Summary of the day's events
Thank you for following the updates on the London pro-Palestine march live blog. We’re wrapping it up now, but here’s a summary of the day’s key events:
Hundreds of thousands of people have taken part in a pro-Palestinian march in London today. The Metropolitan police said around 300,000 people had converged on the capital, while organisers of the event put the number closer to 800,000 and claimed it was one of the biggest marches in British history.
At least 126 people have been arrested in London in the “face of significant violence” say the Met. Matt Twist, assistant commissioner, called “extreme violence” from rightwing protesters towards the police “extraordinary” and “deeply concerning”. He also shared that the groups of far-right protesters were stopped and searched, with weapons including a knife, a baton and knuckleduster and class A drugs being found.
Around 150 pro-Palestinian demonstrators were detained by police in Grosvenor Place, Belgravia in the evening. According to the Met, the breakaway group from the main march were firing fireworks and many were wearing face coverings. Arrests were made after some of the fireworks struck officers in the face.
A number of serious offences were identified by the Met, in relation to hate crime and possible support for Hammas during the protest and are being investigated.
Nine police officers were injured on Saturday. Two officers required hospital treatment after preventing a violent crowd getting to the Cenotaph during a remembrance service.
Rishi Sunak has condemned “violent scenes” from the far-right group the English Defence League and associated groups and “Hamas sympathisers”.
Suella Braverman has come under fire for her part in “inflaming tensions”. Anti-fascist group Hope Not Hate called for the home secretary to resign, while politicians, including Yvette Cooper and Sadiq Khan both highlighted the negative effect of the home secretary’s comments.
Michael Gove was mobbed by pro-Palestinian protesters in Victoria station. Protesters chanted “shame on you” as the communities secretary, escorted by police officers, made his way through the concourse.
Tomorrow’s Remembrance Sunday service will be led by King Charles and wreaths will be laid by members of the royal family, senior politicians and dignitaries at the Cenotaph in London, reports the PA. It’s notable that the number of officers on duty in London this weekend will be double the usual amount, with 1,375 officers for Sunday. The PA add that the Cenotaph has a dedicated 24-hour police presence until the conclusion of Remembrance events.
Updated
The Guardian’s video team have produced this piece, speaking to protesters today about why they were marching.
Keir Starmer has accused Suella Braverman of spawning “hatred and mistrust” as calls grow for Rishi Sunak to sack his home secretary.
Pressure mounted on Braverman amid far-right violence on Saturday, after she branded pro-Palestinian demonstrators “hate marchers” and accused the police of bias for letting the rally go ahead.
In a comment piece in the Sunday Telegraph, Starmer wrote: “The home secretary and the prime minister’s treatment of the police and protesters alike this week – coming just a few days after she shamefully described homelessness as ‘a lifestyle choice’ – betray a total lack of respect for this country’s values and its principles.
“Few people in public life have done more recently to whip up division, set the British people against one another and sow the seeds of hatred and distrust than Suella Braverman. In doing so, she demeans her office.”
Updated
In his update, the Met assistant commissioner Matt Twist also notes that “the intense debate about protest and policing” has contributed to the increase in tensions.
Today's policing operation is now drawing to a close.
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) November 11, 2023
Officers worked tirelessly to keep London safe, making at least 126 arrests in the face of significant violence. Sadly, nine officers were injured.
Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist's statement gives an overview of events.
Police say 126 people have been arrested so far following today's protests
Matt Twist, assistant commissioner at the Met, has given an update on today’s events, in which 126 people have been arrested so far. In the statement, he calls the extreme violence from rightwing protestors towards the police “extraordinary” and “deeply concerning”. Describing the day’s events, he said:
They arrived early, stating they were there to protect monuments, but some were already intoxicated, aggressive and clearly looking for confrontation.
Abuse was directed at officers protecting the Cenotaph, including chants of “you’re not English any more”.
This group were largely football hooligans from across the UK and spent most of the day attacking or threatening officers who were seeking to prevent them being able to confront the main march.
Twist says that many in the groups of far-right protesters were stopped and searched, with weapons including a knife, a baton and knuckleduster and class A drugs being found. He said: “Thanks to the considerable efforts of our officers, who put themselves in harm’s way, nobody was able to reach the Cenotaph, which was protected at all times.”
Twist added that nine police officers had been injured on Saturday, with two requiring hospital treatment: one with a fractured elbow and another with a suspected dislocated hip. Those officers were injured on Whitehall as they prevented a violent crowd getting to the Cenotaph while a remembrance service was taking place, he said.
Speaking about the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) march, Twist said it had not displayed the sort of physical violence carried out by the rightwing protesters. He said:
We know that for London’s Jewish communities, whose fears and concerns we absolutely recognise, the impact of hate crime and in particular antisemitic offences is just as significant.
At the end of the PSC march, we once again saw breakaway groups behaving in an intimidating manner.
Officers intercepted a group of 150 who were wearing face coverings and firing fireworks. Arrests were made after some of the fireworks struck officers in the face.
There were also a number of serious offences identified in relation to hate crime and possible support for proscribed organisations during the protest that we are actively investigating.
Commenting on the challenge of policing a crowd of the size that was at the pro-Palestinian march seen today, Twist said that it had been made more difficult by the violence of far-right protesters:
Locating and intercepting suspects in a crowd of the size we saw today will always be challenging, but we were further limited in our ability to do so due to the number of officers we had to deploy, from early in the day, in response to violence from the rightwing groups in central London.
He added that the Met would publish images of some of the suspects soon and vowed to “pursue all available lines of inquiry to identify suspects and take action even after the conclusion of protests”. Twist ends with a reminder that many officers are still deployed across central London, responding to any outbreaks of disorder and ensuring key sites are protected before tomorrow’s remembrance events.
Updated
Michael Gove mobbed by pro-Palestinian protesters in Victoria station
Michael Gove has been mobbed by protesters as he walked through London’s Victoria station, moments after a sit-in protest for Palestine ended.
