Twelve arrested at Al-Quds Day rally in London

Hundreds of people gathered in central London on Sunday for the annual Al-Quds Day demonstration, an international show of solidarity with Palestinians. The event took place under sweeping new restrictions and a heavy police presence after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood agreed to a police request to ban the annual march over fears of public disorder.

Crowds assembled along the Albert Embankment of the River Thames, where demonstrators waved Palestinian flags, held banners, and chanted slogans. Some carried images of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed earlier this month during US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

Police made 12 arrests during the event. According to Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan, arrests were made for showing support for a proscribed organisation, affray, and threatening or abusive behaviour. The Met said it was also investigating chants made by a speaker at the protest.

Videos on social media appeared to show musician Bobby Vylan, whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, making a speech at the demonstration before leading chants of "death, death to the IDF" as the crowd joined in. Vylan is a member of the punk duo Bob Vylan. In a post on X, the Met said it was aware of the chanting and would be investigating, noting it recognised the concern such language causes, particularly with London's Jewish communities.

Chants of "from the river to the sea" and "Israel is a terror state" were also heard during the demonstration. Al-Quds Day is named after the Arabic name for Jerusalem and was established by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini after Iran's 1979 revolution.

Hundreds more gathered on the opposite bank of the Thames to back Israeli and American attacks on Iran, forming a counter-protest. At least 1,000 police officers were drafted in to keep the two rival protests apart. Lambeth Bridge, the nearest river crossing to each rally, remained closed on Sunday afternoon.