Thousands of protesters marched in London and other cities on Saturday calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon as the war in the Palestinian territory neared the one-year mark.
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At the start of a planned wave of protests worldwide, pro-Palestinian supporters gathered in cities in the UK, France, South Africa, Ireland and Switzerland to demand an end to the conflict, which has killed nearly 42,000 people in Gaza.
Dozens of protests and commemorations are set to take place ahead of the anniversary on Monday of Hamas’ attack on Israel which resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an Agence France-Presse tally based on Israeli official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 41,825 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to figures provided by the territory’s health ministry and described as reliable by the United Nations.
At the “National March for Palestine” in London, familiar chants – “ceasefire now”, “stop bombing hospitals, stop bombing civilians” and “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” – were joined by shouts of “hands off Lebanon”.
Zackerea Bakir, 28, said he has attended dozens of marches around the UK.
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Large numbers continue to turn up because “everyone wants a change”, Bakir told Agence France-Presse.