Eight arrests at latest pro-Palestinian protest in London

Eight people have been arrested as pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through central London in protest at the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Thousands of campaigners set off from Piccadilly Circus shortly after 1.30pm on Saturday, with the march passing alongside Hyde Park before ending on Kensington Road.

The Metropolitan Police said in a post on X that six of the arrests related to people participating in the march for racially aggravated public order offences with signs and a gesture, criminal damage and assault.

The other two arrests were of counter-protesters who were held on suspicion of breach of the peace and assaulting police officers, the force said.

Protesters held signs at the demonstration that read: “Starmer has blood on his hands”, and “Stop the war coalition”.

The march was briefly halted when at least two counter-protesters, including one holding up a sign reading “Hamas is terrorist”, blocked its progress outside the Park Lane Hotel near Green Park.

Two men were then detained by police after a significant struggle.

A separate counter-protest gathered on Kensington High Street, with participants dancing to music and waving Israeli, British and American flags, but was kept away from the much larger pro-Palestinian march by police officers and barricades.

The protest is the 18th organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) since the conflict began last October.

The Metropolitan Police had imposed a series of conditions on the event, including that the demonstration must end by 5pm.

Another event which had been scheduled to take place on the intended route for the march was cancelled, the force said.

The demonstration comes after senior MI6 and CIA officials said in a rare public statement they were together “working ceaselessly” for a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza, and have “exploited our intelligence channels to push hard for restraint and de-escalation” in the Middle East.