About 100,000 people joined a pro-Palestinian demonstration in central London on Saturday, marching through the British capital to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza following the Hamas attack on Israel two weeks ago.
Chanting “Free Palestine”, holding banners and waving Palestinian flags, the protesters moved through London before massing at Downing Street, the official residence and office of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Police estimated 100,000 people had taken part in the “National March for Palestine” demonstration, organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. The march appeared peaceful and there were no immediate reports of any arrests.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators also marched in other cities on Saturday to demand Israel stop its bombardment of Gaza, as the Israel-Gaza war entered its third week and its ripples spread around the globe.
On the day a trickle of aid entered Gaza, where more than 1 million people have had to leave their homes because of the conflict, protesters gathered in the rain near London’s Hyde Park before marching to the government district.
They called for an end to Israel’s blockade and air strikes launched in the wake of a brutal incursion into southern Israel by the Hamas militant group that controls Gaza.
British authorities have urged demonstrators to be mindful of the pain and anxiety felt by the Jewish community.
Figures on Friday showed there had been a 1,353 per cent increase in antisemitic offences this month compared to the same period last year, while Islamophobic offences were up 140 per cent.
Police said there were “pockets of disorder and some instances of hate speech” during protests, but “the majority of the protest activity has been lawful and has taken place without incident”.
In Australia, thousands marched through central Sydney on Saturday, shouting “shame, shame Israel” and “Palestine will never die”.
Authorities in Gaza say more than 4,300 people have been killed in the territory since the latest war began. More than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel, mostly civilians slain during Hamas’ deadly incursion on October 7.
Israel continued to bombard targets in Gaza on Saturday ahead of an expected ground offensive. A small measure of relief came when 20 trucks carrying humanitarian aid were allowed to enter the tiny enclave via the southern Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
The war sparked protests across the Arab world and beyond on Friday, including in the occupied West Bank, where Palestinians burned tyres and threw stones at Israeli military checkpoints. Israeli security forces responded firing tear gas and live rounds.
Crowds gathered in Israel’s northern neighbour Lebanon; in Iraq at the country’s border crossing with Jordan; in Jordan itself; in cities and towns across Egypt; in Turkey’s capital Ankara and its most populous city of Istanbul; and in Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco and South Africa.
In New York, hundreds of protesters from Muslim, Jewish and other groups marched to US Senator Kristen Gillibrand’s Manhattan office, many shouting “cease fire now”. Police later arrested dozens of protesters who blocked Third Avenue outside Gillibrand’s office by sitting in the road.
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Survivors recount terror at Israel music festival massacre
Brooklyn-based Rabbi Miriam Grossman told the crowd she knows many people grieving the loss of family members killed in the Hamas attack or have friends and family taken hostage. Yet Grossman said she also knows many Palestinians “living in terror” as they lose contact with loved ones in Gaza.
In Mexico City, dozens gathered outside the Israeli Embassy on Friday evening, lighting candles and chanting “Free Palestine”.
Pro-Israel demonstrations and vigils have also been held around the world, many focused on securing the return of hostages captured by Hamas.
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‘I’m in tears’: Hamas releases US hostages Judith and Natalie Raanan
Rome’s Jewish community on Friday remembered the more than 200 people believed held by Hamas by setting a long Shabbat table for them outside the capital’s main synagogue and empty chairs for each of the hostages.
On the backs of each chair was a flyer featuring the name, age and photo of each missing person. On the table were candles, wine and loaves of challah, the braided bread typically eaten during the Friday night meal.
Additional reporting by Reuters