Pro-Palestinian rally kicks off in London amid Israel-Hamas war

LONDON: A pro-Palestinian rally kicked off in the UK as thousands of people started gathering in central London to show their anger against Israeli aggression in Gaza. A video clip accessed by ANI shows locals holding a pro-Palestinian rally and holding "free Palestine" placards on the streets of London.

Meanwhile, as the protesters gathered in huge numbers, Metropolitan Police mobilised 1,850 officers along the route from Hyde Park to the US embassy, anticipating flashpoints as splinter groups could disrupt the march and far-right activists exploit the event that the organizers predict one of Britain's largest-ever protests.

The demonstrators will march towards the US Embassy to protest against the superpower's support for Israel.

Tens of thousands of people have marched in London on the past four Saturdays to denounce the rising civilian death toll in Gaza as Israel has bombarded the territory in response to the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.

This Saturday's protest was expected to draw even greater numbers, partly because it became embroiled in a tense political debate over whether it should take place at all, The New York Times reported. The London police said in a statement that "officers have faced aggression from counterprotesters who are in the area in significant numbers."

It added that the protesters were not one cohesive group and that they "confronted and threw missiles at officers who tried to engage with them" as they moved toward other parts of the city, including Chinatown. "Officers are keeping track of them as they do," the police said, adding that if their intention was to confront the main pro-Palestinian protest, then "we will use all the powers and tactics available to us to prevent that from happening."

The police later said they had detained a "large group" of counterprotesters believed to have been part of the earlier disorder. Meanwhile, Hundreds of anti-Israel demonstrators, part of a "Flood Manhattan for Gaza" protest, stormed Grand Central Terminal, prompting its closure in the US.

The protesters, rallying against the Jewish state, set fire to an Israeli flag at Columbus Circle, chanted anti-Israel slogans, and splattered fake blood on the New York Times building during their march through Manhattan, New York Post reported.

"We don't want a Jewish state. We want '48!" was among the chants at the start, referring to Palestine before Israel's establishment. The crowd also yelled, "Settlers, settlers go back home! Palestine is ours alone!" and "It is right to rebel." The protest encountered a small group of Israel supporters. Gregory Jachts, a Bergen County resident, found the chants calling for the elimination of Israel offensive.

"They were chanting from the river to the sea and that calls for the elimination of Israel and the genocide of the Jews," said Jachts, who is not Jewish but has family in Israel, as reported by New York Post.

About 2,000 protesters marched east on 59th Street from Columbus Circle, placing stickers with messages like "Zionism is terrorism" and "Israel is committing genocide in Gaza" on the Dior store's windows on 5th Avenue.