Rishi Sunak changed in his Government.

Published Friday 17 November 2023

Picture credit: Getty