'Tens of thousands' of pro-Palestinian protesters march on Israeli embassy in London - with eight people arrested

Eight arrests person been made arsenic pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched done cardinal London successful protestation astatine the ongoing struggle betwixt Israel and Hamas. 

Thousands of campaigners acceptable disconnected from Piccadilly Circus soon aft 1.30pm connected Saturday, with the march passing alongside Hyde Park earlier ending connected Kensington Road.

The Metropolitan Police said successful a station connected X that the arrests were for a scope of offences, including those nether the Public Order Act.

Protesters held signs astatine the objection that work 'Starmer has humor connected his hands' and 'Stop the warfare coalition'.

The march was concisely halted erstwhile astatine slightest 2 counter-protesters, including 1 holding up a motion speechmaking 'Hamas is terrorist', blocked its advancement extracurricular the Park Lane Hotel adjacent Green Park. It has now, however, wholly ended.

Two men were past detained by constabulary aft a important struggle.

A abstracted counter-protest gathered connected Kensington High Street, with participants dancing to euphony and waving Israeli, British and American flags, but was kept distant from the overmuch larger pro-Palestinian march by constabulary officers and barricades.

The protestation is the 18th organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) since the struggle began past October.

The Metropolitan Police had imposed a bid of conditions connected the event, including that the objection indispensable extremity by 5pm.

Another lawsuit which had been scheduled to instrumentality spot connected the intended way for the march was cancelled, the unit said.

The objection comes aft elder MI6 and CIA officials said successful a uncommon nationalist connection they were unneurotic 'working ceaselessly' for a ceasefire and hostage woody successful Gaza, and person 'exploited our quality channels to propulsion hard for restraint and de-escalation' successful the Middle East.

Tens of thousands of activists person made their mode onto Kensington Road, astir 300 yards distant from hundreds of counter-demonstrators who person been allowed to stitchery connected Kensington High Street.

The smaller antagonistic protestation waved dozens of Israeli and Union Jack flags and played large creation euphony connected speakers, including this year's arguable Eurovision introduction Hurricane by Eden Golan. 

Met police officers person formed a ringing of alloy astir the Israeli embassy to support protesters from swarming the building.

Dozens of officers were stationed astir Old Court Street, wherever the embassy is located, portion six constabulary vans were besides parked connected Kensington High Street.

One counter-protester held a motion that read: 'We emotion beingness much than Hamas loves death.'

One motion compared the onslaught by Hamas connected the Nova Festival connected October 7 to the 2017 Manchester Arena onslaught by Islamist terrorists with the slogan: 'Your combat is our fight'.

Another emblem read: 'Nova - we volition creation again.'

One counter-protester said: 'We are arrogant to beryllium Jewish. Hamas are terrorists and we are present to basal down Israel.

'We are calling for the October 7 hostages to beryllium brought home. The onslaught connected the Nova Festival was shocking but we privation to amusement it has not breached us.'

Police officers manned gates connected the westbound broadside of Kensington Gardens to halt protesters from clashing. 

However a tiny fig of pro-Palestine protesters wandered done to the antagonistic protestation aft uncovering their mode done roadblocks.

During the little clashes the pro-Palestinian protesters were heckled with calls of: 'Gaza is simply a fascist state', 'Gaza is homophobic' and 'Bring them home' earlier officers rapidly escorted them away.

The march was concisely halted erstwhile astatine slightest 2 counter-protesters blocked its advancement extracurricular the Park Lane Hotel adjacent Green Park.

Two men were detained by constabulary aft a important struggle. Some pro-Palestine demonstrators shouted angrily astatine the duo arsenic they passed. 

The National March for Palestine, which has been organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, is acceptable to reason by 5pm astatine the latest, pursuing restrictions imposed by the Met. 

The unit had primitively acceptable retired stricter conditions for the rally to statesman astatine 2:30pm instead, which saw organisers impeach Scotland Yard of deliberately trying to 'deter radical from attending'. 

However the timings were aboriginal changed aft different event, which was taking spot on the protestation route, was cancelled, with the PSC claiming it arsenic a 'major triumph successful defence of the antiauthoritarian close to protest'. 

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said aft the alteration of program connected Friday: 'The risk-assessment process successful narration to planned events is dynamic and takes into relationship the perpetually changing representation crossed London.

'Conditions were imposed to mitigate concerns from communities, including successful narration to a circumstantial lawsuit which would person clashed with the intended way of the march.

'The last-minute determination to cancel 1 of the different pre-planned events means we person reviewed the conditions imposed connected the march - this successful enactment with our ineligible work to equilibrium the lawful close to protestation and the hazard of superior disruption to the wider community.'

Following the changes, the PSC said successful a statement: 'With little than 24 hours to go, the Metropolitan Police has dropped its effort to frustrate our nationalist march for Palestine. Tomorrow we volition march to the Israeli Embassy arsenic planned.'

It added: 'Following a week of statement and attempts to bully and intimidate the objection organisers, the constabulary person present agreed that protesters volition assemble from 12 noon, astatine Regent Street St James's arsenic we had primitively intended. 

'Previous conditions that were imposed successful a wholly unjustified effort to forestall america from doing truthful person present been rescinded.' 

The run radical said the restrictions were an 'unacceptable curtailment of our close to show peacefully'. 

Saturday's march is the archetypal to beryllium organised by the PSC successful the superior for implicit 2 months with the past protestation having taken spot successful July. 

Protesters person been prevented from entering the thoroughfare wherever the Israel embassy is located.

Protesters person besides been seen connected the streets of Dublin contiguous objecting to Britain's continued subject enactment of Israel.

The Irish-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) said it was staging the objection to 'let the visiting British Prime Minister cognize that Ireland stands with Palestine'.

Speaking astatine the lawsuit connected O'Connell Street, IPSC spokesperson Harun Siljak said the radical was asking Sir Keir 'to extremity British complicity successful the ongoing genocide and amerciable concern of Palestine'.

He added: 'It is truly concerning to spot however persistent and unwavering the thought of the British Government maintaining enactment for Israel truly is, particularly astatine this signifier erstwhile we can't adjacent estimation the fig of radical who person been killed.'

Demonstrators, immoderate wearing keffiyehs, waved Palestinian and Irish flags arsenic they chanted slogans including 'free, escaped Palestine'.

The IPSC said the caller suspension of 30 arms export licences to Israel is simply a 'testament to the tireless work' of Palestine solidarity activists successful the UK.

However, it added: 'But it doesn't spell anyplace adjacent acold capable - Britain is inactive exporting components for F-35 warplanes to Israel via the US, and inactive giving diplomatic screen for genocide.

'This needs to extremity now.'

Meanwhile pro Israeli and anti Tehran authorities protesters person been gathering connected High Street Kensington wherever the Free Palestine march is expected to perceive speeches from a platform. 

The protestation is the 18th organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) since the struggle began past October.

The Metropolitan Police had imposed a bid of conditions connected the event, including that the objection indispensable extremity by 5pm.

Another lawsuit which had been scheduled to instrumentality spot connected the intended way for the march was cancelled, the unit said.

The objection comes aft elder MI6 and CIA officials said successful a uncommon nationalist connection they were unneurotic 'working ceaselessly' for a ceasefire and hostage woody successful Gaza, and person 'exploited our quality channels to propulsion hard for restraint and de-escalation' successful the Middle East.

The assemblage reached their destination adjacent the Israeli embassy astatine 3pm.