Thousands rally in London calling for peace in Gaza

Ansar Ahmed Ullah:

London, 11 October 2025: Thousands of people gathered in central London on Saturday to call for “lasting peace” in Gaza, a day after a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas came into effect.

The demonstration, organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), began at Victoria Embankment before marching towards Whitehall. Stalls lined the route selling keffiyehs, while volunteers handed out placards reading “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and “It’s not a crime to act against genocide.”

The march coincided with the second anniversary of the war in Gaza, which campaigners described as “two years of genocide.” Speakers at the rally said the ceasefire should not ease pressure on the UK government to act. “The ceasefire does not change that. Now, more than ever, it is absolutely vital to keep up the pressure on the UK government to push Israel to end its genocidal violence, occupation and apartheid rule,” organisers said

According to the PSC, the rally stood with the Palestinian people “as they count the cost of a genocide that has killed over 67,000 people, including over 18,000 children.” The group claimed that Gaza’s infrastructure has been destroyed, with “90% of housing flattened, no hospital fully functioning, and hundreds of thousands driven to the point of famine.”

While marchers expressed relief at the ceasefire, many voiced concern that it may not last. Organisers said that “trepidation” was rooted in the knowledge that Israel “has violated every ceasefire it has ever signed,” accusing Western governments, including the UK, of enabling such actions.

“That’s why we must continue to march for Palestine — to press our government to end its complicity in Israel’s genocidal violence, occupation and apartheid,” said organisers

Among the hundreds of Bengalis who attended was Nooruddin Ahmed, of the London-based group Bengalis for Palestine. “This struggle is a struggle for justice and the rights of the Palestinian people,” he said. “We know and we never forget that none of us are free until the Palestinian people are free.”

His colleague, Rajonuddin Jalal, added, “That is why, in our hundreds of thousands, we march once more in London.”

Several community figures joined the demonstration, including Ex-Cllr Shahid Ali, Soyful Alam, Ahmed Fokor Kamal, Shafique Ahmed, Ala Miah Azad Bokth Chiudhury, and Hussain Ahmed Hira. In a joint statement, they said: “This is a movement supported by millions of people in this country and around the world who want freedom and justice for Palestine.”

Ben Jamal, of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, reflected on the two years since the Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.

“For two years, we have seen Israel commit a no-holds-barred genocide with the political and military support of successive UK governments,” he said.
“In response, a community of resistance in this country has shown historic solidarity — campaigning day in and day out to demand that politicians, public bodies and corporations end their complicity with Israel’s crimes.”