English: Although the South African Apartheid regime involved murderous injustice against many of the country's black population, it was in one important sense not as bad as the situation facing Palestinians. For while the South African Apartheid government needed its black population as an essential workforce, the Israeli government has no need at all for the Palestinian population imprisoned in Gaza or in the impoverished isolated communities of the West Bank. Israel only needs their land. So while the term "apartheid" might to some extent help in drawing public attention to the injustices against Palestinians, it doesn't fully describe the extent of Israel's ongoing crimes against the population.

Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in Grosvenor Square from midday outside the US Embassy which has constantly backed Israel's illegal occupation and supported Israeli military action against Palestine which during the 2014 assault, killed approximately 500 children. Although 136 countries have recognised Palestine representing the vast majority of the world's population, it is still not recognised by the United Kingdom or the United States.

It shouldn't be a surprise that in a political system dominated by financial institutions and multinational corporations with a vested interest in maintaining the highly anti-democratic and repressive status quo in the Middle East that only 35 British MPs, only fractionally over 5 per cent of all those in parliament, have actually spoken out on the issue, signing a declaration calling for the UK to recognise the state of Palestine.

The British media has a natural sympathy with Israel due to Britain's long imperial history as a brutal settler colonial state and the British and US governments have always recognised the importance of supporting Israel in order to maintain their own economic and strategic hegemony in the MIddle East which is strongly opposed by the vast majority of the region's population who are victims of the dictators and neo liberal policies backed by the two nations.

Although Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn sent a message of support, many demonstrators were disappointed that he didn't speak from the platform at the end of the march. Only one Labour MP, Andy Slaughter, was among the eminent speakers, who included Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, Ken Loach, John Pilger and the SNP MP John Nicolson.

The march was held on the hundredth anniversary of the Balfour Declaration ( 2 November 2017 ) which, while it laid the basis for a future Jewish homeland, was also supposed to protect the rights of Palestinians. It had promised that “nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine.” A promise which was never kept. Marchers carried placards which read "Justice for Palestine", "Stop Arming Israel" and "Free Palestine".