London’s pro-Palestine march live: Police detain 150 pro-Palestinian demonstrators | Israel-Hamas war

Matt Twist, assistant commissioner at the Met, has given an update on today’s events, in which 126 people have been arrested so far. In the statement, he calls the extreme violence from rightwing protestors towards the police “extraordinary” and “deeply concerning”. Describing the day’s events, he said:

They arrived early, stating they were there to protect monuments, but some were already intoxicated, aggressive and clearly looking for confrontation.

Abuse was directed at officers protecting the Cenotaph, including chants of “you’re not English any more”.

This group were largely football hooligans from across the UK and spent most of the day attacking or threatening officers who were seeking to prevent them being able to confront the main march.

Twist says that many in the groups of far-right protesters were stopped and searched, with weapons including a knife, a baton and knuckleduster and class A drugs being found. He said: “Thanks to the considerable efforts of our officers, who put themselves in harm’s way, nobody was able to reach the Cenotaph, which was protected at all times.”

Twist added that nine police officers had been injured on Saturday, with two requiring hospital treatment: one with a fractured elbow and another with a suspected dislocated hip. Those officers were injured on Whitehall as they prevented a violent crowd getting to the Cenotaph while a remembrance service was taking place, he said.

Speaking about the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) march, Twist said it had not displayed the sort of physical violence carried out by the rightwing protesters. He said:

We know that for London’s Jewish communities, whose fears and concerns we absolutely recognise, the impact of hate crime and in particular antisemitic offences is just as significant.

At the end of the PSC march, we once again saw breakaway groups behaving in an intimidating manner.

Officers intercepted a group of 150 who were wearing face coverings and firing fireworks. Arrests were made after some of the fireworks struck officers in the face.

There were also a number of serious offences identified in relation to hate crime and possible support for proscribed organisations during the protest that we are actively investigating.

Commenting on the challenge of policing a crowd of the size that was at the pro-Palestinian march seen today, Twist said that it had been made more difficult by the violence of far-right protesters:

Locating and intercepting suspects in a crowd of the size we saw today will always be challenging, but we were further limited in our ability to do so due to the number of officers we had to deploy, from early in the day, in response to violence from the rightwing groups in central London.

He added that the Met would publish images of some of the suspects soon and vowed to “pursue all available lines of inquiry to identify suspects and take action even after the conclusion of protests”. Twist ends with a reminder that many officers are still deployed across central London, responding to any outbreaks of disorder and ensuring key sites are protected before tomorrow’s remembrance events.

Michael Gove has been mobbed by protesters as he walked through London’s Victoria station, moments after a sit-in protest for Palestine ended.

Pro-Palestinian protesters chanted “shame on you” as the communities secretary, escorted by police officers, made his way through the concourse. Video footage posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, shows a number of protesters waving flags and surging towards Gove as Metropolitan police officers pushed them away and shouted at them to “get back”. More on the story below.

Sadiq Khan has made a statement on Saturday’s events. In it, he pays tribute to the police for their handling of the protests and condemns cases of far-right violence as well “hate and racism” at the pro-Palestinian march.

In the statement, the mayor of London said:

I’d like to pay tribute to the Met police who have dealt with a very difficult day with exceptional professionalism. The overwhelming majority of people who used their democratic right to protest on the streets of London today did so peacefully.

Sadly however, we have seen far-right thugs attacking the police and some who have used the pro-Palestinian protest to spread hate and racism, including antisemitism. This is unacceptable – as is attempting to intimidate politicians.

Khan claimed that the far-right had been “encouraged” and “emboldened” by comments they’d heard this week, including from senior politicians, such as Suella Braverman. He said:

I hope everyone takes the time to reflect on the impact their words and actions can have on others.

He added that the Met has his full support in taking action against those who broke the law and that he will continue to support them in taking a “zero-tolerance approach” against those found committing violent offences or spreading hate.

The Metropolitan police say that officers have detained around 150 people from the pro-Palestinian demonstration in Grosvenor Place, Belgravia.

The group were firing fireworks and many were wearing face coverings, they stated, adding that officers were using their Section 60 and 60AA powers to detain and search those involved.

It’s been a privilege to run the live blog of the pro-Palestinian marches taking place today. Here’s a summary of the day’s events:

• Hundreds of thousands of people have taken part in a pro-Palestinian march in London today. The organisers have estimated 800,000 people marched. The Met has estimated 300,000, but described it as the “biggest march” seen by the police in this phase of the Israel-Gaza conflict.

• 92 people have been arrested in London after several hundred counter-protesters arrived in groups in central London just after 9am “intent on confrontation and violence”, according to police. Scuffles broke out between police and counter-protesters at times. Tommy Robinson, the former co-leader of the English Defence League (EDL), was among the crowds massing in central London.

• Police reported “no issues” with the London march itself, stating that it moved along the prescribed route.

• The controversial chant “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” was heard on the march. The slogan refers to the land between the Jordan River, which borders Israel on the east, and the Mediterranean Sea, which borders Israel on the west. Many Jewish people find this phrase offensive, and it is used by Hamas in their constitution.

• Two minutes of silence were held at the Cenotaph to mark Armistice Day at 11am, before the march began.

• Rishi Sunak condemned the violence seen at the march in London. He said EDL “thugs” had attacked police officers and trespassed on the Cenotaph. He also criticised “Hamas sympathisers” and marchers who sang antisemitic chants, adding that “all criminality must be met with the full and swift force of the law”.

• Seven people have been arrested in Glasgow in relation to protests over the Israel-Hamas conflict. A large demonstration took place earlier in the city, with thousands of people attending.

Thanks for following along with me, Donna Ferguson. I’m handing over to my colleague Amy Sedghi.

Rishi Sunak has commented on the march. He said:

I condemn the violent, wholly unacceptable scenes we have seen from English Defence League [a far-right group] and associated groups and Hamas sympathisers attending the National March for Palestine. The despicable actions of a minority of people undermine those who have chosen to express their views peacefully.

Remembrance weekend, he said, is a time for us to come together as a nation and remember those who fought and died for our freedoms.

What we have seen today does not defend the honour of our armed forces but utterly disrepects them.

That is true for EDL thugs attacking police officers and trespassing on the Cenotaph, and it is true for those singing antisemitic chants and brandishing pro-Hamas signs and clothing on today’s protest. The fear and intimidation the Jewish community have experienced over the weekend is deplorable.

All criminality must be met with the full and swift force of the law. That is what I told the Met police commisioner on Wednesday, that is what they are accountable for and that is what I expect.

He added that he would meet the Met police commissioner in the coming days.