Twelve people were arrested after hundreds gathered in central London for the annual al-Quds Day protest, despite a government ban on the march. Police said the event had been organized by a group supportive of the Iranian government and cited concerns about serious public disorder amid escalating conflict in the Middle East. It was the first time since 2012 that a protest march in the capital had been prohibited, although a static demonstration was allowed.

Around 1,000 officers were deployed to separate pro-Palestinian demonstrators and counterprotesters on opposite sides of the River Thames near Parliament. Police said arrests were made for offenses including supporting a banned organization, affray, and threatening or abusive behavior, and that they were investigating anti-Israel chants made during the rally.

Protesters waved Palestinian and Iranian flags and carried placards criticizing Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Some chants targeted the Israeli military, prompting concern from authorities, particularly within London’s Jewish community. The Islamic Human Rights Commission, which organizes the annual event, condemned the ban as politically motivated.

Across the river, counterprotesters displayed Israeli, United States, and pre-revolutionary Iranian flags while voicing support for Iran’s exiled former royal family and calling for the removal of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The heavy police presence kept the two groups apart as tensions remained high throughout the day.