Pro-Palestinian protesters chanted “shame on you” as the communities secretary, escorted by police officers, made his way through the concourse. Video footage posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, shows a number of protesters waving flags and surging towards Gove as Metropolitan police officers pushed them away and shouted at them to “get back”. More on the story below.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism has released a statement saying that Sir Mark Rowley, commissioner of the Metropolitan police, is “failing” Britain’s Jews. It also says that Rowley has “serious questions to answer” about why the march was allowed to take place.
The CAA say that the Jewish community is “terrified” and that it is aware of families being targeted on their way out of synagogues. The statement reads: “While we welcome the more significant number of arrests this week, the overall policing policy in relation to these demonstrations is woeful. This march should never have been allowed to go ahead, and Sir Mark Rowley has serious questions to answer. Perhaps he should do so to Britain’s Jews, whom he is failing.”
Sadiq Khan has praised police for their handling of Saturday's protests and violence
Sadiq Khan has made a statement on Saturday’s events. In it, he pays tribute to the police for their handling of the protests and condemns cases of far-right violence as well “hate and racism” at the pro-Palestinian march.
In the statement, the mayor of London said:
I’d like to pay tribute to the Met police who have dealt with a very difficult day with exceptional professionalism. The overwhelming majority of people who used their democratic right to protest on the streets of London today did so peacefully.
Sadly however, we have seen far-right thugs attacking the police and some who have used the pro-Palestinian protest to spread hate and racism, including antisemitism. This is unacceptable - as is attempting to intimidate politicians.
Khan claimed that the far-right had been “encouraged” and “emboldened” by comments they’d heard this week, including from senior politicians, such as Suella Braverman. He said:
I hope everyone takes the time to reflect on the impact their words and actions can have on others.
He added that the Met has his full support in taking action against those who broke the law and that he will continue to support them in taking a “zero-tolerance approach” against those found committing violent offences or spreading hate.
Anti-fascist group Hope Not Hate have called for Suella Braverman to resign after Saturday’s far-right clashes at the Cenotaph. Nick Lowles, CEO of Hope Not Hate, said that the home secretary has a “responsibility to make all communities feel safe and to prevent a fallout from international events here”. Lowles added that her behaviour over recent weeks had been the “opposite”. He said: “She has inflamed tensions and, as we have seen today, whipped up the far right into a violent frenzy. She’s got to go.”
The group, which monitors and campaigns against the far right, say that they had been tracking the movement’s response to the pro-Palestinian demonstrations, but only saw mobilisation after Braverman began to talk about the Cenotaph and Armistice Day.
Updated
Police have detained 150 pro-Palestinian demonstrators
The Metropolitan police say that officers have detained around 150 people from the pro-Palestinian demonstration in Grosvenor Place, Belgravia.
The group were firing fireworks and many were wearing face coverings, they stated, adding that officers were using their Section 60 and 60AA powers to detain and search those involved.
Officers have detained a breakaway group of around 150 people from the pro-Palestinian demonstration in Grosvenor Place.
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) November 11, 2023
The group were firing fireworks and many are wearing face coverings. Officers are using their Section 60 and 60AA powers to detain and search those involved. pic.twitter.com/4P1yzpFQcD
Updated
Yvette Cooper has commented on today’s protests across London. She said:
Today we have seen disgraceful scenes of far-right violence against police officers, and attempts to disrupt Armistice events, on a day when we pay our respect to all those who fought and died to protect our freedoms.
We have also seen appalling cases of antisemitic hate, intimidation, and support for terrorist groups like Hamas, which must be unequivocally condemned.
She added that both violence and hate crimes must face the full force of the law.
Officers worked in tough circumstances today and we thank each of them. We wish any officers injured a speedy recovery.
Cooper, Labour’s shadow home secretary, also referred to Suella Braverman’s part in “inflaming tensions”:
The impact of our words and actions is great, and it is the responsibility of all of us to strive for peace and unity over fear and division.
Suella Braverman was warned repeatedly of the dangers of inflaming tensions and undermining the police. A home secretary that doesn’t take seriously the security of our streets is only allowed to remain in a government that has lost all sense of governing. Britain is better than Rishi Sunak and his cabinet.”
Updated
Summary of the day's events so far
It’s been a privilege to run the live blog of the pro-Palestinian marches taking place today. Here’s a summary of the day’s events:
Hundreds of thousands of people have taken part in a pro-Palestinian march in London today. The organisers have estimated 800,000 people marched. The Met has estimated 300,000, but described it as the “biggest march” seen by the police in this phase of the Israel-Gaza conflict.
92 people have been arrested in London after several hundred counter-protesters arrived in groups in central London just after 9am “intent on confrontation and violence”, according to police. Scuffles broke out between police and counter-protesters at times. Tommy Robinson, the former co-leader of the English Defence League (EDL), was among the crowds massing in central London.
Police reported “no issues” with the London march itself, stating that it moved along the prescribed route.
The controversial chant “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” was heard on the march. The slogan refers to the land between the Jordan River, which borders Israel on the east, and the Mediterranean Sea, which borders Israel on the west. Many Jewish people find this phrase offensive, and it is used by Hamas in their constitution.
Two minutes of silence were held at the Cenotaph to mark Armistice Day at 11am, before the march began.
Rishi Sunak condemned the violence seen at the march in London. He said EDL “thugs” had attacked police officers and trespassed on the Cenotaph. He also criticised “Hamas sympathisers” and marchers who sang antisemitic chants, adding that “all criminality must be met with the full and swift force of the law”.
Seven people have been arrested in Glasgow in relation to protests over the Israel-Hamas conflict. A large demonstration took place earlier in the city, with thousands of people attending.
Thanks for following along with me, Donna Ferguson. I’m handing over to my colleague Amy Sedghi.
Updated
An engineer who attended the pro-Palestinian marches in Park Lane, Westminster, told PA there was “no better way” to honour Armistice Day.
Inayat Bunglawala, 54, from Luton, said the marches were appropriate, despite some being against the demonstration taking place on the same day as Armistice.
