Thousands March in London in Support of Palestinians
Protesters assembled at Hyde Park Corner during the afternoon hours before concluding with a mass gathering in Whitehall.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), in partnership with the Stop the War Coalition and multiple trade unions, coordinated the mobilization.
The solidarity campaign declared on the US social media company X: "Thousands out in the rain in London to march for Palestine … We demand our government #StopArmingIsrael and pressure it to stop committing genocide against the Palestinian people."
Ben Jamal, the campaign's director, explained in video remarks that the UN established the day in 1977 to spotlight how Palestinians "did not have their right of self-determination realized" and remained trapped under "a system of brutal occupation."
He characterized the observance as now representing "the complete failure of the international community" to intervene.
Jamal highlighted that whereas 1977 saw "12,000 illegal settlers in East Jerusalem (and) the West Bank," current figures stand "close to 750,000."
He argued that granting "impunity" to Israel for "occupation and apartheid" had led "inevitably to the genocide we have all been witnessing."
Jamal also condemned a recently adopted UN Security Council resolution, asserting it "doesn't support the implementation of international law … gives governance of Gaza to the US and gives the Palestinian people no say in how they are to be governed."
He charged the UK government with "complicity" through diplomatic backing and continued arms transactions with Israel.
London's Metropolitan Police imposed operational restrictions on the demonstration, stating measures aimed to balance protest rights against minimizing public disruption.
The Palestinian Mission to the UK shared gratitude via social media, stating: "We would like to thank all the freedom-loving people in Britain for standing with us … Palestine will be free with your unwavering support and dedication."
The UN designated this day in 1977 as an international occasion to express support for the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among them the right to self-determination, national independence, sovereignty, and the return of refugees to the homes from which they were displaced in 1948.
Israel has killed nearly 70,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 170,000 others in attacks in Gaza since October 2023.
In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
The Israeli army has also escalated its attacks in the West Bank since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023.
More than 1,085 Palestinians have since been killed, and 10,700 others injured in attacks by the army and illegal settlers in the occupied territory. More than 20,500 people have also been arrested.
In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
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