© Reuters. Demonstrators hold placards on the day of the protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in London, Britain, November 11, 2023. REUTERS/Hollie Adams
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By Michael Holden and Will Russell
LONDON (Reuters) -More than 300,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through central London on Saturday, with police arresting nearly 100 far-right counter-protesters to stop them ambushing the main rally.
Skirmishes broke out between police and the far-right groups that had also descended on the capital as the Palestinian demonstration clashed with Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of World War One, when Britain commemorates its war dead.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said it was disrespectful to hold the rally the same day as the commemorations, and ministers had called for the cancellation of the march – the biggest so far in a series to show support for the Palestinians and call for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Police said there were several hundred counter-protesters on the streets of central London, and skirmishes broke out near the Cenotaph war memorial early on Saturday.
Incidents continued throughout the day, with police in riot gear trying to contain protesters near the House of Commons, in train stations and in side streets, with footage showing police officers with batons working to control the crowds.
Some protesters threw bottles and metal barriers at officers in what the force described as “unacceptable violence”.
London’s Met Police said later it had arrested 82 counter-protesters in a move designed to keep the peace. Another 10 arrests were made for other offences.
Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said in an update posted on social media that the counter-protesters had seemed “intent on confrontation and intent on violence”.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Scotland’s first minister, Humza Yousaf, blamed the interior minister Suella Braverman for inflaming tensions and emboldening the far-right after she accused police of favouring “pro-Palestinian mobs”.
LARGE TURNOUT
Police said more than 300,000 had joined the pro-Palestinian rally, while organisers put the figure at 800,000.
Pro-Palestinian protesters could be heard chanting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, a rallying cry which is viewed by many Jews as antisemitic and a call for Israel’s eradication.
Others carried banners reading “Free Palestine”, “Stop the Massacre” and “Stop Bombing Gaza”.
Since Hamas’s assault in southern Israel on Oct. 7, there has been strong support and sympathy for Israel from Western governments, including Britain’s, and many citizens. But the Israeli military response has also prompted anger, with weekly protests in London demanding a ceasefire.
About 21,000 people took part in a pro-Palestinian rally in Brussels on Saturday, and in Paris, left-wing lawmakers were among some 16,000 protesters who marched with pro-Palestinian banners and flags to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Some French leftist politicians have welcomed President Emmanuel Macron’s call this week for a ceasefire, including in an interview with the BBC released late on Friday in which he opposed Israel’s bombing of Gaza.
A protest against antisemitism has been called on Sunday by senior French lawmakers.