This also marks the first march since PSC’s former director, Ben Jamal, and Chris Nineham, a founding member of the Stop the War Coalition, were convicted of breaching restrictions on a 2025 protest [GETTY]
Hundreds of thousands of protesters are expected to march in London on Saturday in commemoration of the 78th anniversary of the Nakba and to call for an end to Israel’s ongoing attacks on Gaza.
The 1948 Nakba – or “Catastrophe” – refers to the ethnic cleansing of more than 700,000 Palestinians from their homeland by Zionist militias during the creation of the state of Israel.
The march, organised by the Palestine Coalition – which consists of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), Stop the War, CND, Muslim Association of Britain, Friends of Al Aqsa and Palestine Forum in Britain – aims to not only mark the anniversary but also hold the UK government to account over its complicity in the Gaza war.
“There is a very good response from across the country and expect a good turnout,” Ismail Patel, founder of Friends of Al Aqsa, told The New Arab.
“People understand their focus is to commemorate the Nakba and will neither be distracted not be intimidated by the far-right protest”.
“We’re very confident it’s going to be really, really big,” a spokesperson for the Stop the War Coalition told The New Arab.
The spokesperson also adds that the march is a united protest against the far-right, as anti-Islam figure Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson, is set to hold his “Unite the Kingdom” event on the same day.
“We are hoping the far-right does not attempt to disrupt our protest,” Patel said.
The march will also be officially joined by Stand Up To Racism, which is a part of the official organising committee, in opposition to the far-right demonstration.
“We are very angry that Tommy Robinson’s being allowed to mobilise his thugs in Central London and at the same time, we are being smeared as if we are no different…when we are entirely peaceful,” Jennie Walsh, a spokesperson for Stop the War told The New Arab.
The Metropolitan Police announced on Wednesday that it would deploy over 4,000 officers in preparation for both protests, amid fears that far-right demonstrators could clash with pro-Palestine marchers.
Organisers of the march have condemned what they describe as “lies” by the Metropolitan police about the Nakba Day march posing a threat comparable to Robinson’s march, noting their marches have fewer arrests per person than at the average Glastonbury festival.
“The Met police has handed over most of the political centre of London to the fascist Tommy Robinson,” Walsh said.
“The fact that the Met continues to try and smear us and the Palestine march as being like Tommy Robinson’s far-right fascist demo, is completely outrageous,” she added, also saying that they have repeatedly called on the Met police commissioner Rowley to retract and apologise for his comments accusing the Palestine Coalition of “antisemitism”.
Speakers at the march will include Palestinian activists – such as Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah, Rafeef Ziadah, and Ahmed Alnaouq – MPs, trade unionists, and civil society leaders.
This also marks the first march since PSC’s former director, Ben Jamal, and Chris Nineham, a founding member of the Stop the War Coalition, were convicted of breaching restrictions on a 2025 protest.
