Among the attendees was Jeremy Corbyn, recently re-elected as an independent MP for Islington North.
Five people were arrested during a pro-Palestinian march in London on Saturday, the first under the new Labour government, the Anadolu news agency reported.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, where Israeli actions have resulted in the deaths of over 38,000 Palestinians since last October, leaving most civilians homeless and at risk of famine.
Organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the event began at Russell Square and proceeded through the city, concluding with speeches near Portcullis House.
The Metropolitan Police, who deployed 700 officers to manage the demonstration, confirmed the arrests.
Massive pro-Palestine protests in London, calling for an end to the Israeli genocide in Gaza. 🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/kG7MxS8SnD
— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) July 6, 2024
One person was reportedly detained for a public order offense related to a placard, three others for breaching Public Order Act conditions imposed on the march, and a fifth for supposedly inciting racial hatred in relation to a placard.
Despite conditions requiring the protest to stay on Victoria Embankment, a group of protesters gathered opposite Downing Street, supervised by Met officers.
Among the attendees was Jeremy Corbyn, recently re-elected as an independent MP for Islington North.
Addressing the crowd, the former Labour leader reiterated his support for the Palestinian cause, stating, “Palestine was on the ballot in this election.”
“A change in government doesn’t change the facts that the people of Gaza are still being murdered in their sleep,” Corbyn continued.
“And it doesn’t change the fact that there is only one path to a just and lasting peace: an end to the occupation of Palestine,” he concluded
This demonstration is part of a series of regular marches held since October, with previous ones concluding at Whitehall.
“Long live the student intifada!” Massive contingent of the student encampments at @STWuk mass march in London. #FreePalestine #CeasefireNow #Gaza @occupyuoft @springmagca pic.twitter.com/RPPX8wEeUn
— James Clark (@2JamesClark) July 6, 2024
Ongoing Genocide
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 38,098 Palestinians have been killed, and 87,705 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.
(PC, Anadolu)