Speaking amid the crowds on Bressenden Place, Bunglawala told the PA news agency: “Armistice Day is meant to commemorate the end of the first world war and the ceasefire that came along with it to end the bloodshed. I think there is no better way to honour Armistice Day than to call for an end to the current bloodshed in Gaza.”
The network engineer described the crowds as “colossal” and said people were “deeply respectful of Armistice Day”, despite the marches being described as a “hate march” by Suella Braverman.
“I saw a colossal crowd coming out with ordinary members of the public and families,” he said.
“I’m really happy that a huge crowd has come out. Despite all the intimidatory rhetoric from the home secretary, the prime minister, other ministers … People have still come out to exercise their democratic rights.”
Police Scotland said five men and two women had been arrested in Glasgow in relation to protests over the Israel-Hamas conflict.
A spokesperson said:
There were a number of demonstrations throughout Scotland today in relation to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
In total there were seven arrests, five men and two women, made in separate incidents linked to the demonstrations, all in Glasgow city centre.”
Rishi Sunak has condemned ‘violent’ far-right and Hamas sympathisers
Rishi Sunak has commented on the march. He said:
I condemn the violent, wholly unacceptable scenes we have seen from English Defence League [a far-right group] and associated groups and Hamas sympathisers attending the National March for Palestine. The despicable actions of a minority of people undermine those who have chosen to express their views peacefully.
Remembrance weekend, he said, is a time for us to come together as a nation and remember those who fought and died for our freedoms.
What we have seen today does not defend the honour of our armed forces but utterly disrepects them.
That is true for EDL thugs attacking police officers and trespassing on the Cenotaph, and it is true for those singing antisemitic chants and brandishing pro-Hamas signs and clothing on today’s protest. The fear and intimidation the Jewish community have experienced over the weekend is deplorable.
All criminality must be met with the full and swift force of the law. That is what I told the Met police commisioner on Wednesday, that is what they are accountable for and that is what I expect.
He added that he would meet the Met police commissioner in the coming days.
Remembrance weekend is a time for us to come together as a nation and remember those who fought and died for our freedoms.
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) November 11, 2023
The unacceptable scenes today disrespect their memory. pic.twitter.com/vVyqSB7oi2
Updated
About 21,000 people also took part in a pro-Palestinian rally in Brussels today, and in Paris, left-wing lawmakers were among some 16,000 protesters who marched with pro-Palestinian banners and flags to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, Reuters reports.
“Peace is the white man’s word. Liberation is ours,” reads one placard, held by a woman standing at the march, as protesters carrying Palestinian flags walked past her on Vauxhall Bridge.
Another woman who appeared to be wearing a keffiyeh stood nearby and held a placard saying: “You can’t fund the NHS but you can fund genocide”.
Other slogans included: “Israeled (verb) – taking something that isn’t yours, and then shamelessly pretending it belongs to you while playing the victim. Don’t you agree with me?”
Updated
Earlier in the day, Guardian photographer Christian Sinibaldi captured a poignant image of one protester in London kneeling to pray, next to a Palestinian flag, as his fellow protesters march past.
Steve Hartshorn, national chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, which represents rank and file officers, said:
Today’s events have spotlighted policing throughout a challenging, volatile situation.
The amount of operational planning leading up to the event, and the hard work of highly skilled, public order-trained police officers on the front line, making decisions in the face of unpredictability, truly is impressive.
We will continue to support all members before, during and after delivering policing operations, including ensuring they have access to the best equipment, conditions and remuneration as they carry out this immensely physically demanding work, working incredibly long shifts, to keep the public as safe as possible.”
Updated
A group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators have walked past the Cenotaph in London, but a small number have remained there and are clashing verbally with a small group of counter-protesters, according to PA reporters at the scene.
A group of about 10 police officers, who have asked the counter-protesters to move on, are standing by the monument.
Here are some scenes from Parliament Square.
Updated
The BBC is reporting clashes between police and counter-protesters at Parliament Square.
A crowd of roughly 150 counter-protesters are loitering around Parliament Square and are approaching people who were at today’s pro-Palestinian march, according to the broadcaster.
An offensive chant about Allah has been repeated, and a Palestinian flag was snatched from a protester and ripped up by a group of counter-protesters, it reports, adding that “several counter-protesters have been arrested and police are using batons on the crowd”.
Updated
People set off fireworks during the protest when it got dark.
British Transport police have said they have made no arrests at Waterloo station:
As we moved to our arrest phase in Waterloo station, protesters began to disperse. No arrests were made.
The station is clear now, and passengers are able to use the station as normal.”
Updated
Updated
British Transport police say that some pro-Palestinian protesters have staged a sit-in at Waterloo station.
The British Transport police (BTP) said officers were urging people to disperse after an order was put in place prohibiting trespassory assembly at a number of London train stations.
BTP said in a post on X: “Following engagement with protest liaison officers, protesters are refusing to leave Waterloo station as agreed.
“Therefore we are moving to arrest phase.”
Protesters earlier staged a brief sit-in at Victoria station.
Updated
Speeches have ended and organisers have asked the crowd to disperse
The speeches have ended in Nine Elms and organisers have asked the crowds to peacefully disperse.
Protesters were urged to not leave alone for safety reasons.
Further fireworks were set off as people started to disperse, PA reports.
Updated
Updated
A statue commemorating the casualties of the Machine Gun Corps in the first world war has been wrapped in a Palestinian flag on Armistice Day.
Updated
A Press Association reporter has been speaking to the former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, who is on the march in Vauxhall.
He urged the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, to back calls for a ceasefire and described the march as having a “a huge turnout”.
It’s one of the biggest demonstrations we’ve seen in this country and it’s for a simple message that we need a ceasefire now.
In every other conflict there’s been eventually a ceasefire – we need it immediately because the scale of loss of life, particularly of innocent civilians and children is unacceptable.
Now that Macron has come out for a ceasefire we’re hoping the UK government now will swing behind that. We’re certainly hoping Keir Starmer will.”
