Thousands of pro-Palestine protesters attend seventh national march in London
Hundreds of police officers were on duty in London for the march, ITV News' Katie Fenton reports
Thousands of pro-Palestine protesters took to the streets of London as part of a global day for action involving 30 countries, as the war in Gaza nears the 100-day mark.
Around 1,700 police officers were on duty in the capital on Saturday, with protesters warned that they faced arrest if they “intentionally push the limit” on placards and slogans.
Three people were arrested on suspicion of showing support for a proscribed organisation, which is an offence under the Terrorism Act, while two arrests were made for “offensive placards”.
A sixth arrest was made for possession of stickers to be used for criminal damage.
Demonstrators met on Queen Victoria Street before making their way along Fleet Street on Saturday morning.
The seventh National March for Palestine featured an appearance by Little Amal, a giant puppet of a Syrian child refugee, which joined a group of Palestinian children.
The 3.5m puppet became an international symbol of human rights after she journeyed 8,000km from the Turkish-Syrian border to Manchester in July 2021.
The protest comes after the UK and the USA carried out airstrikes against Houthi bases in Yemen.
The Iran-backed rebel group has repeatedly targeted commercial shipping in the Red Sea in the wake of Israel’s war against Hamas following the October 7 attack.
The Metropolitan Police said there were a number of conditions in place at the protest, including: any person participating in the procession must not deviate from the route specified; the speeches at the assembly following the procession must end by 4.30pm and the whole event must end by 5pm; no participant in the protest may enter the area around the Israeli Embassy.
Home Secretary James Cleverly said he had been briefed by the Met’s commissioner Sir Mark Rowley on plans to “ensure order and safety” during the protest.
“I back them to use their powers to manage the protest and crack down on any criminality,” the MP said.
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