Thousands of protesters calling for an end to US and Israeli attacks on Iran marched towards the US embassy in central London.
Groups including the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), Stop the War, the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, the Muslim Association of Britain, the Palestinian Forum in Britain and Friends of Al-Aqsa led the march to the embassy on Saturday afternoon, after meeting in Millbank, near Westminster.
Many protesters carried Iranian and Palestinian flags, as well as portraits of Iran’s former supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, who was killed in the opening attack of the war last Saturday.
Some waved signs that read “Stop Trump’s wars,” “Stop the war on Iran,” “Stop arming Israel,” and “No war on Iran.”
Outside the US embassy in Vauxhall, her party MP Zarah Sultana told protesters: “We will not be ignored again.”
Recalling the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein, he told the crowd: “Back then, we were told that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.
“They told us that war would bring peace and democracy.
“We were told that war would protect Iraqis and protect the world, but the truth was very different.”
The former Labor MP, who represents Coventry South, added: “The children of Baghdad deserve to grow up.
“And 23 years ago, when we marched against the Iraq war, we were ignored.
“We will not be ignored again, because history proved them right, and today we raise our voices for peace, for justice and for a world where governments learn the lessons of the past.”
A statement from former Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn, who was unable to attend the protest, was read to the crowd outside the embassy.
It said: “In 2003, hundreds of thousands of us protested against the illegal invasion of Iraq and were ignored, but today we are here to say loud and clear: let us not drag Britain into another illegal war.”
In the statement, Corbyn, now an independent MP, said: “For too long, the UK has blindly followed the US as it indulges in catastrophic interventions around the world.
“We are here to defend something different, a foreign policy based on cooperation, equality and sovereignty.”
He added: “Forever War is not a game. It has real-life human consequences, and the United States and Israel must be held accountable for their prize.”
Between 5,000 and 6,000 protesters marched from Millbank to the US embassy on Saturday afternoon, according to a police officer walking alongside the crowd.
In an update on X, the Metropolitan police said they arrested a woman during the protest.
Police said: “A woman aged in her 60s has been arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred in relation to a banner.”
He later added: “The Hands Off Iran demonstration has now concluded. There were three more arrests. One for possession of an offensive weapon and another for racially aggravated public order offenses in connection with a chant.
“A man in his 30s was arrested on suspicion of violent disorder in relation to an incident in Maida Vale yesterday.”
Ahead of the event, the Met stepped up patrols and imposed conditions requiring protesters to stay on a designated route and end their post-march demonstration at 5 p.m.
Several groups of people holding Israeli flags stood on one side of Millbank as protesters calling for an end to the US and Israeli attacks on Iran headed towards the embassy.
Many protesters could be heard shouting “shame on you” and “murderers” at people holding Israeli flags, to which some responded “you are wrong” and “you deny it.”
Protesters leading the march could be heard chanting: “We are the people. We will not be silenced. Stop the bombing now, now, now, now.”
Daniela Costa, a 30-year-old Brazilian student living in London, said: “I’m from Brazil. I just came here to show solidarity, both with Iran and Palestine, but also with Cuba and Venezuela.”
He added: “I feel like we can’t live as if everything is business as usual right now.
“I hope this protest shows the UK government that it has no popular support to participate in the war in any way, such as providing weapons or providing its… military bases to the United States.”
When asked why he attended the protest, Martin Perry, 58, of Northampton, said: “Because the acts against Iran are against international law, and it is just a pattern of events, decisions made by the United States and Israel, that are destroying international law.”
He added: “I am here today to signal to Keir Starmer that the public is not in favor of war against Iran and does not want our forces to enter or become involved in an illegal war.”
Demonstration organizers said a march “against the far right” will be held in central London on March 28.
