(MENAFN) A “small number” of arrests were made Saturday during a pro-Palestine demonstration in London after counter-protesters violated conditions set for the march, triggering a “scuffle between several individuals,” the Metropolitan Police reported.

“Officers were quickly on the scene to separate those involved, making a small number of arrests,” the police added.

The protest drew hundreds of thousands of pro-Palestinian supporters to the city, with law enforcement implementing measures to prevent clashes between marchers and counter-protesters.
Recent government announcements grant police new powers to impose conditions on repeat protests. The Home Office said senior officers will now consider the “cumulative impact” of past demonstrations when deciding on restrictions, including potentially requiring events to be held at different locations or limiting their duration.

Palestine Solidarity Campaign Director Ben Jamal voiced solidarity with Palestinians amid the fragile ceasefire in Gaza. On the social media platform X, he said, “We are here as a ceasefire has finally been declared in Gaza, and today we share the relief of the Palestinian people, and we are inspired once more by the signs of them returning to their homes or what is left of their homes, and we know that right now, many Palestinians are preparing to dig through the rubble, maybe with their bare hands, to find the bodies of their relatives, to give them a decent burial.”

Jamal expressed skepticism about the ceasefire’s durability and highlighted ongoing regional challenges: “We share their trepidation that this ceasefire will not hold, rooted in the knowledge that Israel has violated every ceasefire agreement it has ever signed. But people have been asking us for the last two days, why are you still marching?”

He added, “And the reason why we are still marching is that we know that the plan that has been laid out by (US President) Donald Trump is not a plan for an enduring peace, because it says nothing about the root causes of violence. It says nothing about ending Israel's military occupation. It says nothing about dismantling the system of apartheid that exists all over historic Palestine, and nothing about how the Palestinian people would enjoy and realize their right to self-determination and their right to return. So, that's why we're marching again to say our campaigning, our protesting, does not end until the Palestinian people are finally free.”

Trump announced Wednesday that Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of a 20-point plan he introduced on Sept. 29. The plan aims to establish a ceasefire in Gaza, secure the release of all Israeli captives held there in exchange for approximately 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, and facilitate a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the entire Gaza Strip.

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