10 November 2023 , 11:10
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More than half a million people are expected to attend the latest pro-Palestine march in London today, one of the organisers said.
The protest, taking place from l, is calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, where more than 10,000 people have been killed by Israeli forces. The six organising groups faced calls to postpone the National March for Palestine over fears it would clash with the remembrance service on Armistice Weekend - but the Metropolitan Police's commissioner eventually decided to give it the green light.
Protesters made it clear they will stay away from the Cenotaph and Whitehall and have no intention of disrupting the nation's remembrance events, said Sir Mark Rowley. The march route has now been shared - and activists will gather at the Marble Arch corner of Hyde Park at approximately 12pm.
The route for this Saturday's Ceasefire Now March for Palestine has now been confirmedThey will then head south through London towards the Vauxhall Bridge Road and cross the River Thames en route to the US Embassy on Nine Elms Lane. The reason why protesters are heading towards the American embassy is to voice their disappointment at Joe Biden's unwavering support for Israel, and his resistance in calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The protest's organisers have repeatedly confirmed their starting point is at least two miles from the Cenotaph in Whitehall - and the start time is also after the national two-minute silence planned to remember Britain's fallen soldiers. But despite being given the green light, the protest has been criticised by politicians including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman who branded protesters "hate marchers".
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The Stop the War coalition said coach companies across the country are reporting that all their vehicles are fully booked, with waiting lists in some areas. John Rees, from the group, said the protest in London will be "truly historic", exceeding the half a million he believes joined a previous protest in the capital.
A young man searches through buildings destroyed during Israeli air raids in the southern Gaza Strip (Getty Images)He said: "We are convinced it will be the biggest demonstration so far over Palestine. Our local groups up and down the country have reported they've sold out of seats on hundreds of coaches."
Lindsey German, the group's convenor, said: "Our local groups in towns and cities across the UK, along with coach companies, are telling us that every one of their coaches have been booked to bring people to London. This is comparable only to two million strong protest against the Iraq War in 2003." Stop the War has insisted that the focus of the march is on stopping the killing in Gaza.
Protesters have been taking to the streets every weekend for the past month - and calls for a ceasefire have been increasing in recent weeks as more and more civilians, including over 4,000 children, have lost their lives in Gaza. Today, Israeli airstrikes hit near several hospitals in Gaza City as the military pushed deeper into dense urban neighborhoods in its battle with Hamas militants, prompting increasing numbers of civilians to flee towards the south of the besieged territory.
Palestinian families fleeing Gaza City and other parts of northern Gaza towards the southern areas (AFP via Getty Images)Growing numbers of people have been living in and around Shifa Hospital, Gaza's largest, hoping it will be safer than their homes or United Nations shelters in the north, several of which have been hit repeatedly. Israeli troops were around 3 kilometers (2 miles) from the hospital, according to its director. But early on Friday, Israel struck the Shifa courtyard and the obstetrics department, according to the head of the media office in Gaza, Salama Maarouf.
More than 10,800 Palestinians have been killed since the hostilities began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Another 2,650 people have been reported missing and may be trapped or dead under the rubble. More than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel, mainly in the initial Hamas attack, and over 30 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ground offensive began.
Trade unionists and protesters form a blockade outside weapons manufacturer BAE Systems in Rochester, Kent (PA)It comes as hundreds of trade unionists under the banner "Workers for a Free Palestine" blockaded weapons manufacturer BAE Systems' factory in Kent in protest over the Israel-Gaza war. Activists descended on the site in Chatham, Rochester, at about 7am on Friday and blocked its two entrances as part of an international day of action called for by Palestinian trade unions to "end complicity in Israel's war crimes".
An organiser said that more than 400 trade unionists are involved in the action at the site, which they claim provides components for military aircraft being used in the bombardment of Gaza. BAE Systems said it is "horrified by the situation in Israel and Gaza", adding: "We operate under the tightest regulation and comply fully with all applicable defence export controls, which are subject to ongoing assessment."
The blockade consists of health workers, teachers, hospitality workers, academics, artists and more who are members of trade unions such as Unite, Unison, GMB, the NEU, the BMA, the UCU, Bectu and the BFAWU. The activists are calling for "an end to the UK Government's complicity in war crimes being committed in Palestine, by ending arms sales to Israel and supporting an immediate ceasefire".