Leading the demonstration were Palestinians holding keys as a symbol of intent to return to their stolen land. The protest included a large contingent of students involved in some of the 25 campus occupations taking place nationally.

The pro-Palestinian march was the 14th such event held in London since the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October, in which 1,200 people were killed and more than 240 kidnapped. After the 7 October attack, Israel launched an offensive in Gaza that has killed more than 35,000 people, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has said the government is concerned about pro-Palestinian marches and fears they could "spill over" into hate speech and anti-Semitism. It came as seven people were arrested,

Government ‘worried’ about pro-Palestinian marches, Shapps says - Grant Shapps said ministers backed police to take action if marches spill over into antisemitism and hate speech.