Thousands Join Pro-Palestinian Marches in London, Berlin and Dublin
Metropolitan Police Arrest 20 as Thousands Flood Central London
Thousands of people participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations across London, Berlin, and Dublin on Saturday, marking three years since the October 7, 2023, attack and demanding an immediate end to Israeli military strikes in Gaza.
The coordinated European protests unfolded as ongoing airstrikes continued to exact a heavy toll, drawing contrasting figures from organizers and police while prompting strict security measures in the British capital.
Public Order Powers Invoked as Demonstrators Move Toward Parliament
Organizers with the Palestine Coalition—which includes the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War, CND, the Muslim Association of Britain, Friends of Al Aqsa, and the Palestinian Forum in Britain—estimated that 250,000 people attended the march. Metropolitan Police officers maintained a significant presence along the route. Ahead of the event, senior Met officer Carl Galvin announced a zero-tolerance approach to hate crimes and confirmed that police utilized powers under the Public Order Act to require anyone wearing a face covering to conceal their identity to remove it.
London police reported arresting 20 people during the demonstrations, including a man and a woman carrying placards supporting Palestine Action, an organization banned under UK law.
Voices from the Ranks and Counter-Protests on the Embankment
Aimee Shalan, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, told AFP that Western sanctions over West Bank settler violence fell short, stating, “We are here today to mark three years of the ongoing genocide in Gaza,” and calling for “full sanctions on Israel.”
Hibo Hassan, a 23-year-old recent graduate attending the march, told reporters that the situation felt deeply concerning. “Although it is happening in the Middle East, it affects us here now,” she said, adding, “It’s extremely dystopian and that is something we should be all scared about.”
Palestinian Ambassador to the UK Husam Zomlot shared a video from the demonstration on social media, writing, “Three years on, Israel’s atrocities in Gaza and the West Bank continue, and so does the solidarity of the British people. Louder, bigger and not going anywhere.”
Berlin and Dublin Marches Target German Arms Exports
Parallel marches took place across Europe on Saturday.
Demonstrators in the German capital focused heavily on Berlin’s diplomatic and military backing of Israel, carrying banners and placards condemning German arms exports.
Three Years of War and Escalating Casualties Across the Region
Saturday’s demonstrations occurred three days after the third anniversary of the October 7, 2023, attack, which remains the deadliest in Israel’s history. According to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures, that attack resulted in 1,221 deaths, while militants dragged 251 hostages into Gaza, including 44 who were already dead.
In response, Israel launched a military offensive that has left the majority of Gaza in ruins.
Although a ceasefire was declared a year ago, Israeli forces have maintained near-daily strikes on the territory. Gaza’s health ministry reports that these subsequent strikes have killed approximately 1,450 Palestinians over the past year. Concurrently, violence in the West Bank has escalated; United Nations figures indicate that 230 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank through 2025.