Gaza protest at Israeli Embassy, London, Wed 7 Jan

By the time I had to leave around 6.30pm around 500 people had turned up to protest opposite the Israeli embassy about the continuing ground and air attacks on Gaza and its people with its ever increasing death toll - over 680 people killed in 11 days -and to call for an immediate end to Israeli aggression.

Among the many Palestinians and others showing their solidarity with the Palestinian people were several ultra-orthodox Neturei Karta as well as other Jewish groups including the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network. There were several people holding posters "ASHAMED TO BE AN ISRAELI !!!" and a group of supporters of Haitian human rights activist Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine (kidnapped in Haiti in 2007) who had come to the Gaza demonstration rather than their normal weekly vigil at the Brazilian Embassy.

While I was there, police were keeping the demonstrators behind a double row of barriers and keeping a single lane of traffic moving on the road in front in both directions. For a very short time I was able to photograph from the area in the front of the demonstration, but one familiar police officer told me that I was getting in his way and I was forced to leave.

The demonstration was due to end at 7pm and a pro-Israel demonstration was scheduled to start at 7.45pm in the same place. According to news reports, around 500 pro-Israel demonstrators turned up and some of the pro-Palestine demonstrators had stayed to oppose them. There were a number of struggles with police and 5 pro-Palestine demonstrators were arrested as police attempted to drive them further west away from the Embassy and the other demonstrators. Another arrest was also reported earlier when police stopped a group of almost a hundred cars with Palestinian flags coming to join the demonstration from East London.

More pictures on My London Diary shortly,  http://mylondondiary.co.uk