Thousands of pro-Palestine protesters have gathered in central London chanting “from the river to the sea” as the Metropolitan Police face heightened scrutiny over the latest demonstrations against the Gaza war.

Before the march, hundreds of placards calling for a ceasefire in Gaza could be seen stacked around the statue of Sir Winston Churchill, while officers stood ready to keep the protesters apart from a pro-Israel counter-demonstration.

The chant “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” could be heard ringing out across Parliament Square as demonstrators prepared to march to Hyde Park.

The controversial slogan has frequently been interpreted by critics as calling for the eradication of the state of Israel, although others defend it as a rallying cry for Palestinian rights.

Placards being held by protesters contained anti-Semitic tropes, such as: “Wake up, our media, TV, radio and government are controlled by Zionists.”

Numerous police wearing riot gear were standing ready nearby.

It comes as a senior Metropolitan Police commander said the impact of nearly seven months of protest had been “felt widely”.

The Met is under considerable scrutiny for what has been described as “two-tier” policing of the issue after a man was threatened with arrest at a demonstration by an officer calling him “openly Jewish”.

Meanwhile, widespread use of anti-Semitic slogans and images, and other hate speech, have gone unpunished, critics have said.

On Friday, Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said: “All Londoners have a right to have their voices heard, just as they also have a right to go about their lives without fear and without being subject to serious disruption.”

He acknowledged that the pro-Palestine rallies had been “a particular cause of fear and uncertainty in Jewish communities”.

He promised to keep the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign protest and the counter-demonstration by the Enough is Enough group apart.

Itai Gal, one of the counter-demonstrators, said: “We are here because we have had enough of those marches that have ballooned into hate festivals every week.

“They want to deter us from public spaces.

“If you are standing against terror then you should standing here with us.

“We are not just pro-Israel. We are against terror.”

Another, who gave his name as Jonathan, said: ‘Pre-Oct 7 I felt positive to the police.

“Since then I have noticed a different attitude with the police. They’re not taking our concerns seriously.

“It’s definitely a different attitude with us. They never used to record us with their cameras, now they do.”

A spokesman for the group said: “We have had enough.

“Our streets are no longer safe havens but places of genuine threat to Jews and peace-loving individuals.

“Previous counter protests have seen us face death threats and calls for the genocide of Jews from the nation of Israel.”

Around 40 counter-protesters from the group were waiting in Waterloo Place, central London, close to the expected route of the PSC march to Hyde Park.