Seven arrests were made in central London on Saturday as thousands of people gathered to protest Israel’s 15-month war on Gaza, a day after a ceasefire deal was agreed with Hamas.
With signs saying “Stop arming Israel” and “Free Palestine”, protesters gathered in Whitehall, a week after police curtailed organisers’ plans to gather outside the BBC’s Broadcasting House due to its proximity to a synagogue.
The crowds were initially blocked from marching up Whitehall towards Trafalgar Square by a line of police, but protesters broke through police lines to advance toward the central London landmark.
Footage posted on X appeared to show the former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and former shadow chancellor John McDonnell among the protesters passing by officers as the crowd moved towards Trafalgar Square.
According to the PA news agency, police blocked entrances in and out of the square to contain the protest. The Metropolitan police said in a post on X: “The group that forced its way through the police line is now held at the north-west corner of Trafalgar Square.
“Anyone in that group should now disperse and leave the area. Anyone remaining in breach of the conditions, or inciting further breaches, will be arrested.”
During the protest, seven people were arrested, four on suspicion of public order offences, and two others on suspicion of breaching conditions for the protest, according to the Met. One of the conditions prevents those participating from entering a specific area around Portland Place.
A seventh individual was also arrested on suspicion of holding a placard suggesting support for banned organisations, the Met said.
The demonstration, which began days after the 7 October attack in 2023 and has continued weekly as the war stretched on – making it one of the biggest protest movements seen in recent British history – has called for the end of the conflict that has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians inside Gaza by Israeli attacks, according to health officials in the territory.
“For 15 months we have marched, we have rallied, we have protested in towns and cities across the UK with one of our central demands being that there be a ceasefire and now we stand on the brink of a ceasefire that promises to bring an end to the immediate, catastrophic killing of the Palestinian people,” said Palestine Solidarity Campaign director, Ben Jamal.
On Friday, the Israeli government ratified a ceasefire deal to exchange dozens of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinians in Israeli jails and to pause the war for an initial six weeks. The deal will take effect on Sunday.
Last week, the Met banned the march from gathering outside the BBC’s London headquarters, owing to its proximity to a synagogue. Protesters were planning to gather outside Broadcasting House before marching to Whitehall.
The Palestinian Forum in Britain said they “categorically rejected” a Met attempt to relocate the protest to Russell Square, with threats of arrest for individuals assembling elsewhere. The organisations said after “immense public pressure” the protest was able to proceed at Whitehall as planned.
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