Hundreds of protesters gathered in Bournemouth to demand the town cut ties with its twin Israel city Netanya. 

The event was held in the town centre on Saturday and saw campaigners waving Palestine flags before taking to the streets to call for the un-twinning of Bournemouth to Netanya. 

Following the October 7 attacks signs connoting the relationship between Netanya and Bournemouth went missing with both BCP Council and MP for Bournemouth East, Tobias Ellwood expressing disappointment.

Chair of the Bournemouth-based Palestine Solidarity Movement, Bilal Yasin, said: "For over 25 years, Bournemouth residents have marched, signed petitions, and submitted letters to the council and twinning committee, but until now, they have been ignored.

“It’s now, surely, time to urgently review this arrangement, as Bournemouth residents quite rightly no longer want our town to be associated with a country that operates an apartheid system which disenfranchises and oppresses a section of its population, that discriminates, brutalises and dehumanises them; a country that is currently standing trial for carrying out a genocide at the International Court of Justice.”

The march was joined by Palestinian Ambassador to the UK, Dr Husam Zumlot and Green Party candidates for the upcoming General Election, Cllr Joe Salmon (Bournemouth East) and Sarah Ward (Poole).