Thousands of pro-Palestine demonstrators waved Iranian flags as they marched through central London on Saturday demanding an immediate end to Israeli air strikes on the Islamic fundamentalist republic amid rising fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East. Crowds gathered in Parliament Square, chanting “stop bombing Iran” and calling on the UK Government to end all military support for Israel.
The demonstration followed Israel’s bombing of suspected nuclear and military sites in Iran late on Thursday, and retaliatory missile strikes on Tel Aviv by Tehran the following day. Organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), the protest was billed as an “emergency protest” on social media under the banner “Stop Bombing Iran – Stop Arming Israel”. In a post on X, the group shared footage showing demonstrators outside Parliament chanting and holding signs reading “ceasefire now” and “don’t attack Iran”.
A separate caption on Instagram accused Israel of “committing genocide against the Palestinians” and called on the UK Government to halt arms sales to what it described as a “genocidal” regime, reported the Telegraph.
Protesters held placards echoing these demands, alongside banners opposing further escalation in Gaza and Iran.
Among those attending the march was author Michael Rosen, who read out a poem containing the line: “They come, they kill, they kill, they go.”
In Scotland, another protest took place in Glasgow, involving pro-Palestinian activists marching through the city centre in the rain, likewise waving Iranian and Palestinian flags.
LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 14: Protestors chant in Parliament square against the Israeli attacks on Iran (Image: Getty Images)
A post on the PSC’s website said: “Thousands in Parliament Square demanding our government stop arming Israel and pressure it to stop bombing Iran and end its genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.”
The rallies come amid warnings from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has vowed to intensify operations against Iran.
In a video address, he said: “We will hit every site and every target of the Ayatollahs’ regime and what they have felt so far is nothing compared with what they will be handed in the coming days.”
Mr Netanyahu added that Israel had already struck a key enrichment facility and said it was prepared to target it again if necessary.
Protestors chant in Parliament square against the Israeli attacks on Iran (Image: Getty Images)
He warned: “There is a huge threat from ballistic missiles and we have taken action to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile production capabilities.”
Meanwhile satellite images have revealed some of the damage sustained by Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal and nuclear facilities in the blistering Israeli attack on the country.
Images from Planet Labs PBC taken Friday showed damage at two missile bases, one in Kermanshah and one in Tabriz, both in western Iran.
At Kermanshah, where the base is up against a mountainside, burns could be seen across a wide area after the attack.
In Tabriz, images showed damage at multiple sites on the base.
At the Natanz nuclear enrichment facility, southwest of Tehran, the images show multiple buildings either damaged or destroyed, including structures experts say supply power to the facility.
The Natanz images were taken on Friday and Saturday by Maxar Technologies.
Natanz’s enrichment plant — where Iran enriched uranium to 60% purity, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90% — was also destroyed.
