Nearly 250,000 people joined a mass rally and march in central London on Saturday to mark the 78th anniversary of Nakba Day, according to organizers. The event coincided with a counter-protest led by far-right activist Tommy Robinson. The Metropolitan Police deployed more than 4,000 officers, describing it as an unprecedented public safety operation, and reported 31 arrests by 4:30 p.m., without specifying which protest they were linked to.

The Nakba Day march, organized by a coalition including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, commemorates the 1948 displacement of over 750,000 Palestinians. Police introduced new powers allowing searches without suspicion and used live facial recognition technology for the first time in such an operation. Political figures including MPs Zarah Sultana, Jeremy Corbyn, Diane Abbott, and John McDonnell addressed the rally, calling for stronger government action over Israel’s military operations in Gaza.

The demonstration followed UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s recent call to prosecute those using the “Globalize the Intifada” slogan, which drew condemnation from pro-Palestinian groups. Prominent British Palestinians urged equal protection from hate crimes, while McDonnell criticized the government’s failure to address rising Islamophobia.