Saturday, October 10/2026

Our first day in London coincides with marches and demonstrations in London and other cities in Europe and around the world expressing solidarity with Palestinians as protestors mark three years of the Gaza genocide and call for an end to arms sales to Israel.

Speakers note that the deaths of Palestinian children are now well in excess of twenty thousand. Thousands of bodies, including those of children, are believed to remain buried beneath the rubble in Gaza and the latest mass funeral for 105 victims occurred last week.

Numbers of demonstrators pretty hard to estimate. Press references to “thousands” certainly not wrong but imply a smaller crowd than that filling roads on both sides of the Thames. On the other hand organiser estimates of two hundred fifty thousand may well have been optimistic. 

The tone is sad but peaceful. Police recorded about twenty arrests - and some news sources lead with this - but most were for minor infractions. The crowd, notably, is not composed of the kind of people one expects to see at a rowdy political demonstration.