LONDON
Hundreds of people rallied in central London on Thursday to demonstrate their support for Global Sumud Flotilla activists who have been detained illegally by Israel.
Pro-Palestine protesters gathered in Parliament Square for an “emergency rally” after Israeli naval forces attacked an international aid flotilla bound for the besieged Gaza Strip, detaining at least 443 activists.
The crowd carried Palestinian flags and chanted pro-Palestine slogans such as “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
The demonstrators expressed their support for the activists detained by Israeli forces and criticized the British government for being “complicit in Israel’s genocide” in Gaza.
The protesters later tried to make their way towards Trafalgar Square, but police officers surrounded the crowd and prevented them from continuing.
Some protesters have been arrested by officers, but the Metropolitan Police has yet to issue a statement regarding the arrests as of 8 pm local time (1900GMT).
A statement by the Global Sumud Flotilla said earlier Thursday that activists on the vessels were forcibly taken from their ships by the Israeli forces, describing their detention as “unlawful abduction.”
It confirmed that 443 activists from 47 countries were being transferred to Ashdod Port in southern Israel.
The activists aboard the ships attacked by Israel were of various nationalities, including Spaniards, Italians, Brazilians, Turks, Greeks, Americans, Germans, Swedes, British, and French citizens, and many others.
The flotilla, loaded mainly with humanitarian aid and medical supplies, set sail at the end of August. It was the first time in years that around 50 ships sailed together toward Gaza, carrying hundreds of civilian supporters.
Israel has maintained a blockade on Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million, for nearly 18 years, and further tightened the siege in March when it closed border crossings and blocked food and medicine deliveries, pushing the enclave into famine.
Since October 2023, Israeli bombardment has killed more than 66,200 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The UN and rights groups have repeatedly warned that the enclave is being rendered uninhabitable, with starvation and disease spreading rapidly.