Great march in favor of the Palestinians began in London while clashes took place nearby between far-right protesters and the police, who deployed a large operation to prevent clashes between the two rival groups.

The pro-Palestinian march, which is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of people, also sparked a counter-demonstration by right-wing groups in the capital on Britain’s day of remembrance for World War I veterans.

London’s Metropolitan Police said in a post on X that officers had come under attack from protesters who were in “significant numbers” in the city, adding that they would not allow them to confront the pro-Palestinian demonstration.

“We will use all the powers and strategies at our disposal to prevent this from happening,” police said.

Clashes between police and far-right counter-protesters took place near the war cenotaph earlier today, where some of the counter-protesters chanted: “We want our country back”.

Bottles were later thrown at police officers by right-wing groups in a separate incident in Chinatown, about a mile north of the war memorial, police said.

Police said nearly 2,000 officers have been deployed to prevent rioting.