Thousands march in Belfast in pro-Palestinian rally

Thousands of people have attended a pro-Palestine rally in Belfast. Demonstrators met at Writers Square before making their way along Royal Avenue, finishing at Belfast City Hall.

The whole event, which included a number of speeches lasted for around two hours.

A number of politicians were present at the rally including Sinn Fein's Pat Sheehan and Gerry Caroll, from People Before Profit, who also gave speeches outside city hall. The event was also attended by representatives from the Northern Ireland Council for Racial Equality, ICTU, the Jews for Palestine group and Unison. The protest threatened to boil over when there was some pushing and shoving between demonstrators and a small number of pro-Israel supporters.

The PSNI mounted a significant security operation which included closing many of the main arterial roads in the city centre.

As the rally neared City Hall, a small number of people stood in front of the gates carrying Israel flags.

There were angry scenes as the two sets of demonstrators exchanged insults and police moved in to keep them apart.

A PSNI spokesperson said: "Police deployed a number of officers in response to a notified parade in Belfast.

"During the parade, a small number of people were spoken to about their behaviour, which calmed the situation.

"There were no further incidents."

Similar protests have taken place across the UK over the weekend, including in London, Glasgow, and Manchester. It comes a week after Hamas killed 1,300 people in an unprecedented attack on Israel. More than 2000 people have been killed in Gaza in retaliatory strikes by the Israeli Defence Forces.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.