Thousands of pro-Palestine demonstrators marched through central London on Saturday demanding an immediate end to Israeli air strikes on Iran, amid rising fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East. Crowds waving Palestinian and Iranian flags gathered in Parliament Square, chanting “stop bombing Iran” and calling on the UK Government to end all military support for Israel.
The demonstration followed Israel’s bombing of suspected nuclear and military sites in Iran late on Thursday, and retaliatory missile strikes on Tel Aviv by Tehran the following day. Organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), the protest was billed as an “emergency protest” on social media under the banner “Stop Bombing Iran – Stop Arming Israel”. In a post on X, the group shared footage showing demonstrators outside Parliament chanting and holding signs reading “ceasefire now” and “don’t attack Iran”.
A separate caption on Instagram accused Israel of “committing genocide against the Palestinians” and called on the UK Government to halt arms sales to what it described as a “genocidal” regime, reported the Telegraph.
Protesters held placards echoing these demands, alongside banners opposing further escalation in Gaza and Iran.
Among those attending the march was author Michael Rosen, who read out a poem containing the line: “They come, they kill, they kill, they go.”
In Scotland, another protest took place in Glasgow, involving pro-Palestinian activists marching through the city centre in the rain, likewise waving Iranian and Palestinian flags.
A post on the PSC’s website said: “Thousands in Parliament Square demanding our government stop arming Israel and pressure it to stop bombing Iran and end its genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.”
The protests come amid warnings from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has vowed to intensify operations against Iran.
In a video address, he said: “We will hit every site and every target of the Ayatollahs’ regime and what they have felt so far is nothing compared with what they will be handed in the coming days.”
Mr Netanyahu added that Israel had already struck a key enrichment facility and said it was prepared to target it again if necessary.
He warned: “There is a huge threat from ballistic missiles and we have taken action to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile production capabilities.”
We’ll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story.
For the latest news and breaking news visit: /news
Stay up to date with all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you.
Follow our social media accounts here on facebook.com/DailyExpress and @daily_express