LONDON (AP) — Tens of thousands of people gathered on the streets of central London Saturday for a pro-Palestinian march and called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
At least five people were arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred, police said.
The National March for Palestine in central London was the latest of several large protests that have taken place every weekend in the British capital and many European cities since the Israel-Hamas war began last month.
Saturday’s protests came on the second day of a four-day ceasefire that has allowed essential humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip and given civilians their first respite after seven weeks of war.
The Metropolitan Police said officers arrested a man on suspicion of inciting racial hatred “shortly at the start of the protest”. Police said the man was seen carrying a poster with Nazi symbols.
Later Saturday, police said they arrested four more people who were distributing “literature with a swastika inside a Star of David.”
Officers handed out leaflets at the march seeking to clarify what would be considered a criminal offense after police came under pressure from senior government officials to take tougher action against alleged displays of anti-Semitism at the protests.
“Anyone who is racist or incites hatred against a group should expect to be arrested. This also applies to anyone who supports Hamas or any other banned organization,” said Assistant Deputy Commissioner of Police Ade Adelekan.
“We will not tolerate anyone celebrating or promoting acts of terrorism – such as the killing or kidnapping of innocent people – or spreading hate speech,” he added.
Police said 1,500 officers were deployed to monitor the march.
Earlier this month, former British home secretary Suella Braverman came under fire when she described pro-Palestinian protesters as “hate protesters.” Critics accused her of stoking tensions and she was sacked by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak shortly afterwards.
Hizb-ut-Tahrir, the Islamist group, also protested outside the Egyptian embassy in London on Saturday. Police said two women who were seen holding “offensive” posters were arrested for a racially motivated public order offence.
A march attended by pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel activists as well as other groups gathered in Paris to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
Some protesters waved Palestinian flags and placards reading “Free Palestine,” demonstrating solidarity with “the women of Gaza and Palestine who are being murdered.”
A group of Jewish women also joined the march to denounce crimes committed by Hamas, including rape and murder, chanting: “We are women, we are proud, we are Jewish and we are angry.”
Meanwhile, some pro-Palestinian protests were organized over the weekend in major French cities such as Strasbourg, Lyon and Marseille.
In Vienna, many marched amid the city’s first snow, waving Palestinian flags at a “Peace for Palestine” rally. Organizers called on the Austrian government to support a ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the lifting of the Gaza blockade.
Organizers warned potential participants ahead of Saturday’s demonstration that any anti-Semitic or far-right actions would be “immediately stopped” and offenders would be asked to leave the event.
Tens of thousands of people are also expected to take part in a march on Sunday organized by the charity Campaign Against Antisemitism to show solidarity with the UK’s Jewish community
___
Associated Press writers Sylvie Corbet in Paris and Stephanie Liechtenstein in Vienna contributed.