Story summary
On Saturday, thousands of pro-Palestine demonstrators marched through central London as part of the National March for Palestine organized by the Palestine Coalition. The Metropolitan Police estimated that between 7,000 and 10,000 protesters participated in the march, which began on the Embankment at midday and proceeded to Whitehall for a rally concluding by 6:30 pm. Protesters were warned they could be arrested if they refused to remove face coverings, with police using powers under the Public Order Act to enforce this rule.
The Met also imposed strict conditions requiring the march to follow a specific route via Westminster Bridge, York Road, and Waterloo Bridge to minimize disruption. Additionally, a counter-protest called "Stop the Hate – Two Tiers Ends Here" gathered outside New Scotland Yard with around 30 people in attendance. Several arrests were made during both protests, including those for criminal damage and displaying placards supporting Palestine Action, a proscribed organization.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Carl Galvin emphasized that police would take a zero-tolerance approach to hate crimes and other offenses, ensuring a significant presence throughout the event to maintain order.
Written for “Pro Palestine Protest London” on 2026-10-10,
grounded in this article and the 5 other(s) covering the same event.
Thousands of people have gathered in central London to express their support for Palestinians after three years of “genocide” carried out against them by Israel.
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Thousands → gather → Israel
The demonstrators, many wearing keffiyehs and holding Palestine flags, gathered on the Embankment at midday on Saturday.
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many → wear → Saturday
Some carried placards reading “End the genocide” and “Free Palestine“ as they marched towards parliament.
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they → carry → parliament
A bride and groom appeared to be among those in attendance and a two-minute silence was held to reflect on the lives lost in Gaza.
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silence → appear → Gaza
Protesters were calling for the UK government to stop supplying arms to Israel, which various bodies – including the UN, Amnesty International, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, the latter two of which are Israeli-based – have said is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
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two → call → Gaza
A ceasefire was declared a year ago but Israeli airstrikes have continued in Gaza.
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airstrikes → declare → Gaza
In the last year, the overall death toll has risen by a further 1,400 people.
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toll → rise → people
Settlers have also ramped up their attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank.
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Settlers → ramp → Bank
According to UN figures, 230 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces and settlers in 2025.
uncertain
Palestinians → accord → 2025
Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to the UK, shared a video from the march on social media.
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Zomlot → share → media
“Three years on, Israel’s atrocities in Gaza and the West Bank continue, and so does the solidarity of the British people.
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solidarity → continue → people
Thank you all,” he said.
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he → thank → you
By Saturday afternoon, organisers said 250,000 people were at the march.
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people → say → march
The Metropolitan police have imposed conditions on the event – which is organised by the Palestine Coalition, which has organised more than 30 mass demonstrations since October 2023, with a counter-protest by Stop The Hate – to “minimise the risk of serious disruption to communities”.
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which → impose → communities
The Metropolitan police posted on X saying: “The front of the procession has now entered Whitehall where a rally will take place.
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rally → post → place
“Several arrests have been made so far including a woman and a man with placards declaring support for proscribed organisation Palestine Action.
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arrests → make → Action
“We have also arrested a number of protesters on suspicion of criminal damage after they climbed on to the Battle of Britain memorial on Victoria Embankment.”
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they → arrest → Embankment
The national march is the first held since the foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, announced sweeping sanctions on trade with Israeli settlements and declared the UK government would take the official position that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank was unlawful in its entirety.
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occupation → hold → entirety
He also told the Commons that settler terrorists supported by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government are committing ethnic cleansing in the West Bank.
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terrorists → tell → Bank
At Labour party conference last month, Miliband appeared to reference the marches, which at their peak regularly numbered hundreds and thousands of people, telling the audience in Liverpool: “I want to say to the millions of people in this country and indeed elsewhere who have been moved and outraged by the plight of the Palestinian people: we hear you, you were right.”
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you → appear → you
Deputy assistant commissioner Carl Galvin said: “We know Saturday’s event, so close to the third anniversary of the terror attack on Israel, has the potential to have a greater impact on communities than the previous national marches.”
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event → say → marches
Galvin, who is leading the policing operation this weekend, said the force’s presence on Saturday will be “significant”.
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presence → lead → Saturday
“We will also be using powers under the Public Order Act requiring anyone in the protest area wearing face coverings to deliberately conceal their identity to remove them,” Galvin continued.
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Galvin → use → them
The Met have imposed conditions on the march and require the group to travel via Westminster Bridge, York Road, Waterloo Bridge and The Strand on to Whitehall, with a rally concluding by 6.30pm.
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rally → impose → 6.30pm
The force has said that any speeches and music must conclude by 5.30pm.
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speeches → say → 5.30pm
A counter-protest by Stop The Hate is also taking place, with about 30 people gathered outside New Scotland Yard, some with flags.
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people → take → flags
The force has also imposed conditions on the demonstration “to minimise the risk of serious disruption”.
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force → impose → disruption
The demonstrators must remain within a designated area outside the Met’s headquarters, with the assembly concluding at 2.30pm.
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assembly → remain → 2.30pm
Last Saturday, on the third anniversary of the 7 October attacks, when Hamas militants broke across the Israeli border to launch a wave of attacks on kibbutzim, border towns, military bases and music festivals, killing at least 1,209 people, a small pro-Palestine student demonstration in central London was held.
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demonstration → break → London
The Met publicly appealed to those behind the demonstration to “exercise [their] right to protest on a different date” and admitted that finding the organisers had been “frankly difficult”.
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finding → appeal → organisers
In the end, it went ahead and about 100 people attended.
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people → go → end
Five people were arrested for breaching conditions imposed on the march.
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people → arrest → march
The Palestine Coalition organising the march includes Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War, CND, the Muslim Association of Britain, Friends of Al Aqsa and the Palestinian Forum in Britain.
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Coalition → organise → Britain
The Aporia
