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About 100,000 people joined a pro-Palestinian demonstration in central London on Saturday, calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.
Chanting “Free Palestine,” holding banners and waving Palestinian flags, the protesters moved through London before massing at Downing Street, the official residence and office of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Many of the chants and banners contained strong anti-Israel slogans, and one protester held a banner with images of Sunak, US President Joe Biden, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the message “Wanted For War crimes.”
Police had cautioned before the march that anyone showing support for Hamas — banned as a terrorist organization in Britain — would face arrest, and any incident of hate crime would not be tolerated.
The protest appeared peaceful and there were no immediate reports of any arrests.
Figures on Friday showed there had been a 1,353% increase in antisemitic offenses this month in Britain compared with the same period last year, while Islamophobic offenses were up 140%.
A large crowd gathered for a pro-Palestinian demonstration in the western German city of Düsseldorf on Saturday.
According to the authorities, around 5,500 people took to the streets.
However, police in Germany banned a pro-Palestinian demonstration that was scheduled for Sunday in the center of Berlin, the German news agency DPA reported.
Police have stopped several similar events in recent weeks, citing the potential of violence and antisemitic hate speech.
Some pro-Palestinian demonstrators have taken to the streets anyway, resulting in clashes with police.
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