Updated
Organisers estimate ‘more than 800,000’ pro-Palestine protesters are marching in London
Organisers of the pro-Palestine march in London have said the latest estimate was that “more than 800,000” people have taken to the streets, according to the PA news agency.
A woman using a speaker system from the stage at the end of the march in Nine Elms said: “There are more than 800,000 of us here today and that number may be as high as one million. Making this the second largest march in British history.”
The Met police said earlier that they estimated 300,000 people were marching.
Updated
Scotland’s former justice secretary was booed by pro-Palestine activists at the rally in Glasgow after saying Israel has a right to “defend itself against terrorism”, according to the PA news agency.
Keith Brown, who served under Nicola Sturgeon, spoke at the event in front of a large crowd at the city’s Buchanan Street steps.
Brown said he was speaking in a personal capacity, as opposed to as the SNP’s deputy leader and a former minister:
We need to be clear, collective punishment is a war crime, and it’s wrong that the Palestinian people are currently being collectively punished for the actions of a terrorist group.
The only way that we’re going to end the perpetual cycle of violence in Israel and Palestine is by addressing the root cause.
That’s why we stand for a two-state solution, which recognises the sovereignty, the independence, the territorial integrity and the right to self determination of both Palestine and Israel.”
Following a good initial reception from the hundreds-strong crowd, boos began to ring out after the former minister said: “As I say, Israel has a right to defend itself against terrorism.”
Despite the response, Brown continued:
But that response must be proportionate.
The actions of the Israeli government in recent weeks have been anything but.”
Brown continued his speech against a backdrop of boos which made his remarks difficult to hear.
The crowd was also addressed by eight-year-old Jeewan Wadi, who was born in Gaza in 2014. Through tears, and being held up by her father, Jeewan recounted how, while her mother was pregnant with her, she was forced to hide from bombs.
Listen everybody, I only care about the children, babies, women and men that are getting bombed in their own homes,” she said.
Ending her remarks, Jeewan led the crowd in a chant of “ceasefire now”.
Updated
Pro-Palestinian protesters have also been marching in Glasgow and calling for a ceasefire to the conflict in the Middle East.
Protesters in London have been twice asked to not set off fireworks by an organiser of the event, PA reports.
“Please stop throwing fireworks,” the pro-Palestinian crowd congregating at the end of the march in Nine Elms was told after one went off.
A second was set off soon after, and a man then said: “We just made the announcement about fireworks, it’s genuinely about safety, please consider the people around you.”
Updated
Police say "several hundred" counterprotesters came to the march in London
Matt Twist, assistant commissioner at the Met, has given an update on today’s events on social media.
He said that “several hundred” counterprotesters arrived in groups in central London just after 9am and seemed “intent on confrontation and intent on violence”, but there were “no issues” with the pro-Palestine march – the “biggest march” seen since the Israel-Gaza conflict began, involving “tens of thousands” of people.
He added:
We’ve had arrests for possession of a knife, possession of a baton, possession of Class A drugs and assault on an emergency worker.
There are a number of groups within this counter-protest who have split off and seem intent on seeking confrontation with the main Palestinian march and the policing operation is being effective in preventing that happening.
The main Palestinian march formed up as intended at 12.00 and moved off at 12.45. It’s moving along the prescribed route and there are tens of thousands of people. This is the biggest march we’ve seen in this phase. At the moment, there are no issues with it.
It’s being closely monitored by police and we also have police looking out for any troublemakers who might be intent on causing disruption or seeking a confrontation with people on that main march.”
🗣️Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist update on today's events.
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) November 11, 2023
'It's being closely monitored by police. And we also have police looking out for any troublemakers that might be intent on causing disruption' pic.twitter.com/irXbxVW0g4
Updated
Police say they are looking for two individuals who have appeared in a photograph that has been posted on social media.
London 🇬🇧, today:
— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) November 11, 2023
Pro-Palestinians openly marching with Hamas headbands.@metpoliceuk, anyone there?
_ pic.twitter.com/dtt6z8R9ax
Officers are actively looking for these individuals and will take proactive action when they are identified.
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) November 11, 2023
The Met is seeking more than a dozen individuals who appear to have carried antisemitic signs or led antisemitic chants during the pro-Palestine march.
Updated
300,000 have taken place in march, say police
About 300,000 people attended the pro-Palestine march today, the Met have confirmed.
The BBC reports that at the moment, the march is extending from the Hilton hotel on Park Lane to the US embassy in Nine Elms - a distance of roughly 2.5 miles (4km).
Updated
The Metropolitan police have said officers in Whitehall today have “faced unacceptable violence, including people throwing missiles and a metal barrier”.
In a statement posted on social media site X, the force said:
There is a remembrance event under way at the Cenotaph.
Officers have prevented those not involved in getting on to Whitehall so it can take place without disruption, as we committed.
They have faced unacceptable violence, including people throwing missiles and a metal barrier.
Anyone genuinely wishing to observe the event could do so from behind barriers on the pavement which is open along one entire side of Whitehall.
Officers’ efforts are on keeping the road itself clear around the Cenotaph.”
There is a remembrance event underway at the Cenotaph. Officers have prevented those not involved getting onto Whitehall so it can take place without disruption, as we committed.
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) November 11, 2023
They have faced unacceptable violence, including people throwing missiles and a metal barrier.… pic.twitter.com/tHnnKyRrKL
Updated
Number of arrests climbs to 92
Police have made a further 10 arrests, taking the total to 92.
Arrests were made for offences including the possession of offensive weapons, affray and possession of drugs, the Met police said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
These are in addition to the arrests made to prevent a breach of the peace in Tachbrook Street, the force said.
Updated
Here are some more images from our photographer at the scene:
Updated
PA Media reports a group of pro-Palestinian protesters climbed on to a raised platform on the corner of Vauxhall Bridge, a firework was set off and one person was clutching a smoke flare.
Police appeared to have stopped a small group of counterprotesters from climbing some stairs on the Pimlico side of the bridge.
Updated
Police officers are preventing some people from leaving the White Swan pub on Vauxhall Bridge Road.
