Thousands join pro-Palestinian march in Birmingham

BBC News:

Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters have taken to the streets across Birmingham.

Crowds met on the city’s High Street at 14:00 BST before marching towards Centenary Square.

It followed several pro-Palestinian demonstrations held in cities across the UK, including London and Coventry on Saturday.

Crowds held Palestinian flags and chanted in response to speakers outside Birmingham’s Town Hall.

The Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on 7 October, with its fighters entering communities near the Gaza Strip, killing at least 1,300 people, and taking scores of hostages.More than 2,300 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched retaliatory air strikes.

Israel has warned 1.1m people in northern Gaza to evacuate before an expected ground invasion.

West Midlands Police said it would respond to any demonstrations appropriately and “balance the right to protest against any disruption to communities”.

Assistant Chief Constable Claire Bell added: “Behaviour that crosses the line into criminality will not be tolerated and equally we will take the strongest action against perpetrators of hate crime.”

The force said it extended its support to all communities in the West Midlands affected by the conflict.