Organizers anticipate tens of thousands participating in vigils, protests, petitions, fundraisers, and marches across London boroughs and cities like Birmingham, Cambridge, Liverpool, and beyond on Saturday. According to Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, these rallies aim to demonstrate that "ordinary people" support a ceasefire.
"This Saturday, ordinary people across the UK will come out again to show the vast majority of them support a ceasefire," said Jamal, emphasizing solidarity with Palestinians enduring immense suffering. "They will also demand the root causes are not forgotten: Israel’s decades-long military occupation of Palestinian territories and its system of apartheid against Palestinians."
A spokesperson for the Stop The War Coalition mentioned that these rallies will precede a national demonstration scheduled for the following Saturday, according to the Guardian.
"Groups nationwide are organizing local rallies and marches to build for the national demonstration called for next Saturday," she explained. "Most of them will feature speakers from various organizations involved in the main marches, including trade unionists."
The Metropolitan police confirmed a "significant" policing operation in the capital for the weekend, targeting deployments in areas "with significant Jewish or Muslim communities." Temporary commander Karen Findlay emphasized the need for lawful protest while ensuring minimal disruption to Londoners' lives and zero tolerance for hate crimes.
The planned rallies come after last week's massive march in central London supporting Palestine, despite calls for its ban by the prime minister and former home secretary.
The national march, organized by groups including PSC, Stop the War, the Muslim Association of Britain, and Friends of Al-Aqsa, is set to resume in London on November 25, continuing until a ceasefire is achieved in Gaza.
At least 12,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7.