Tens of Thousands March in London to Demand Permanent Gaza Ceasefire

Flares are let off by protesters as others hold flags and placards during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Trafalgar Square in London, Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Flares are let off by protesters as others hold flags and placards during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Trafalgar Square in London, Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
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Tens of Thousands March in London to Demand Permanent Gaza Ceasefire

Flares are let off by protesters as others hold flags and placards during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Trafalgar Square in London, Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Flares are let off by protesters as others hold flags and placards during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Trafalgar Square in London, Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

A protester was arrested Saturday in London on suspicion of inciting racial hatred, as tens of thousands of people turned out on central London's streets for a pro-Palestinian march calling for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza.
The National March for Palestine, which aimed to finish in Whitehall, central London, was the latest in several huge protests staged in the British capital every weekend since the Israel-Hamas war began last month.
Saturday's protests came on the second day of a four-day cease-fire that has allowed critical humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and given civilians their first respite after seven weeks of war.
The Metropolitan Police said it arrested a man on suspicion of inciting racial hatred “near the start of the protest.”
“Officers spotted him carrying a placard with Nazi symbols on it," police said.
Officers handed out leaflets at the march that sought to clarify what would be deemed an offence, after the force faced pressure from senior government officials to be tougher on alleged displays of antisemitism at the protests.

The force said 1,500 officers were deployed to police the march.



Cyprus Says US Decree on Security Affirms Island's Stabilizing Role in Region

Nicosia, Cyprus | Photo: Getty Images
Nicosia, Cyprus | Photo: Getty Images
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Cyprus Says US Decree on Security Affirms Island's Stabilizing Role in Region

Nicosia, Cyprus | Photo: Getty Images
Nicosia, Cyprus | Photo: Getty Images

Cyprus on Thursday hailed a US memorandum allowing military sales, including arms, to the island as a milestone affirming recognition of the island as a pillar of stability in the east Mediterranean region which has been fraught with conflict.
US President Joe Biden boosted security ties with Cyprus on Wednesday by issuing a memorandum that makes the island eligible to receive American defense articles, military sales and training.
Cyprus has over the years played a key role in evacuating people out of conflict zones and established a maritime corridor for aid to war-ravaged Gaza last year.
"This (memorandum) is a clear recognition of the Republic of Cyprus as a pillar of stability and security in the Eastern Mediterranean, with the potential to further contribute to peace and the management of humanitarian challenges," the Cypriot presidency said in a statement.
Cyprus was close to Russia for decades, but there has been a marked shift in allegiances in recent years, Reuters said.
For many in Cyprus, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has drawn parallels to Türkiye’s invasion of Cyprus in 1974, and Cyprus, an EU member state, has followed its peers in adopting sanctions on Moscow. It is now getting FBI expertise in countering illicit finance.
Access to the US programs would enable greater interoperability to respond to regional humanitarian crises, counter malign influence, and combat terrorism and transnational organized crime, the US embassy in Nicosia said.
Deepening US-Cyprus relations are closely followed by Türkiye, which in September criticized the signing of a roadmap to boost defense co-operation between the United States and Cyprus.
Cyprus was split in a Turkish invasion following a brief Greek-inspired coup in 1974, following years of sporadic violence between Greek and Turkish Cypriots which triggered the collapse of a power-sharing administration in 1963.