Armistice Day pro-Palestine march: mounting calls to 'sack Suella' as hundreds of thousands march in London
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Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in the capital to demand Palestine's freedom, in what may have been one of the largest political marches in British history.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had issued a plea for “unity” amid tensions over the pro-Palestinian march, set to go ahead on Saturday (11 November) - the same day the UK marks the end of the First World War. There had been concerns about the risk of counter-protests, with areas like Whitehall and the Westminster Abbey Field of Remembrance fenced off to prevent protesters getting in - while police were given additional powers to search people for weapons.
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Hide AdThe Met Police say there were 126 arrests total, many of them counter protesters who tried to confront people taking place in the march. A number of pro-Palestine protesters who hid their faces and repeatedly set off fireworks - despite organisers asking them not to - were also detained, while nine officers were injured.
However, the march was largely peaceful, with organisers estimating around 750,000 people were in attendance at the biggest demonstration since the Israel-Hamas conflict erupted on 7 October. Floods of protesters travelled from Hyde Park to the US embassy in Vauxhall, before speeches by both MPs and Palestinians were made on a stage set up near the end of the march.
Scotland Yard said it was a major policing operation, and it deployed nearly 2,000 officers across central London over the weekend, while hours before the demonstration was set to begin, Sky News reports police officers could be seen guarding the Cenotaph - although the march did not go near the monument.
On the eve of the mass protest, the Prime Minister urged those taking part to do so “respectfully and peacefully” and to respect Armistice Day commemorations. “This act of remembrance is fundamental to who we are as a country, and I want to reassure those wishing to pay their respects, attend services and travel that they can and should do so,” Sunak said in a statement.
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Hide AdThere were also other pro-Palestine demonstrations across the UK on Saturday, while there have been reports far-right group the National Front is also planning a march to the Cenotaph on Sunday afternoon.
Follow along live below:
London braces for Armistice Day Pro-Palestine March
'Love march'
The pro-Palestine march has set off from Marble Arch as the chanting ramps up. A number of signs carried by protesters affirm the protest is a 'love march', in response to Home Secretary Suella Braverman's comment branding the demonstration as a "hate march".
Smoke bombs
Protesters have been spotted scaling scaffolding on buildings along the march route and setting off what appear to be smoke bombs.
Police blockades
As the march moves on, police vans are seen blocking the road to Buckingham Palace.
Biggest political march in UK history
Organisers have said early figures from the back of the march suggest there are "well over" 500,000 participants, making this likely the biggest political march in UK history.
Names of Palestinian children killed read out
Speakers read out names and ages of 50 Palestinian children killed in recent attacks. The children's ages ranged from infants to 16. This was followed by two minutes of silence, mirroring the Remembrance Day tribute observed earlier today.
NationalWorld reporter Amber Allott said during the silence, the only sound was the whirring of helicopters overhead while people in the crowd could be seen weeping.
The silence was ended with the explosion of fireworks, set off by protesters who climbed on top of nearby bus stops.
"These are acts of collective punishment" - Labour MP Imran Hussein
Labour MP Imran Hussein addressed the growing crowd, saying: "What we are witnessing is a grave violation of international law ... two million people denied food, water, medicine, and power. Let there be no doubt - these are acts of collective punishment... we must condemn them for what they are."
750,000 people attend march
The latest figures from organisers report as many as 750,000 took part in today's pro-Palestine march.
MP Richard Burgon tells Suella Braverman to "stop stoking division"
Labour MP Richard Burgon also spoke, starting with a message to Suella Braverman and accompanied by a wave of deafening boos and jeers echoing around through the crowd at the sound of the Home Secretary's name. "Stop stoking division," he said and urged the government to "call for a ceasefire now" to "end the war crimes".
He said: "Until we get that ceasefire our government should know - we will keep on marching."
Other speakers referred to Ms Braverman as the "Home Secretary of hate", and "the nastiest, most divisive" MP in Parliament, calling for Sunak to "grow a spine" and sack her.
Pro-Palestinian protestors warned over fireworks
At around 3pm today a group of pro-Palestinian protesters climbed on to a raised platform on the corner on Vauxhall Bridge, a firework was set off and one was seen clutching a smoke flare.
At around 4pm, the pro-Palestinian crowd congregating at the end of the march in Nine Elms were asked to “please stop throwing fireworks” after one was heard to go off. A second was set off soon after, and a man said: “We just made the announcement about fireworks, it’s genuinely about safety, please consider the people around you.”
"Killing people is wrong"
An 11-year-old Palestinian boy giving a speech at the end of the march said he was saddened to have to stand in front of the crowd at his age to say "killing people is wrong". He said he had lost his 10 year old cousin, who he had played with when he visited Gaza just last year, and nine other family members.
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