Police say October 7 Palestine protest inside Belfast City Hall passed off 'without incident'

The demonstration involved a group standing in the main reception area, waving Palestine flags and chanting “in our millions, we are all Palestinians”.

It happened on October 7 – the anniversary of Hamas’ 2023 bloodbath in Israel, where Hamas went house to house killing or abducting the occupants.

Belfast City Council said: “There was a short gathering of people in City Hall yesterday morning and Belfast City Council security were made aware and the gathering left soon after.”

The PSNI said: “Police attended a protest at the City Hall in Belfast on Tuesday evening, October 7. The protest passed off without incident.”

The DUP councillor Dean McCullough said: “To hold such a demonstration on this date – when the world pauses to remember the slaughter of innocent men, women, and children – is not activism. It is deeply offensive, profoundly insensitive, and morally indefensible.

“Belfast City Hall is meant to be a shared civic space – a space for all communities, including our Jewish community, who have faced unimaginable pain since that day.”

He said the protest was “shameful” but “not an isolated incident”.

"If those involved truly cared about peace or a ceasefire, they would be calling for the release of every hostage, the disbandment of Hamas, and the recognition of Israel’s right to exist,” he said.

"Anything less is not a call for peace – it is a refusal to confront terror.”

He added: “Let me say clearly to the Jewish community in Belfast – this does not represent our city. You are foremost in our thoughts and prayers today, and you have friends who will continue to stand with you, speak for you, and defend your right to live in peace and dignity.”