Large crowd chants 'Hands off Gaza! Hands off Lebanon! Hands off Middle East!' during rally near Prime Minister's office
Police arrested six people Thursday during an emergency protest in London against Israel's attacks on Gaza and Lebanon.
A large crowd gathered near the Prime Minister's office in Whitehall.
Protesters chanted while carrying Palestinian and Lebanese flags amid an intense police presence.
They chanted slogans including “Hands off Gaza! Hands off Lebanon! Hands off the Middle East!” during the demonstration, which began around 6 p.m. local time (1700GMT).
The protesters also criticized the UK's ongoing arms sales to Israel, with some carrying signs saying "Tell (Prime Minister Keir) Starmer: Stop arming Israel."
Before the protest, the Metropolitan Police announced that they had imposed Public Order Act conditions "to prevent serious disruption” requiring the protest to conclude by 8 p.m. (1900GMT).
Just before the deadline, police arrested a female protester for setting off a smoke flare in the crowd.
During her arrest, she shouted: "Stop funding war crimes! Stop arming Israel!"
Her arrest prompted many protesters who were leaving the area to remain to show solidarity with her, with many chanting "Let her go."
Later, the police arrested five other people for "refusing to disperse despite there being conditions."
"That brings the total number of arrests tonight to six. Whitehall is now clear. Officers will remain in the area to be able to deal with any further incidents," the Metropolitan Police wrote on X.
Israel has pounded Lebanon since early Monday with strikes that have killed at least 677 people and injured more than 2,500, according to figures released by the Lebanese Health Ministry.
Lebanon's Hezbollah group and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel's onslaught against Gaza, which has killed more than 41,500 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas last Oct. 7.
The international community has warned against the strikes on Lebanon, as they raise the specter of spreading the Gaza conflict regionally.
