Cease-fire now: Tens of thousands in London hold rally in solidarity with Palestine

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - In another huge protest, people once again filled the streets of London on Saturday in solidarity with Palestinians.

Tens of thousands of people gathered at the landmark Trafalgar Square in central London to protest Israel and call for an immediate cease-fire in the deadly conflict.

Waving Palestinian flags, the crowd chanted pro-Palestinian slogans including, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free."

During the demonstration, protesters shouted against Western leaders like Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and US President Joe Biden, criticizing their support for Israel.

The protest also saw many pro-Palestinian signs, including: "Bombing kids is not self-defense," "Cease-fire now," and "No peace, no justice."

Jewish demonstrators also protested the actions of Israel’s government with banners saying “Jews say stop genocide of Palestinians" and "Jews for a free Palestine."

Speaking to Anadolu, an Irish demonstrator named Tom said that he has long supported Palestinians but recently "things got worse."

"Very disappointed," he said, criticizing politicians who decline to support calls for a cease-fire.

"Shame on them for doing nothing," said the 84-year-old protester.

He said that it is very hard to watch what's happening in Gaza because of the "awful massacre" happening there.

London’s Metropolitan Police said that they had arrested 11 people related to the protest.

This week the Israeli army expanded its air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, which has been under relentless airstrikes since a surprise offensive by Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.

Nearly 11,000 people have been killed in the conflict, including 9,488 Palestinians and more than 1,538 Israelis.

Basic supplies are running low for Gaza’s 2.3 million residents due to the Israeli siege, in addition to the large number of casualties and displacements.