After London, Palestine protest comes to Birmingham city centre - when is it & more details

A day after thousands of people gathered in London to join a March For Palestine, Birmingham city centre saw a demonstration this afternoon (Sunday, October 15).

Israel stepped up its operations in Gaza a week after an attack from Hamas in which at least 1,300 people died and others were kidnapped. On Friday (October 13), Israel warned families in northern Gaza to leave their homes and Palestinian authorities say more than 2,200 people have died in airstrikes.

Hundreds of people are expected to gather at the demonstration organised by Free Palestine, Birmingham. Calls were put out on social media to spread the news about the protest and appealed to people to gather in Birmingham city centre today. The protest started at 1pm from outside Primark at Birmingham High Street.

On Instagram, the organiser wrote that another protest is set to take place on October 21, 2023 as well. The organiser added: “I hope to see as many people as I can. See everyone soon.”

West Midlands Police steps up protection of communities amid the Hamas-Israel conflict

Previously, West Midlands Police said: “The conflict has a far-reaching impact on communities around the world, and we extend our full support to those affected in the West Midlands. We have increased patrols across parts of the region to provide a visible presence and reassurance to our communities.

“Working with partners we are listening to local concerns and continuously assessing the impact on communities to ensure those who live and work within them feel safe.

“Additional officers have already been deployed to key locations to reassure those who live, work, or study nearby; to prevent crime; and to ensure an efficient response to any incidents which are reported.”

Assistant Chief Constable Claire Bell said: “We know this is a worrying time for some of our communities and our thoughts are with those who are affected. We are doing everything we can to keep people safe and ensure they feel reassured by our presence.

“Our local policing teams are monitoring the situation in communities across the region and additional officers are already patrolling key locations to prevent crime and respond to incidents. Anyone who has concerns or who experiences threatening behaviour or is worried about their safety can approach our officers directly or get in touch with us via our normal reporting channels.”

They added: “We are aware that the ongoing conflict may lead to further protests over the coming days. We will ensure that an appropriate policing plan is in place in order to balance the right to protest against any disruption to communities. Behaviour that crosses the line into criminality will not be tolerated and equally we will take the strongest action against perpetrators of hate crime because we know that it has a devasting impact on individual victims and targeted communities. You can call us on 101 to report a crime. Always call 999 in an emergency. You can also report crime anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”