Thousands march through London in protest at Israeli military action in Gaza

Cries of 'Free Palestine' and 'Shame on you, Barack Obama' as 20,000 people protest in London. Demonstrations in Manchester, Edinburgh and Dublin too

Nadia Khomami

The Observer, Sunday 10 August 2014

Protesters in Portland Place unite against military action in Gaza. Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Britain and in several other cities around the world yesterday to call for an end to Israeli military action in Gaza. In London a peaceful protest was organised by the Stop The War Coalition. According to police, more than 20,000 people marched from the BBC's offices on Portland Place, via the US embassy to Hyde Park.

Families with children and members of Jewish groups were among the demonstrators, who carried Palestinian flags and banners calling for an end to the civilian deaths in Gaza. The crowed chanted "Free Palestine" and "Shame on you, Barack Obama", and a huge Palestinian flag was unfurled and held open for the benefit of the news helicopters above.

There were also demonstrations in Manchester, Edinburgh and Dublin, where several hundred people demonstrated for the fifth Saturday in a row. In South Africa an estimated 50,000 people took to the streets of Cape Town, led by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, in what the authorities called the biggest post-apartheid rally the city has seen. Demonstrators called for peace and appealed to President Jacob Zuma and the South African government to stop selling arms to Israel. "Zuma has historical amnesia" read one banner.

In Australia, Sydney and Melbourne saw sizeable protests, too. The day of protest came as the Disasters and Emergency Committee (DEC) – the umbrella fundraiser for British aid agencies – announced that it had received £4.2m in donations from the British public in less than 24 hours.

DEC Chief Executive Saleh Saeed said there was amazing generosity being shown . "We have also benefited from the kind support of DFID, which matched the first £2m donated by the public," he said. "The funds are desperately needed, with on-going fighting in Gaza creating an unbearable situation for families and children. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes, the healthcare system is on the verge of collapse and many people have little or no clean water."