An officer at the scene told the PA news agency: “We’re stopping some people from coming out as they might cause some aggro.”
Pro-Palestine protesters on the main march booed at those kettled inside the pub as they walked by.
Updated
Police have arrested 82 counterprotesters to prevent a 'breach of the peace'
Police have arrested 82 people in Tachbrook Street, Pimlico, central London, to prevent a breach of the peace, Scotland Yard said.
The force said:
They’re part of a large group of counterprotesters we have been monitoring who have tried to reach the main protest march.
We will continue to take action to avoid the disorder that would likely take place if that happened.
Updated
A Palestinian flag has been wrapped around a first world war memorial near London’s Wellington Arch, PA reports.
The statue commemorating those in the Machine Gun Corps was seen with the flag hanging from its waist.
Protesters were later seen by PA reporters climbing the statue, with one holding a megaphone and shouting: “Free, free Palestine”.
The crowd is chanting: “In our thousands, in our millions, we are all Palestinians”, according to PA.
They are also shouting “Rishi Sunak’s a wasteman” and “Rishi Sunak, shame on you. Keir Starmer, shame on you”, among other chants and rallying cries.
Updated
The Met has been posting on social media about the number of arrests made at the march.
So far, it has announced it has made two: one for assaulting a police officer and a second for possession of a controlled substance.
It is reviewing footage of the people involved in the disorder that took place earlier and identifying whether any of the people who have been detained in the group on Bridge Street should be arrested.
We are reviewing footage & identifying those involved in earlier disorder within the group detained on Bridge Street.
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) November 11, 2023
Those identified will be arrested & we will continue to use our powers under S60 & S60AA of the Public Order Act, to search for weapons & remove face coverings. pic.twitter.com/MoyREYHkTD
The BBC is reporting that 50 counterprotesters have been arrested, but this has not yet been confirmed by the Met.
Updated
One protester has made their feelings about Suella Braverman clear.
Updated
Police have encircled a group of about 15 people, some clutching beer cans, outside the Duke of York pub on Victoria Street opposite Victoria Station, according to the PA news agency.
This is close to where the pro-Palestine rally is passing.
An officer told the PA news agency they were counterprotesters who had caused “a bit of trouble” so they have been put under a “breach of the peace cordon” to keep them away from the main march.
Updated
Shereen, a midwife who is on the march, told the Guardian: “I’m here to represent what everyone here feels, that we need a ceasefire, and in general the government stance on this being acceptable is not how the people feel. And actually the government doesn’t speak to us and hasn’t for a long time.
“As a midwife, there are a lot of women in Gaza at the moment who are pregnant or have children, and are not receiving the healthcare that they deserve. I absolutely reject the notion that it’s a complicated issue, it absolutely isn’t. It’s a genocide and it’s not OK.”
Matt Storey, another protester, said: “It’s outstandingly awful, the death toll of Palestinians right now. I’m so frustrated with our government not taking a firm line on it or making an effort to stop it. It’s despicable. My children are part-Palestinian so I’m also here for them. There are lots of children dying over there.
“And frankly Suella Braverman is driving me potty, so I’m partly here because she said that I shouldn’t be. This isn’t a hate march, and every march I’ve been on has been totally peaceful. No problems, the people are lovely. I hate the fact that it has been branded a hate march it’s just ridiculous. That is just not my experience of it, and my children have been on these marches.”
Updated
One of the protesters on the march, Rachel Solnick, 37, a PhD student, told the Guardian: “I feel really appalled by how some of the framing around liberation for Palestine has been as if there’s an opposition, or some kind of binary between Jewish safety and Palestinian safety. I absolutely disagree with that framing.
“I think that loads of us who have Jewish ancestry feel really strongly that what is taking place in Palestine is ethnic cleansing and we don’t want it to happen in our names. It feels so important to gather here in numbers, as Jews and as members of the British public in general, to counter that narrative.”
Updated
Why 'from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free' is controversial
The slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is controversial because it is a reference to the land between the Jordan River, which borders Israel on the east, and the Mediterranean Sea, which borders Israel on the west.
This begs the question: what would then happen to the land of Israel and the millions of Israelis who live there?
Some also claim the terminology is laced with genocidal intent. In 1966, the Syrian leader Hafez al-Assad, the father of the country’s current dictator, said: “We shall only accept war and the restoration of the usurped land … to oust you, aggressors, and throw you into the sea for good.”
Hamas, whose gunmen killed 1,200 people on 7 October, claim the slogan in their rejection of Israel.
“Hamas rejects any alternative to the full and complete liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea,” says the organisation’s 2017 constitution.
As a result, many Jewish and Israeli people find the use of this slogan offensive.
Updated
Chants of 'from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free' heard on the march
The journalist Lewis Goodall has posted a video on social media in which a man on a loudspeaker can be heard encouraging protesters to chant the controversial slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.
“Palestine will be free, from the river to the sea.” pic.twitter.com/Vxq865UDzv
— Lewis Goodall (@lewis_goodall) November 11, 2023
Updated
Police officers are standing sentry next to a war memorial on Grosvenor Gardens, PA reports.
Stewards are urging participants to “keep to the left” and continue down Lower Grosvenor Place. In the crowd, one sign says:
Jews against genocide
Our grief will not be weaponised
Some people are wearing white poppies, a few are carrying olive branches.
Chants include “Free, free Palestine”, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” – a controversial slogan that many Jewish people find offensive – and “Ceasefire now”.
Updated
Hundreds of thousands of people have gathered near Oxford Street and Marble Arch for the Palestine Solidarity campaign march.
People carrying Palestinian flags and signs with slogans such as “Ceasefire now” and “Stop killing innocent civillians” began the peaceful march from Hyde Park Corner, heading towards Vauxhall bridge.
Traffic on Park Lane and Oxford Street has come to a standstill.
Updated
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has joined the Scottish first minister, Humza Yousaf, in blaming Suella Braverman for counterprotesters’ clashes with police.
