Thousands take part in pro-Palestinian march through Edinburgh

Thousands take part in pro-Palestinian march through Edinburgh Image source, PA Media Image caption, Demonstrators marched towards the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh Published 7 hours ago Thousands of people have attended a pro-Palestinian march through the centre of Edinburgh, marking three years since the start of the war in Gaza. The event saw crowds of demonstrators gather at the foot of the Mound earlier before they set off towards the Scottish Parliament.

There were numerous Palestinian flags on show along with a number of banners and placards, and many attendees wore keffiyeh scarves - a symbol of Palestinian identity. They were accompanied by a group of drummers, and many chanted slogans including "free free Palestine" and "viva viva Palestina". It coincided with a similar march held in London. More stories from Edinburgh, Fife & East More stories from Scotland The column of marchers stretched along Edinburgh's High Street as they made their way to Holyrood, with traffic being held on adjoining roads while they passed by.

Onlookers on either side of the road filmed and took photos as they passed, with some joining in the chants. Once the marchers reached the Scottish Parliament they held a rally on the lawns facing the building, where a number of stalls had been set up, and they were addressed by various speakers. There was a small police presence, and officers intervened at one stage to escort a man away from the rally after he appeared to be making a number of attendees uncomfortable by filming them on a pair of smart glasses.

Image source, PA Media Image source, PA Media One demonstrator told the PA News agency she was disappointed more had not been done to address the conflict three years on. "It's still going on three years later, and I'm disappointed that not more (has) been done to prevent it." Another said: "As a mother and a previous teacher, just seeing children being slaughtered and families being displaced, and just everybody's just carrying on their life and these people are getting away with it.

"I think we all need to do something to try to stop this." Earlier this week memorial events took place in Israel on the third anniversary of the Hamas-led attack there that sparked the war in Gaza. Families paid tribute to their loved ones at some of the sites where about 1,200 people were killed in the assault and 251 were taken hostage. In response to the attack, Israel launched a military offensive in Gaza which has killed more than 74,200 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are seen as reliable by the UN.

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