Jeff Moore/PA/AP
Police gather at the Cenotaph in central London following an Armistice Day memorial service on Saturday.
London, UK CNN –
Around 300,000 people turned out for a large pro-Palestinian rally in London on Saturday as police arrested scores of counter-protesters for trying to confront the demonstrators.
There was a heavy police presence at Hyde Park Corner in central London as protesters chanted “Free, free Palestine” and “ceasefire now”. They were also heard shouting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!”
A spokesman for London’s Metropolitan Police told CNN that a total of 300,000 people were estimated to have taken part in the demonstration, which coincided with the annual commemorations of Armistice Day, Veterans Day in the US.
Police said they arrested 82 counter-protesters “to prevent a breach of the peace.” They said they were “subjected to aggression from counter-protesters.” who stormed the area “in significant numbers” as the rally was brewing.
A pro-Palestinian protester told CNN she was “stunned by the hypocrisy of those who support Ukraine but not Palestine.”
“Some politicians may be on our side, but they are too afraid to speak out,” she added.
Another protester said the number of people who came to the march was “inspiring.” “We must stand up for the voiceless,” they added.
Police had promised to “use all forces and tactics at our disposal” to stop counter-protesters opposing the pro-Palestinian march.
Earlier in the day, a CNN team on the scene heard screaming and observed a heavy police presence as a group of far-right protesters tried to storm the war memorial, which had been placed in a restricted zone for protection.
Far-right organizer Tommy Robinson led a small but loud demonstration to reach the Cenotaph, a symbolic landmark in Whitehall, the London borough where the prime minister and government authorities reside.
On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the United Kingdom traditionally observes a two-minute silence to commemorate the moment when the guns fell silent, marking the end of the First World War in 1918.
Carlos Jasso/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Ahead of a pro-Palestinian rally, participants pay their respects at the memorial.
Videos released locally by the anti-racist group Hope Not Hate showed far-right protesters dressed in black pushing against police barriers at various points around Whitehall.
The unrest follows a political row over pro-Palestinian protests earlier this week, when British Home Secretary Suella Braverman went off script and accused police of being too lenient with protesters.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak initially tried to prevent the pro-Palestinian protest from continuing.
Although Sunak later accepted that the march would go ahead, he stuck to his line that the decision to protest on this special weekend “is not only disrespectful, but violates our sincere gratitude to the memory of those who gave so much, so that we can live in freedom.” Peace today.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the unrest seen at the London Cenotaph on Saturday was a “direct result” of Braverman’s words.
“The scenes of unrest we witnessed from the far right at the Cenotaph are a direct result of the Home Secretary’s words. “Police work has become much more difficult,” Khan said on social media, adding that London’s Metropolitan Police had his “full support in taking action against anyone who spreads hate and breaks the law.”