He tweeted:
The scenes of disorder we witnessed by the far-right at the Cenotaph are a direct result of the home secretary’s words. The police’s job has been made much harder.
The Met have my full support to take action against anyone found spreading hate and breaking the law.”
The shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, has called for calm, with a thinly veiled swipe at Braverman for inflaming tensions ahead of protests on Armistice Day.
She tweeted:
Some disgraceful scenes this morning. We urge everyone to respect the police & each other & exercise calm.
Everyone must reflect on the impact of their words & actions. It is the responsibility of all of us to bring people together over this weekend not divide and inflame.
Updated
Many of the marchers are holding “Free Palestine” signs.
Updated
Thousands of people begin marching in London for Israel-Gaza ceasefire
Thousands of people have started marching from Park Lane, near Hyde Park in London, as part of the pro-Palestinian demonstration.
The route will take them to the US embassy in Vauxhall, south of the Thames.
Chants of “free Palestine” and “ceasefire now” could be heard as the protesters set off.
Updated
The Met Office has posted a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, showing the “violence and abuse” police have suffered today at the hands of counterprotesters, who threw bottles and other missiles.
These officers are deployed in central London today to keep people safe.
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) November 11, 2023
They were met with violence and abuse by counter protestors who threw bottles and other missiles at them.
We will respond robustly to unacceptable aggression and disorder. pic.twitter.com/RtthaAHYYD
Updated
Officers have detained a “large group” of counterprotesters near Westminster Bridge, the Met said.
The force added: “It is believed they are part of the group involved in the disorder earlier.”
UPDATE: Officers have detained a large group of counter protestors in Bridge Street, just down from Westminster Bridge.
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) November 11, 2023
It is believed they are part of the group involved in the disorder earlier. pic.twitter.com/sCoSJaCraX
Updated
People have been taking part in a “die-in” ahead of a Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign demonstration in Glasgow.
Updated
Counter-protesters have clashed with police near Westminster underground station, according to a report from the PA news agency.
Reporters from the agency saw the group running from the statue of Winston Churchill on Parliament Square towards police vans that were blocking the route towards Westminster Bridge.
They reportedly chanted “England till I die” and “we want out country back” before clashing with officers, many of whom had to deploy riot helmets.
About 20 officers were seen trying to control the situation.
The Guardian was not at the scene and so has not independently verified this reporting.
An image showing police at a demonstration in 2020 was mistakenly added to this post. It was removed on 12 November 2023.
Updated
The Met has said the march and all speeches must end at 5pm, and a section 60 and 60AA power will be in place covering Westminster and parts of Wandsworth and Lambeth between 10am on Saturday and 1am on Sunday.
This provides officers with additional powers to search anyone in the area for weapons, and requires people in the area to remove face coverings that are believed to be concealing their identity.
Updated
A woman carrying a sign saying “Netanyahu: Hitler would be proud” and comparing the Israel-Gaza conflict to the Holocaust has been spotted by PA reporters at the march.
The agency says the woman, who did not give her name, was holding the placard in Hyde Park. The other side of the sign reportedly said:
In Auschwitz there is a plaque that says ‘those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it’ – George Santayana. Israel it’s clearly showing
The woman, who said she had visited Auschwitz, defended the comparison between the Nazi leader and Israel’s prime minister, telling the PA news agency: “At the end of the day we have put it in a way to compare both leaders. I think it’s a pretty fair comparison.
“At the end of the day let’s keep it to the facts. Hitler, what he did was outcasted people, he killed them …
“Netanyahu’s doing the same thing, even if you listen to the things he said so outright like trying to flatten Palestine.”
Updated
Outbreaks of disorder by far right mar Armistice Day
Outbreaks of disorder marred Armistice Day as hundreds of football fans and members of the far right gathered by the Cenotaph on Whitehall.
A number of them explicitly stated that they had come because of the home secretary Suella Braverman’s comments over pro-Palestinian “hate marches” and that police treated them unfavourably compared with “politically correct minority groups”.
The former leader of the English Defence League Tommy Robinson was among a number of far-right figures present.
In the buildup to the two-minute silence elements of the crowd broke down metal gates to get closer to the Cenotaph.
Later, dozens of those present could be seen – some holding Israeli flags – attempting to reach the pro-Palestine march with the Met’s Territorial Support Group intercepting them.
Updated
In an update on X, the Met said: “A group of counter protesters who left Whitehall and moved into Chinatown confronted and threw missiles at officers who tried to engage with them.
“Additional officers have been deployed to the area to identify, locate and deal with those involved. Our priority is keeping the public safe. We will not tolerate disorder in central London today.”
Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters
Updated
The Scottish first minister, Humza Yousaf, has been commenting on the scuffles that have broken out between counterprotesters and police. He wrote on social media that Suella Braverman had “emboldened” far-right protesters to attack police officers:
The far-right has been emboldened by the home secretary. She has spent her week fanning the flames of division. They are now attacking the police on Armistice Day. The home secretary’s position is untenable. She must resign.
Updated
Counterprotesters have clashed with police in Chinatown, according to PA Media.
The agency reports:
Violent clashes broke out, with protesters chanting: “You’re not English any more” towards officers.
Police managed to disperse the crowd, splitting them into two smaller groups. The protesters were last seen running through Chinatown in the direction of Piccadilly Circus.
Updated
Among the crowd of people who gathered at the Cenotaph war memorial were some rightwing protesters opposed to the pro-Palestinian march, who chanted messages including: “We want out country back”, according to Reuters.
Television pictures showed small scuffles breaking out between the police and rightwing protesters.
Updated
The Metropolitan police said officers had faced “aggression” from counterprotesters before the service at the Cenotaph.
The force said: “While the two minutes’ silence was marked respectfully and without incident on Whitehall, officers have faced aggression from counterprotesters who are in the area in significant numbers.
“The counterprotesters are not one cohesive group. There are different groups moving away from Whitehall towards other parts of central London. Officers are keeping track of them as they do.
“If their intention is to confront the main protest departing later today from Park Lane, we will use all the powers and tactics available to us to prevent that from happening.”
