LONDON: About 1,00,000 people joined a pro-Palestinian demonstration in central London on Saturday, marching through the British capital to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza following the Hamas attack on Israel two weeks ago.
Chanting ‘Free Palestine’, holding banners and waving Palestinian flags, the protesters moved through London before massing at Downing Street, the official residence and office of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Police estimated 1,00,000 people had taken part in the “National March for Palestine” demonstration, organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Many of the chants and banners contained strong anti-Israeli slogans, and one protester held a banner with pictures of Sunak, US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the message ‘Wanted For War crimes’.
Police had cautioned before the march that anyone showing support for Hamas, banned as a terrorist organisation in Britain, would face arrest, and any incident of hate crime would not be tolerated.
In Australia, around 15,000 protesters took part in a pro-Palestinian march in Sydney, getting last-minute approval amid concerns after some protesters at an earlier rally had chanted anti-Jewish slogans. The march was organised by Palestine Action Group. The police said no arrests had been made, and Palestine Action Group spokesperson Amal Naser said the march was peaceful. Protesters worldwide demanded an end to Israel’s bombardment.
In Bahrain, a 50-year-old Indian internal medicine specialist was dismissed from his job over an anti-Palestine tweet, his employer in the Gulf country said. The Royal Bahrain Hospital stated on Friday that Dr Sunil Rao’s tweet, which he had subsequently deleted, had violated the hospital’s code of conduct. The hospital said it has taken the necessary legal actions and his service has been terminated with immediate effect.