LONDON: Thousands of people rallied on Saturday in London and other UK cities for pro-Palestinian protests, amid police warnings that anyone showing support for Hamas could face arrest.

Attendees, who marched through the heart of the British capital as well as Manchester in northern England, Edinburgh in Scotland and other cities, were shadowed by a heavy police presence. Some held Palestinian flags and placards — bearing slogans including “freedom for Palestine”, “end the massacre” and “sanctions for Israel” — as they made their way towards the end-point for planned speeches. Chants of “Rishi Sunak, shame on you” could be heard.

“I think all just people around the world, not just in Britain, must stand up and call for this madness (to end),” Ismail Patel, chairman of the Friends of Al Aqsa campaign, said.

In New York City, thousands rallied to show solidarity with Palestinians and draw attention to Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. Demonstrations occurred in various city neighbourhoods on Friday, where participants echoed the call for “Free Palestine” and an end to Israel’s unlawful occupation of Palestinian territories.

Ahead of the London protest, the city’s Metropolitan Police Service said it would deploy more than 1,000 officers, as the events thousands of miles away reverberate in Britain and elsewhere.

Police and the government have noted a spike in UK anti-Semitic crime and incidents while officers in Sussex, southeast England, arrested a 22-year-old woman suspected of having made a speech backing Hamas.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2023