Updated
Two minutes of silence to commemorate the UK’s war dead at the Cenotaph took place at 11am. Soldiers and hundreds of other people gathered to pay their respects, many bowing their heads in memory of those who have died in conflict.
This marks the 105th anniversary of the end of the first world war, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918.
Updated
Tommy Robinson, the former co-leader of the English Defence League, which staged often violent demonstrations against Islam, has posted videos showing he is among the crowds massing in central London on social media.
He said:
There’s groups coming from every area and angle.”
In another video, a few people approach him to embrace him and pat him on the back.
He was spotted by the Guardian leaving Whitehall at 11:20am. Earlier small pockets of men jostled with police as they tried to get closer to the cenotaph.
Among those present were self appointed “jihadi spotters” who claimed they be looking out for any pro-Palestinian supporters.
Previously, Robinson called for his supporters to come to the capital.
“We want to show the world that the British people ain’t having it,” Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, said on a social media video. “So … I hope this Saturday I see as many of you as possible in London.”
Updated
A stream of pro-Palestinian protesters are arriving at Hyde Park near the designated starting point for the march.
Hundreds have already arrived, PA reports.
Many are carrying Palestinian flags while others clutch placards emblazoned with slogans. These include “free Palestine”, “hands off al-Aqsa”, “end Israeli apartheid”, “end the siege” and “baby killer Biden stop arming Israel”.
People in hi-vis jackets are giving out placards.
Abid Mahmood, 25, holding a Palestinian flag, travelled from Birmingham to London yesterday to attend the march.
He told PA: “Palestine needs us, they haven’t got anybody else, they need us. No one’s backing them and it’s cruel what’s happening, to see people getting killed, babies getting killed – they need our support. We’re here for a good reason not to cause trouble, we have come to peacefully protest.”
Updated
The Sinn Féin leader, Mary Lou McDonald, has said Suella Braverman needs to “cop on” after recent remarks in which she likened the pro-Palestine marches to rallies in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.
She told reporters: “I think she needs to cop on, quite frankly. I would advise her, perhaps, not to comment on things that she clearly has a very sketchy – if any – understanding of.
“For us the big difficulty in this is that comments like that create headlines, of course there’s public comment on it, but it drifts you away from the matter of real concern, and the issue here is that we need a ceasefire [in Gaza], like, people are dying as we speak.”
She said it was “unbelievable and bizarre” to label pro-Palestinian demonstrations as “hate marches”.
“Suella Braverman is the least of our concerns and worries here, no harm to her. But I would urge the British government, in as much as I can on these matters, to reconsider their position and to join with the UN position which is for ceasefire. That’s the important politics here.”
Updated
Also on the Today programme was Theresa Villiers, the Conservative MP for Chipping Barnet.
She said she had hoped the march would be cancelled but now hoped it would proceed peacefully.
“I do recognise that the police have been very clear that they don’t have the power within the law to do that, so the important thing now is to make sure the march goes off peacefully,” she said.
Nicholas Soames, a former Conservative minister and a grandson of Winston Churchill, has said that while he understood some of the concerns around the march, he had confidence in the police. He stressed that those who died in the first world war died for freedoms such as the right to protest.
“This is the weekend that we commemorate at the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month the life and death of all those who died in defence of our country and in the cause of freedom. This is what they died for – the right to protest,” Soames told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
He said the march would begin a while after 11am, did not pass by the Cenotaph, and would be policed. “These people are coming to demonstrate on a cause which, in anyone’s terms, looks to me like a catastrophe,” he said.
Stressing that “nothing can ever forgive what Hamas did”, Soames went on to call for a ceasefire. “The British government are quite right to support Israel in its moment of agony but surely there comes a moment when the terror that is being dispensed by the Israelis to the [Palestinian] civilians … children dying in great numbers … that the moment really has come for a far greater effort, involving Britain, to secure a ceasefire,” he said.
“I think it is the moment for ceasefire – I think that this has gone on enough.”
The PA Media news agency reports that fights have broken out between police and groups attempting to reach the Cenotaph.
The agency says:
The large crowd of people bearing St George’s flags was seen walking along Embankment and shouting: “England till I die”.
A line of police attempted to stop them from reaching Whitehall but the group pushed through, with some shouting “let’s have them” as officers hit out with batons.
The group appears to have reached Whitehall where the Cenotaph is situated.
Many more are pushing through, shouting “forward”.
The Guardian was not at the scene and so has not independently verified this reporting.
Updated
Scores of people have gathered in Hyde Park for a “stewards’ meeting” before the march, the PA Media agency reports.
They are all wearing hi-vis jackets, while many have also donned keffiyehs, Palestinian scarves.
There is a heavy police presence at the nearby Wellington Arch, where more than 10 police vans are parked, including vehicles from the Lancashire and Cumbria constabularies.
Marchers, meanwhile, are also heading to the park:
A small crowd of #Palestine demonstrators heading down towards the direction of Hyde Park Corner. pic.twitter.com/FImry1tSNB
— Matt Capon (@MattLCapon) November 11, 2023
Updated
The transport secretary, Mark Harper, has said he granted consent for transport police to make orders banning protests at three London railway stations so that people can travel “free from intimidation”. He said in a statement:
Armistice Day is a moment of solemn national reflection in remembrance of those who have given their lives in service of our country. It’s important that people can use our rail network to safely travel, free from intimidation.
That’s why I have granted consent for the British Transport Police to make orders under section 14A of the Public Order Act 1986 prohibiting planned protests at various London stations today, meaning anyone taking part will be subject to arrest.
I will always back the British Transport Police to use their powers to keep people safe and I am grateful to their officers, especially those who are on duty today.
While the right to peaceful protest is a key part of our democratic society, it cannot be at the expense of other people’s right not to be seriously disrupted or intimidated.
Updated
Analysis: how the marches have caused crises for Tories and Labour
At midday on Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people will gather outside Hyde Park in London for what organisers say will be the biggest pro-Palestinian march since the Israel-Hamas war broke out just over a month ago.
