Thousands of protesters calling for the end of US and Israeli strikes on Iran have marched to the US embassy in central London.
Groups including the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), Stop The War, the Palestine 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 gathering on Millbank, near Westminster.
Many protesters were carrying Iranian and Palestinian flags as well as portraits of Iran’s former supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, who was killed in the opening strike of the war last Saturday.
Some waved placards reading “Stop Trump’s Wars”, “Stop the War on Iran”, “Stop Arming Israel” and “No War on Iran”.
Outside the US embassy in Vauxhall, Your Party MP Zarah Sultana told protesters: “We will not be ignored again.”
Recalling the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein, she told the crowd: “Back then, we were told that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.
“We were told that war would bring peace and democracy.
“We were told that the war would protect Iraqis and protect the world, but the truth was very different.”
The former Labour 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 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who could not attend the protest, was read to the crowd outside the embassy.
It read: “In 2003, hundreds of thousands of us protested against the illegal invasion of Iraq, and we were ignored, but we are here today to say loudly and clearly: do 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 US 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 who was walking alongside the crowd.
In an update on X, the Metropolitan police said it arrested one woman during the protest.
The force said: “A woman in her 60s has been arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred in relation to a placard.”
It later added: “The Hands off Iran rally has now concluded. There were three further arrests. One for possession of an offensive weapon and another for racially aggravated public order offences in relation to a chant.
“A man in his 30s was arrested on suspicion of violent disorder in relation to an incident which occurred yesterday in Maida Vale.”
Before the event, the Met stepped up patrols and imposed conditions requiring protesters to stay on a designated route and finish their post-march rally by 5pm.
Several groups of people holding Israeli flags were standing on the side of Millbank as protesters calling for the end of US and Israeli strikes on Iran were on their way to the embassy.
Many protesters could be heard shouting “shame on you” and “murderers” to the people holding Israeli flags, to which some replied “you’re wrong” and “you’re in denial”.
Demonstrators leading the march could be heard chanting: “We are the people. We won’t 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 to Iran and Palestine, but also to Cuba and Venezuela.”
She added: “I just feel that we can’t just live as if it’s just business as usual at this moment.
“I expect that this protest will show the UK government that they don’t have popular support to participate in the war in any way, such as providing weapons or providing their … military bases to the US.”
Asked about why he attended the protest, Martin Perry, 58, from Northampton, said: “Because the acts against Iran are against international law, and it’s just a pattern of events, decisions taken by America and Israel, that are destroying international law.”
He added: “I’m here today to signal to Keir Starmer that the public aren’t for the war against Iran, and don’t want our forces going into, being involved in an illegal war.”
The organisers of the demonstration said a march “against the far right” will take place on 28 March in central London.
