Thousands attend pro-Palestine rally in London

Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched in central London on Saturday, calling for an end to Israel's military action in the Gaza Strip, which was triggered by last weekend's rampage in Israel by the Hamas militant group.

Protesters, many of them waving Palestinian flags and signs reading 'Free Palestine', gathered close to Oxford Circus from where they planned to head to Downing Street. Chants were aimed at the governments of Britain and the United States for supporting Israel.

Earlier on Saturday, the headquarters of the BBC, located close the start of the march, was daubed in red paint. Pro-Palestinian protests were planned in other cities around the world on Saturday