500K pro-Palestinian demonstrators mob London as American protest held near Biden’s Delaware mansion
A half a million people packed the streets of London Saturday in a Pro-Palestine protest that was among the largest demonstrations ever held in the city, while a group of Americans staked out Joe Biden’s home in Delaware.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters also marched against the Israel-Hamas war in Paris, Brussels, Barcelona, Cape Town, Dublin and more on Saturday, most calling for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.
London’s protest overlapped with Armistice Day, where British citizens commemorate the soldiers who died in World War I.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the rally’s timing was disrespectful, while other ministers had called for the march to be canceled. Home Secretary Suella Braverman called the demonstrators “hate marchers” in a lambasted op-ed in The Times of London. Many protesters carried signs that sayd, “Hey Suella, This is a move march”
But while some marchers carried signs that said “Free Palestine,” “Stop the Massacre,” and “Stop Bombing Gaza,” the chant “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” was also heard. The rallying cry is viewed as antisemitic because it implies a call for Israel’s eradication.
About 80 protesters were arrested by Met Police.
Prior to the march, police also took 82 counter-protesters into custody as well.
Police estimated the crowd to be around 300,000, but event organizers claimed the crowd reached 500,000.
While the largest, the march in London was not the only demonstration Saturday.
In neighboring Wales, Welsh communists pushed through Cardiff holding red flags as they marched for a cease-fire. More than 20,000 participated in a Brussels rally, where some protesters demanded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be arrested for war crimes.
About 30,000 protesters in Barcelona filled the city center, with many holding large Palestinian flags and signs reading “Liberate Palestine” and “Stop Genocide.” A group of about 100 from the crowd occupied a train station in the city Saturday evening after the rally, which ended up shutting down the station for several hours.
Paris also saw its fifth consecutive weekend of protest calling for a ceasefire and a “free Palestine.”
In the US, protesters crowded outside of Biden’s Delaware home on Veteran’s Day, Fox News reported.
Social media video showed them chanting: “Cease-fire now, cease-fire now!” and holding signs reading: “No more [money] for genocide” and waving Palestinian flags.
Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah seized on the demonstrations as condemnation for the US and UK support for Israel. “We see thousands of people in Washington, New York, London and Paris protesting against Israel. The only voice that stands out is the US and its ‘follower’ the UK.”
He pushed leaders at the Arab-Islamic summit in Saudi Arabia to pressure the US to back off its support, the Times of Israel reported.
Thousands also marched Saturday evening in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and other Israeli cities to demand the terrorist groups release the 240 hostages taken against their will by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7.
With Post wires.