Thousands Join ‘Nakba 77’ March for Palestine in London

London, 17 May 2025 — The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) culminated its “Nakba 77 Week of Action” with a massive march through central London, as hundreds of thousands took to the streets to commemorate the 77th anniversary of the Nakba — the mass displacement of Palestinians in 1948.

The demonstrators, bearing Palestinian flags and signs condemning Israeli actions in Gaza, echoed calls for justice and an end to the blockade imposed by Israel over the past three months. The humanitarian crisis has been described by a UN official as dire, with “the only thing entering Gaza right now [being] bombs.” Images of starving children continue to dominate global media, leading many to question: if starvation as a weapon of war is not a red line, then what is?

Marchers directed their anger toward British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, urging him to withdraw his support for what they described as crimes against humanity. “History will judge,” read one of many placards carried through the capital.

Speakers at the march condemned decades of what they called international complicity and hypocrisy. In a moment that marked growing dissent within establishment ranks, former head of the UK’s Joint Intelligence Committee, Lord Ricketts, was cited for calling for a full arms embargo on Israel just a day before the march.

Participants also spoke to the enduring hope of the Palestinian resistance. “Our struggle is one of endurance and hope,” said one marcher, “a hope passed from generation to generation, like the keys to the homes from which they were expelled.”

Among the large and diverse crowd were hundreds of Bengali marchers. Members of the group “Bengalis for Palestine” marched prominently, including Nooruddin Ahmed, Rajonuddin Jalal, Ansar Ahmed Ullah, Shafique Ahmed, Smrity Azad, Ahmed Fokor Kamal, Abu Hussain, and many others.

Demonstrators reaffirmed their commitment to protest, campaign, and boycott “until liberation arrives,” vowing to continue pressing for an end to what they describe as Israel’s apartheid system and for the right of return for all displaced Palestinians.

The march concluded with renewed calls for international accountability, solidarity, and a just peace rooted in freedom and dignity for the Palestinian people.