'From the river to the sea”: Londoners rally in Whitehall to demand free Palestine; upto 30 arrested

Thousands of pro-Palestinian supporters gathered in central London Saturday, on the eve of the start of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, hoping to put “pressure” to ensure the ceasefire holds.

“We desperately want to be optimistic” about the truce, Sophie Mason told AFP.

“And so we need to be out on the streets in order to make sure the ceasefire holds,” said the 50-year-old, who is a regular at the pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the British capital.

The ceasefire, which comes into effect Sunday morning (0630 GMT), involves the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, Israeli withdrawal from densely populated areas of Gaza and an increase in humanitarian aid deliveries to the war-ravaged region.

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The London rally took place in Whitehall, site of the main British government offices, after police rejected the route initially proposed by organisers – which the Met police said would have been in the vicinity of a synagogue.

Participants held up placards bearing slogans including “Stop arming Israel” or “Gaza, stop the massacre” amid regular chants of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.

“Obviously, we’re delighted there’s a ceasefire”, said Linda Plant, a retiree from London, however, pointing out that Israeli strikes on Gaza have continued since the ceasefire deal was announced Wednesday.

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“We need to make pressure to make that ceasefire hold” and for international aid to reach Gaza, said Ben, 36, a workers union member who only shared his first name.

For Anisah Qausher, a student, the ceasefire is “too late, I think it’s too little”.

While she hopes it will bring “temporary relief”, she believes that “we’re gonna need to do a lot more”, citing the challenge of rebuilding Gaza.

Around 20-30 protesters were “being arrested” for breaching the authorised perimeter for the protest, and at least seven other protesters had already been arrested for various offences, the Metropolitan police said on X.

A counter-demonstration with around 100 protesters waving Israeli flags also gathered nearby.

Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered the war and resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Of the 251 people taken hostage, 94 are still in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel’s retaliatory campaign has destroyed much of Gaza, killing 46,899 people, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.