Tens of thousands of demonstrators flooded streets Saturday in London to demand an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and express solidarity with Palestinians, Anadolu news agency reported.
Thousands once again flood London streets to demand immediate ceasefire in Gaza
11 Mar 2024 - 19:30
Tens of thousands of demonstrators flooded streets Saturday in London to demand an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and express solidarity with Palestinians, Anadolu news agency reported.
Amid heavy security measures orchestrated by police, chanting crowds urged peace with slogans: “Ceasefire now” and “Free Palestine” echoing through the city.
Last week, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak directly addressed participants of recent Pro-Palestine protests and urged citizens to resist the influence of “extremist” elements seeking to exploit public dissent.
Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, retorted to Sunak’s speech by advising him to “reflect on his own actions” and consider removing certain senior MPs from his party.
As the demonstrations unfolded, police remained on high alert, implementing intensive security measures for 11 different events across the city.
Since October, solidarity events with Palestine have incurred significant costs, totaling £32.3 million ($41.5 million).
The police force also announced adjustments in the shifts of over 35,000 officers, with the leave of 5,200 officers cancelled for Saturday’s events.
Police emphasised the collaborative efforts with neighbouring counties to ensure public safety during the demonstrations.
Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on Gaza, leaving its population, particularly residents in the north, on the verge of starvation.
The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
The Palestinian death toll from Israel's deadly offensive against the Gaza Strip since October 7th, 2023, has now soared to 31,112, medical sources confirmed on Wednesday.
They said that at least 72,760 other people have also been injured in the onslaught.
“At least 67 people were killed and 106 others injured in Israeli attacks in the last 24 hours,” they added.
“Many victims are still trapped under rubble and on the roads and rescuers can’t reach them,” the sources noted.
They said that 72% of the victims are women and children, while the number of those who died due to malnutrition and starvation has risen to 25.
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