Relief, scepticism over Gaza ceasefire at pro-Palestine rally in London

2 days ago 4

Published On 11 Oct 2025

Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters person marched successful London, expressing scepticism and cautious anticipation arsenic a ceasefire betwixt Israel and Hamas successful Gaza has entered its 2nd day.

“We’re … sharing the alleviation of the Palestinian people,” said Ben Jamal, manager of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which has organised wide monthly pro-Palestinian rallies successful London since the commencement of the warfare connected October 7, 2023.

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“But we besides travel present sharing their trepidation that this ceasefire volition not hold, rooted successful the cognition that Israel has violated each ceasefire statement it’s ever signed,” Jamal told the AFP quality bureau connected Saturday.

Despite concerns astir United States President Donald Trump’s projected program to extremity the warfare connected Gaza, which calls for a transitional authorization yet headed by the US leader, Jamal said determination was an “immense consciousness of relief”.

A oversea of reddish and green, the colours of the Palestinian flag, formed on the embankment of the River Thames successful cardinal London, wherever the mostly peaceful march began.

Protesters donned achromatic and achromatic keffiyeh scarves, carried signs saying “Stop Starving Gaza” and “Stop the genocide”, and chanted “Free Palestine” and “From the stream to the sea, Palestine volition beryllium free.”

Police removed respective pro-Israel protesters from the crowd.

Al Jazeera’s Rory Challands, reporting from the rally successful London, said determination has been “no cease to the demonstrations … successful the UK expressing solidarity with Palestine”.

Challands said that portion 32 specified protests person been held truthful far, Saturday’s was a “huge one” arsenic protesters came from each implicit the country.

People travelled to the superior connected buses and trains from cities including Bristol, Cambridge and Sheffield.

The authorities successful the UK has been making it progressively hard for pro-Palestine demonstrations to instrumentality spot and wants the constabulary to person much powerfulness to restrict specified gatherings, Challands noted.

Last weekend, London constabulary arrested astatine slightest 442 radical astatine a rally successful enactment of the proscribed radical Palestine Action successful cardinal London.

Israel’s two-year warfare connected Gaza has killed much than 67,000 people, according to Palestinian wellness authorities, and caused a humanitarian crisis. Famine conditions were declared successful immoderate parts of the besieged territory past month, and a UN committee has accused Israel of committing genocide successful Gaza.

Challands said radical were sceptical that the latest ceasefire would clasp for a “significant magnitude of time”.

“They are disquieted astir the perseverance of US President Donald Trump,” helium said.

Katrina Scales, a 23-year-old sociology and science pupil attending the rally, said the ceasefire was “not enough” and she planned to support attending marches.

“I’m present with my friends to assistance amusement that determination is continuously eyes connected Gaza, adjacent considering the existent ceasefire,” she said.

Trade unionist Steve Headley, successful his 50s, said helium is besides unconvinced.

“Hopefully present we’ve got the archetypal steps towards peace, but we’ve been present before,” Headley told AFP. He questioned Trump’s “plans for a ‘Riviera’ successful Gaza” that the US president touted this year.

For 74-year-old Miranda Finch, portion of a radical marching nether the banner “descendants of Holocaust survivors against Gaza genocide”, the ceasefire was “very little”.

“The Palestinians are not going backmost to nothing. They’re going backmost to little than nothing. Rubble connected apical of bodies connected apical of sewage.”

Fabio Capogreco, 42, who was attending his 5th objection with his 2 children and wife, said the ceasefire was “too little, excessively late”, adding that those complicit successful the warfare request to beryllium held accountable.

“Hopefully it’s 1 of the past times we request to travel present to manifest,” the barroom manager said. “But I deliberation it’s excessively aboriginal to accidental everything is OK.”

Protests were besides planned aboriginal connected Saturday successful different European cities, including Berlin. A march is besides expected connected Sunday successful Sydney, Australia, wherever pro-Palestine demonstrations person filled streets successful caller weeks.

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