On October 7, pro-Palestine demonstrators shut down London’s Tower Bridge, waving Palestinian flags, setting off flares, and chanting slogans including “from the river to the sea” and “Zionism, terrorism” ahead of a march to Downing Street.
The Daily Mail reported that the protest, organized by the group Intifada 87, involved around 50 participants, some marching silently out of respect for “the martyrs,” before planning further demonstrations outside the BBC and near the Prime Minister’s residence. Police enforced Public Order Act restrictions, ordering the protest to end at 8 p.m.
The London demonstration coincided with the second anniversary of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, an event that killed over 1,200 people. Some student protestors openly defied Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s calls to avoid public demonstrations, framing their actions as resistance to what they described as ongoing oppression in Gaza. At locations such as SOAS University, speakers condemned the Israeli government and the UK’s role in Gaza, while some compared the attacks to a “prison break” and called for continued protest.
The protests drew condemnation from Jewish groups and the Holocaust Education Trust, which accused participants of glorifying terrorism. Tensions were visible as counter-protesters waved Israeli flags, and police intervened when an individual approached demonstrators wearing a “Save Gaza from Hamas” t-shirt. Despite the charged atmosphere, no physical violence occurred at London Bridge or elsewhere in the city. The Tower Bridge protest highlighted London as a focal point for demonstrations on this sensitive anniversary, combining political expression with visible disruption in the capital.