Bashing drums and waving banners, thousands of protestors marched through London on Saturday to demand an end to Israel's offensive in Lebanon and Gaza, with some also praising Hezbollah and Hamas.
The demonstrators, in one of several rallies across Britain, also urged British Prime Minister Tony Blair to stop what they described as his support of the conflict and join international calls for an immediate cease-fire.
"Peace for Lebanon!" rang the chant as the march, which began at 1.00 pm (1200 GMT), weaved its way through central London, past the US embassy and on to Hyde Park, watched all the way by the police.
"Stop the killing, stop to the bombs. Israel out of Lebanon," shouted the peaceful protestors, many draped in Lebanese or Palestinian flags, while others yelled: "Hezbollah is here to stay. Zionism go away."
Betty Hunter, general secretary of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, one of the groups that organised the event, said it was vital to reject Israel's two-pronged campaign against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.
"The main purpose of this demonstration is to say to Tony Blair and our government that we are ashamed of the position they are taking which is basically to collude with the war crimes of Israel," she told AFP. "We are here to demand that the British government changes its policy. We really must have an immediate cease-fire."
Israel's 11-day air offensive in Lebanon has left more than 340 people dead, while more than 100 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier have died in Gaza.
Disgust at the toll spurred people, young and old, some immigrants from the Middle East others born and bred Britons, to join the rally in London. Police put the number of participants at 6,000 to 7,000, while organisers said turnout was between 20,000 and 25,000.
Jenny McKenzie, a 32-year-old lawyer living in London, said she felt compelled to take part. "I am furious about the atrocities being carried out by Israel," she said, waving a poster that read: "End Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Palestine".
Other posters warned against a strike on Iran, while some proclaimed: "Yo Blair. Go Blair", in an apparent reference to US President George W. Bush's casual greeting of the British leader at a G8 summit.
Wissam Wehbe, 30, a refugee from Lebanon, trampled on a dirty US flag as he demanded an end to the Israeli attack on his country, where his mother, father, sister, brother-in-law and their children are still living.
A Middle East cease-fire was the focus of the rally, but some participants, including a lawmaker, used it to pledge allegiance to the Shiite militant group, which triggered the crisis by kidnapping two Israeli soldiers and killing eight on the Israeli-Lebanese border on July 12.
George Galloway, an outspoken MP for the anti-war Respect Party, prompted claps and cheers as he praised Hezbollah and its leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Away from London, other much smaller demonstrations were also being held around Britain, including Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield and York.