Palestinian icon Ahed Tamimi joins London march to mark Nakba Day

Teenage Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi joined thousands in London on Saturday for a demonstration to mark the 71st anniversary of the mass displacement of Palestinians during the creation of the Israeli state in 1948.

Marchers in central London chanted "Palestine will be free" as they demanded the right of return for Palestinian refugees who were expelled or fled from their homes during the Nakba, or catastrophe.

Demonstrators held banners calling on the UK to stop arming Israel, as marchers called for an end to "unprecedented attacks" on Palestinians by Israel.

Other placards read "Exist! Resist! Return!" and "Freedom to Palestine".

Ahed Tamimi, an 18-year-old who became a symbol of Palestinian resistance after she was jailed for slapping an Israeli soldier, joined the march with her father Bassem Tamimi, a grassroots activist in the village of Nabi Saleh.

Taking to the stage for a speech, Tamimi said she was a freedom fighter and refused to be defined as a victim.

The PLO's UK representative Husam Zomlot, British MPs, and pro-Palestine campaigners also gave speeches at the event.

The rally was organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

More than 750,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled in fighting during the creation of the Israeli state, and millions of their descendants now scattered around the world demand the right to return to their historic homes.

Nakba Day is generally commemorated on May 15.

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