Israel conflict latest: VIDEO FOOTAGE - Crowd in Londonderry chants 'from the river to the sea Palestine will be free' on the same day that UK government warns police forces to be on lookout for that phrase

The gathering saw hundreds of protestors march through the Bogside area to the Guildhall last night in response to the latest escalation of violence in Israel and Gaza, which began in earnest on Saturday morning when Hamas men entered southern Israel and shot and kidnapped random civilians.

Israel has responded with airstrikes on Gaza, and Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant has announced a “complete siege” of the enclave (according to Haaretz’ English translation), adding: "No power, no food, no gas, everything is closed. We are fighting human animals and we act accordingly."

The chant above is an especially contentious one, because many Israelis and their supporters take it as a call for Israel to be expunged.

That’s because the river in question – the River Jordan – forms the easternmost border of Israel, whilst the sea refers to the western border: the Mediterranean.

Standing in between the two is almost the entirety of the Israeli population, as well as that of the occupied Palestinian West Bank.

In a letter to UK police chiefs on Tuesday, Home Secretary Suella Braverman had told forces to be vigilant and to take action against anything signifying support for Hamas.

She specifically singled out that chant for mention, saying: “It is not just explicit pro-Hamas symbols and chants that are cause for concern.

“I would encourage police to consider whether chants such as ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ should be understood as an expression of a violent desire to see Israel erased from the world, and whether its use in certain contexts may amount to a racially aggravated Section 5 public order offence.

“Context is crucial. Behaviours that are legitimate in some circumstances, for example the waving of a Palestinian flag, may not be legitimate such as when intended to glorify acts of terrorism.”

Free Derry Corner has also been repainted with Palestinian flags by the Republican Socialist Youth Movement, the youth wing of the IRSP (which is itself linked to the INLA), along with the message: Ireland supports Palestinian resistance.

Bobby Sands’ famous phrase has also been added: “Our revenge will be the laughter of our children.”

Sinn Fein councillor Emma McGinley posted up pictures of the rally at Free Derry Corner, along with the message: “To stop the cycle of violence, we need ceasefires, the renewal of dialogue & the rigorous enforcement of international law equally for all.

"An end to the occupation & an end to Israel’s apartheid regime that violates the rights of Palestinians. Derry stands with Palestine.”

Among the images posted online of pro-Palestine symbols in Londonderry in recent days are some from a Twitter user called Dyuti (@dyutich), who describes herself as “Postdoc at @uccsoc @ucdsociology & @GVAGrad_IntHis alum - Reproductive justice, postcolonial & decolonial feminisms, borders & borderlands. (she/her)”.

"I took some pictures of solidarity graffiti in Strabane during my trips to the North this summer,” she wrote on Twitter.

Among the "expressions of solidarity with #Palestine” she posted was an image of a Palestine flag above a large IRA memorial.

In further tweets she also went on to describe the reaction to the Hamas attack as a “moral panic” and criticised “arrogant Euro-American journos (read 'White'!) at the BBC, Channel4 and the CNN”.

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