THERE were bloody clashes outside the Israeli embassy in London today as protesters threw fireworks, stones, shoes and glass bottles at riot police.

Around 200 police confronted protesters with batons, leaving several wounded, as masked men raced towards the gates of the Israeli embassy carrying Palestinian and Hezbollah flags.

Earlier, thousands of demonstrators - including human rights activist Bianca Jagger and Respect MP George Galloway - marched through the capital, as protests against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza intensified.

The London rally was mirrored in towns and cities across the UK and locations around the world. They followed similar protests in parts of the Muslim world on Friday.

In London, where the largest demonstration was held, protesters threw their shoes at the gates of No 10 Downing St, echoing the protest of an Iraqi journalist who hurled his footwear at President George W Bush during a press conference last month.

Police guarding Downing Street were forced to duck as a firework was hurled towards No 10, exploding metres from the iron gates and echoing around Whitehall.

Later on in the march there were chaotic scenes when protesters entered an underpass in Piccadilly. According to eyewitness reports, police in riot gear began hitting and stamping on protesters, leaving several wounded with head injuries.

Several hundred protesters later gathered outside the Israeli Embassy in Kensington calling for an immediate end to the Israeli air strikes. One group of demonstrators set fire to an Israeli flag while other protesters attempted to scale metal barriers protecting the embassy building.

Addressing a rally in Trafalgar Square today, Jagger called on president-elect Barack Obama to “speak up” about the crisis in Gaza.

“People throughout the world were hopeful when he was elected and we must appeal to him to ask for the immediate cessation of the bombardment of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip,” she said.

The singer Annie Lennox spoke of her shock at watching the Israeli offensive of the bombing on television.

She said: “A few days after Christmas I came downstairs, put the television on, and saw smoke pyres coming from buildings and I was shocked to the core.

Former London Mayor Ken Livingstone and Jewish comedian Alexei Sayle also added their support to the campaign.

Sayle said he was speaking out because it was important for Jewish voices to be heard.

He said: “I want to feel proud of Israel, I want to be proud of my people but I am ashamed.”

The UN has reported that some 2,000 Palestinians have been wounded since the air strikes began last Saturday. More than 400 people have been killed, including 60 civilians - 34 of them children.

Three Israeli civilians and a soldier have also died as a result of rockets fired by Hamas militants across the Gaza border.

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