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Pro-Palestinian protesters, counter-protesters clash in central London

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators and counter-protesters clashed in central London on Wednesday, prompting a swift intervention by police officers to separate the opposing factions in Russell Square.

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Pro-Palestinian protesters, counter-protesters clash in central London

The pro-Israel protesters reportedly approached students supporting Palestine who wanted to continue the march and hurled insults at them.

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Pro-Palestinian protesters, counter-protesters clash in central London

One of the protesters, speaking to Anadolu, said the rally had been approved by the Home Office and that demonstrators were protesting in support of Palestine and calling for an end to Israel's genocide in Gaza.

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Pro-Palestinian protesters, counter-protesters clash in central London

The protester said several people he identified as Israeli soldiers had followed and harassed demonstrators in the streets of London.

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Pro-Palestinian protesters, counter-protesters clash in central London

"While we rallying for Palestine to stop the genocide and stop the lobby, Zionist lobby to fund Israel, we been attacked by a few Israeli army soldiers in the street of London, they are fully free. They move fully freely, following us, harassing us, saying words, using all bad words, and us as as as we all know, we've been we've been rallying for like three years."

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Pro-Palestinian protesters, counter-protesters clash in central London

"We have zero crime committed. We are abiding by the law. We have followed every single instruction the police give to us," he said.

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Pro-Palestinian protesters, counter-protesters clash in central London

He also said that a group of counter-protesters had gathered in advance in an attempt to provoke confrontations and lead to arrests.

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Pro-Palestinian protesters, counter-protesters clash in central London

Despite the clashes, the protester said demonstrators would continue their march toward the Home Office, adding that they would not abandon their cause.

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Pro-Palestinian protesters, counter-protesters clash in central London

The protester said activists had been holding demonstrations for around three years and maintained that they would continue to rally in support of Palestine.

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Pro-Palestinian protesters, counter-protesters clash in central London

The Metropolitan Police imposed strict conditions on the march, warning that anyone who breached them could be arrested.

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Pro-Palestinian protesters, counter-protesters clash in central London

Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman, who leads Met operations including public order policing, said police could not ban the protest unless the risk of serious disorder was so high that it could not be managed through conditions.

"We hear the calls for this event to be banned. The police cannot ban protests and can only ask the Home Secretary to do so if the risk of serious disorder is so high that it can't be managed by conditions. That high bar is not met here," Harman said in a statement Tuesday.

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Pro-Palestinian protesters, counter-protesters clash in central London

He also rejected claims on social media that the Met had banned other protests, including a UKIP march in Tower Hamlets.

"This will be a day of mourning and reflection for many in London and we know the serious concerns that this event has caused Jewish communities in particular," Harman said.

"We have imposed stringent conditions on those taking part in this march. These will help us manage the event and minimise serious disruption."

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Pro-Palestinian protesters, counter-protesters clash in central London

Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed more than 74,000 Palestinians and wounded over 175,000 in Gaza. About 90% of the territory's infrastructure has been destroyed.

Despite an October 2025 ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, Israeli attacks have since killed 1,454 Palestinians and wounded another 5,090, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.