The marchers will hope their calls for a ceasefire in Gaza put pressure on the British government to do the same. But even before they have taken a step, the protesters have triggered political crises for both of Britain’s largest parties, leaving the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, looking weaker than he has for months and the home secretary, Suella Braverman, facing the sack.
“I’m not sure if they meant it but this demonstration has managed to cause major crises for both parties,” said one Labour MP. “Which is impressive given it hasn’t even happened yet.”
For Rishi Sunak, the week was supposed to be about him. The prime minister oversaw his first king’s speech on Tuesday, launching a series of bills on everything from tenants’ rights to smoking, as he sought to reinvigorate his party before a likely election next year.
Instead, it is his home secretary who has dominated the headlines, first calling homelessness a “lifestyle choice” and then openly criticising the Metropolitan police for allowing this weekend’s protests to go ahead.
Her words have irritated many on the Tory benches, who believe she is positioning herself for a leadership bid should the Tories lose the next election, and some of whom have jokingly nicknamed her “Cruella”.
Read on here:
Updated
As previously reported, almost 2,000 police will be on duty for today’s march in London. The Cenotaph will have a 24-hour police presence.
Updated
While the main march today will take place in London, it is not the only pro-Palestine event taking place in the UK.
In Scotland, activists are set to gather at a number of locations to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
PA Media reports that the events are being organised by the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (SPSC) – a group consisting of religious organisations and activists including Scottish Friends of Palestine and the Muslim Community of Scotland.
One of the rallies will take place in Glasgow on Saturday, with organisers saying it will be held at the Buchanan Street steps at 1pm to allow veterans and the public to attend Armistice Day commemorations in George Square nearby.
Ahead of the rallies, the SPSC chair, Gerry Coutts, said:
The focus of our rally will be on people killed in wars, including both world wars, with a renewed call to end all wars.
We will also call for an end to war crimes, including those currently being committed in occupied Palestine.
He added:
We are calling for an immediate ceasefire and with it concrete steps from the international community to bring lasting peace for Palestinians and Israelis.
This can only happen by respecting international law and by bringing an end to Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine.
Updated
While the march has been permitted to take place, there are a number of rules in place for people attending. The PA Media news agency reports that those rules are as follows:
An exclusion zone will be put in place using metal barriers covering Whitehall, Horse Guards Parade, the Westminster Abbey Field of Remembrance and other relevant areas, to prevent those on the march from entering the locations.
The Cenotaph will have a 24-hour police presence which will remain in place until the conclusion of Remembrance events on Sunday
The Met said the march and all speeches must end at 5pm, and a section 60 and 60AA power will be in place covering Westminster and parts of Wandsworth and Lambeth between 10am on Saturday and 1am on Sunday. This provides officers with additional powers to search anyone in the area for weapons, and requires people in the area to remove face coverings that are believed to be concealing their identity.
A dispersal zone will be in place covering key central London locations, including Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus.
Protests planned at a number of London train stations have been banned, with orders in place prohibiting trespassory assembly at Waterloo, Victoria and Charing Cross between 10am and 11pm on Saturday.
Updated
The home secretary, Suella Braverman, remains under political pressure from all sides after accusing the police of bias when they resisted pressure to ban today’s march.
After her comments were widely criticised and sparked calls for the PM to sack her, Braverman on Friday expressed her “full backing” for the Met at a meeting with the commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley.
The officer in charge of policing London during Saturday’s protest told the PA Media news agency that the force has been “clear” on how it polices protests.
The deputy assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor said:
Our job is to ensure that we police without fear or favour, that we balance the rights of everybody, be that protesters, counterprotesters, or people living or coming into London.
And our job this weekend is to ensure that people are kept safe, and that is what my focus is on.
You can read more on the growing pressure on the home secretary here:
Updated
Counterprotest groups expected to make the trip to London
Large groups are preparing to travel to London to “confront” a pro-Palestine march on Armistice Day that organisers predict will be one of the biggest demonstrations ever seen in Britain, the Metropolitan police has said.
As many as half a million people who want a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas could take to the streets on Saturday, the coalition of organisers of the march have claimed, prompting a mobilisation of 1,850 police officers.
Laurence Taylor, the Met’s deputy assistant commissioner, warned that the Met had also received intelligence that “large numbers of counterprotesters will be coming to London with a view to confronting those taking place in the main march”.
“I do believe if the groups come together, there will be serious disorder,” he said. “We know that there is likely to be some groups from both sides … who will likely seek each other out later on in the day.”
Read more here:
Updated
What is the route for the march?
People will start to assemble at about midday at Park Lane, before beginning to march at 12.45pm. The march ends south of the river, by the US embassy.
Protesters who diverge from the agreed route from Hyde Park face a fine of up to £2,500, and exclusion zones have been set up across the capital.
No-go areas include the Cenotaph, which will have a 24-hour police presence, Whitehall, Horse Guards Parade and the Westminster Abbey Field of Remembrance – anyone associated with the pro-Palestinian movement could be arrested if they try to assemble in these places.
Updated
Hundreds of thousands expected at pro-Palestine march in London
Good morning. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to join a pro-Palestine march in London later today, as the political row over Suella Braverman’s public criticism of the policing of protests rumbles on.
Up to 1,850 police officers will be on duty for a “significant” operation across remembrance weekend, the Metropolitan police said on Friday, with 1,000 officers called up from outside the capital.
People will start to assemble at about midday at Park Lane, before beginning to march at 12.45pm.
A spokesperson for one of the organisers of the march, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said: “We invite all people of conscience to join us in peacefully marching,” adding that the group was working with police to ensure public safety.
“More than 500,000 people are expected to converge in London, making it one of the largest political marches in British history,” they said.
The Met police commissioner, Mark Rowley, has vowed “at all costs” to stop any disruption linked to the march, which will be held on Armistice Day.
We’ll bring you updates on the march throughout the day.
To follow the latest developments from Gaza, you can follow our other live blog.
Updated
