Tens of thousands of anti-Israel protesters took to the streets in London on Saturday as part of the "National March for Palestine" to demand that Israel back off their retaliatory strikes against Hamas in Gaza. This after Hamas staged a brutal attack on their neighbor on October 7.
British patriots stood in protection of the war memorial The Cenotaph, as protesters gathered around. "Have some respect for British heroes," their signs read, and "leave our statues alone."
The memorial is the focus of celebrations of Armistice Day scheduled for Saturday, November 11. British flags had been removed in preparation for that celebration, although anti-Israel protests are also scheduled for that day.
The memorial separated protesters who were shouting "f*ck Israel" and patriots on the other. They were enraged by an Israel flag among the Union Jacks of the patriot demonstrators.
Those demonstrating on behalf of Britain and British nationalism were far outnumbered by those demanding the eradication of Israel and the emergence of an Islamic extremist state in the Levant. Many of these were progressive Britons.
According to Met Police, 30,000 protesters were present in central London, calling for an immediate end to Israel's hostilities. They made no demands of the aggressors, Hamas, which still holds over 250 hostages, including some 30 children, who they kidnapped during the October 7 attack. The London protesters did not ask for their safe release or for the surrender of the Hamas terrorists that planned and executed the attack.
Three people were arrested, one for holding signs that Met police claimed could "incite hate," and two others for allegedly assaulting officers.
London has seen days upon days of missing posters of those kidnapped by Hamas being removed from the public, but on Saturday, those who protest against Israel put up their own posters, showing those Palestinians who have been killed in the war so far.
Thousands gathered in Trafalgar Square.
Some Muslims brought their prayer mats and said their prayers in Trafalgar Square. This in a nation that has arrested a Christian pro-life activist for praying silently outside an abortion clinic.
The protesters were organized by the Stop the War coalition, which is dedicated to ending wars in Islamic nations. They are "committed to supporting Palestinian rights, opposing racism and Islamophobia, and to the defence of civil liberties."
They are also organizing protests for November 11. The Telegraph has called for the protests to be called off on that day, saying that "Armistice Day is meant to be a rare moment of national unity. On November 11 each year, at 11am precisely, we observe two minutes’ silence in order to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and its freedoms.
They claim that "Every time the Palestinians resist they are branded terrorists," and that "this is applied to Hamas today." Hamas murdered over 1,300 men, women, children, and the elderly when they attacked Israel, then retreated to their extensive tunnels in Gaza, built with aid that was meant for humanitarian assistance to the region. They had been planning the attacks for at least two years.
Those words were written by Lindsey German, who praised those who marched around London waving Palestinian flags calling for death to Israel.
They tout themselves as a group which was "one of the the main organisers of the massive protests against Donald Trump when he has visited Britain." The president of the group is 1980s new wave and experimental musician Brian Eno, and deputies are Jeremy Corbyn and Andrew Murray. They have staged additional anti-Israel events, such as the "Day of Action for Palestine," which held demonstrations in across Britain.
