Hundreds of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters expected on weekend march

Hundreds of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters are expected to gather in central London on Saturday, a day after the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas came into effect.

It will be the 32nd national demonstration in support of Palestine since October 2023, according to organiser Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), and will see protesters setting off from Embankment at midday for a march ending in a rally in Whitehall from 2.30pm.

They will call for the ceasefire to become a permanent agreement.

A counter protest organised by Stop The Hate is expected to take place at the junction of Aldwych and the Strand, according to the Metropolitan Police.

Conditions have been imposed on both demonstrations by the force, which set out specific areas protesters can gather as well as a march route.

The Met made reference to recent Government proposals to give police greater powers to restrict repeat protests but said that “at this time, the law remains unchanged”.

The measures announced last weekend follow frequent pro-Palestinian demonstrations, including in London last Saturday.

Almost 500 people were arrested at last week’s protest, with the majority on suspicion of supporting the banned terror organisation Palestine Action.

Calls for restraint had been made following the terror attack on a synagogue in Manchester on October 2 in which two people were killed, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer urging protesters to “respect the grief of British Jews”.

The Met had also urged organisers to call off the plans, with Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley saying policing the protest would mean drawing officers away from communities “at a time when they are needed most”.

The demonstration in support of Palestine Action went ahead, with human rights campaigner Sir Jonathon Porritt saying protesters should not be asked to “give up on our right to stand up for those who are being devastated by an ongoing, real-time genocide in Gaza”.

On Thursday, around 2,000 protesters gathered outside Downing Street to mark a week since the synagogue attack.

At the protest, Gideon Falter, chief executive of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “This is a Jewish community that has clamoured for two years in the face of mounting hate.”

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has said repeated large-scale protests had caused “considerable fear” for the Jewish community.

Ben Jamal, PSC director, said the group will “never stop” supporting Palestinians to “achieve a free Palestine”.

Of the planned protest this weekend, he said: “For two years we’ve seen Israel commit a no holds barred genocide with the political and military support of successive UK governments.

“In response, a community of resistance in this country has responded with an historic show of solidarity – actively and intensively campaigning, day in day out, to demand politicians, public bodies and corporations end their complicity with Israel’s crimes.

“This is a movement supported by millions of people in this country and around the world who want freedom and justice for Palestine.

“That work will go on. Because we know Israel is capable of breaking the ceasefire at any time, as it has done on every previous occasion. And we know this ceasefire based on (US President Donald) Trump’s plan does nothing to address the root causes of Israeli occupation and colonisation of Palestine, and its system of apartheid against Palestinians. It also does nothing to hold those responsible for genocide to account.

“The rights of the Palestinian people are enshrined under international law – they are inviolable and non-negotiable. They will never give up those rights, and we will never stop supporting them to achieve a free Palestine.”

The Israeli military said on Friday that the ceasefire agreement came into effect at noon local time (10am BST).

The pause in the two-year war in the Middle East follows Hamas agreeing to release the remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

News of the ceasefire agreement came just two days after the second anniversary of October 7, the attacks by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel.