This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Thousands of anti-war demonstrators on Saturday marched through central London, calling for an immediate halt to US and Israeli military operations against Iran and an end to arms sales to Israel, Anadolu reports.
According to the Manchester Evening News, the protest drew between 5,000 and 6,000 participants, based on estimates from the Metropolitan Police.
The rally began at Millbank near Victoria Tower Gardens at noon and was organized by a coalition of activist groups, including the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), Stop the War Coalition and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
Protesters marched toward the US Embassy carrying placards reading “Stop Trump’s Wars” and “No War on Iran,” while others waved Iranian and Palestinian flags.
Some demonstrators also carried portraits of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
READ: Trump claims Iran ‘surrendered’ to neighbors, warns of further strikes
Organizers described the military strikes as “illegal” and warned that escalating conflict could place millions of civilians at risk across the Middle East.
Chris Nineham, vice-chair of the Stop the War Coalition, said the situation represented one of “the most dangerous global moments in decades.”
“(US President Donald) Trump and (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu are creating murder and mayhem across the Middle East. They are risking spreading war across the Middle East, and they are creating the conditions of volatility and instability around the world, and what is disgraceful is that our government is allowing British bases to be used to promote this mayhem,” Nineham said in a video posted on social media from the protest.
He added that many people in Britain opposed the war and called for a broad and vocal movement to mobilize against the conflict and advocate for peace.
Tensions in the Middle East have escalated since the US and Israel launched a large-scale attack on Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,000 people, including Khamenei and over 150 schoolgirls, and senior military officials.
Iran has retaliated with sweeping barrages of its own that have targeted US bases, diplomatic facilities, and military personnel across the region, as well as multiple Israeli cities.
READ: Rubio tells Arab ministers Iran war could last ‘several more weeks’: Report
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
- Israel’s Smotrich threatens to bombard Lebanese capital to resemble Gaza’s Khan Younis
- Bernie Sanders blasts Israeli premier as ‘extremist,’ criticizes US role in Iran war
- Iranian drones strike Amazon data centres in Bahrain, UAE
- Hezbollah Issues warning to residents of 23 northern Israeli settlements to evacuate after Beirut strikes
- Loony bin rationales: The continuing war on Iran
- Indonesia suspends participation in Board of Peace following attack on Iran
- Israeli raids surge across West Bank amid regional war with Iran
- Iran says it is ready for ground invasion and rejects ceasefire with US
- Hezbollah deploys elite Radwan force to southern Lebanon
- Iran says US aircraft carrier withdrew after drone encounter near Strait of Hormuz
- Lebanese prime minister warns of ‘looming humanitarian crisis’ amid escalating war
- Houthi leader declares support for Iran and warns group ready to act
- ‘Operation Epic Fury’ burns an estimated $5.82 billion in just 100 hours
- US group urge Iran to grant ICC jurisdiction over apparent war crimes
- Iran is halting attacks on neighboring countries unless they launch strikes first: President
- Israeli army kills 4 Palestinians, including child, in Gaza
- Israeli strike wounds UNIFIL peacekeepers in southern Lebanon
- Rubio tells Arab ministers Iran war could last ‘several more weeks’: Report
- America First or Israel First? Trump’s Iran policy sparks important questions
- Polls show majority of Europeans oppose US, Israeli strikes on Iran
- Trump’s Doctrine: When War Becomes a Business Model
- Iran Red Crescent says 6,668 civilian sites targeted in US-Israeli attacks
- Controlling Iran’s skies does not mean the regime will fall to the ground
- Israel bombs Imam Hossein University in Tehran
- Pro-Palestine protester confronts German chancellor over Israel support
- Spain ‘strongly condemns’ Israeli attacks on Lebanon, urges compliance with UN resolution
- US-Israeli bases are ‘legitimate targets’: Iranian official
- Thousands march in London demanding end to US, Israeli attacks against Iran
Police officers watch as people take part in a national march for Palestine on Whitehall in central London, January 18, 2025