London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 08, 2026

Afghanistan: Thousands of protesters descend on central London

Afghanistan: Thousands of protesters descend on central London

Thousands of protesters took to the streets of central London in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan on Saturday.

Signs which read “Stop the oppression of Afghan women”, “Afghanistan is bleeding” and “US & Nato failed” were held high as people marched through the capital in protest over the weekend.

Afghanistan flags were waved while others wore the country’s colours green, red and black at the demonstration.

Afghanistan flags were waved while others wore the country’s colours green, red and black at the demonstration


Crowds gathered at Parliament Square, Oxford Circus and Hyde Park as thousands showed their support to the ongoing Afghanistan crisis.

The Taliban have taken over Kabul after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the Presidential Palace and sought safety in United Arab Emirates with his family.

Ghani spoke from exile to say he left to avoid bloodshed and denied reports he had escaped with heaps of money on his person.

Kabul airport has descended into chaos as many have scrambled to try and escape the Taliban.

Afghans were crushed to death as they tried to flee the country, SkyNews reported over the weekend.

It comes after Afghans were seen clinging to planes in a desperate attempt to escape.

Specially deployed US troops have been in control of the airport while evacuations are being made.

On Friday, Boris Johnson reassured everyone the UK government were working around the clock to assist with the Afghanistan crisis.

Crowds gathered at Parliament Square, Oxford Circus and Hyde Park

“I can tell you that the whole of the government has been working virtually around the clock hitting the phones to do what we can.” He told the cameras.

“I’m not going to pretend to you that it’s easy. As you can imagine, challenges are formidable.”

The Prime Minister also defended the Foreign Secretary amid the criticism building around Raab enjoying a summer holiday in Greece at the same time the Taliban took over Afghanistan.

He said he “absolutely” had confidence in Raab when Mr Johnson was grilled by broadcasters about the situation in Afghanistan.

It comes amid reports the minister for Afghanistan Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon was on a staycation in the UK.

Elsewhere, US president Joe Biden vowed to bring home the Americans trapped in Afghanistan.

“We will get you home,” he said.

The US president said he wants to withdraw American troops by August 31 but he will continue to evacuate until he has brought home all the American citizens.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Rare Early Copy of US Declaration of Independence Found in British Archive
Cornish Language Revival Gains Momentum Through Schools and Community Programs
UK Authorities Face Criticism Over Prisoner Early Release Safeguards
Clacton By-Election Set After Nigel Farage Resigns Seat to Trigger Contest
Government Agencies Review Long-Term Fiscal Risks from Aging Population and Low Productivity
UK Heatwaves Expose Pressure on Public Transport and Housing Infrastructure
UK Government Prepares Welfare Review Amid Debate Over Personal Independence Payment Reform
UK Government Expands Rapid Endometriosis Testing Across NHS Services
Vistry Group Issues Profit Warning as UK Housing Market Faces Continued Pressure
Virgin Media Receives Record Twenty-Eight Million Pound Fine Over Contract Cancellation Failures
Office for Budget Responsibility Warns UK Public Finances Face Long-Term Pressure
UK Watchdog Warns Regional Income Gap Has Barely Narrowed in Three Decades
IMF Raises United Kingdom Growth Forecast as Inflation and Energy Pressures Ease
UK Government Launches Regulatory Reform Bill to Speed Up Commercialization of Innovation
Prince Harry Loses Privacy Lawsuit Against Daily Mail Publisher After High Court Rejects Claims
Federal Financial Framework Shifts as Treasury Launches Universal Savings Program for Minors
Jet2 Reports Strong Summer Travel Demand as Bookings Rise Seven Percent
Prince Harry Loses High Court Privacy Case Against Daily Mail Publisher
British Universities Warn Against Potential European Union Tuition Fee Changes
Heal Fertility Clinic Investigated After Embryo Biopsy Sample Mix-Up
Resolution Foundation Warns Regional Income Divide Has Barely Improved Since 1997
British Markets Remain Cautious as Middle East Tensions Rise and Government Transition Nears
Andy Burnham Poised to Become United Kingdom Prime Minister in Expected Political Transition
Nigel Farage Resigns as Member of Parliament Ahead of By-Election Amid Funding Investigation
Trump Declares Iran Ceasefire Over After Renewed Attacks on United States Bases
French Court Allows Le Pen to Run for Presidency, but with an Electronic Tag: "I Will Appeal, and I Will Run"
$1.4 Trillion: The Lawsuit That Could Crush Meta
Europe's Growing Struggle with Extreme Heat and Air Conditioning
UK Daily Briefing: Legal Developments and Social Issues
Political Turmoil and Rising Costs
Anthropic Reengineers Agentic Architecture to Shift Autonomous Workplace Automation to the Cloud
Logic Flaw in Windows 11 Permission Architecture Silently Consumes Hundreds of Gigabytes of Local Storage
Apple Advances Late-Stage Operating Systems with Fourth Beta Deployments
Global Crisis Alert: Escalating Middle East Tensions and UK Political Upheaval
UK Parliament Pushes for Greater Domestic Control Over Critical Technologies
UK Parliament Warns Trade Fair and Exhibition Industry Is Losing Global Competitiveness
Police Launch Murder Investigation After Mother and Two Children Found Dead Near Bedford
British Chambers of Commerce Survey Shows Business Confidence Falls to Post-Pandemic Low
UK Parliament Report Warns Britain Risks Falling Behind in Artificial Intelligence Sovereignty
Office for Budget Responsibility Warns United Kingdom Faces Long-Term Fiscal Pressures
Nigel Farage Resigns as Member of Parliament Amid Financial Scrutiny and Triggers By-Election
Deep Purple Has Released Its Best Album in Decades
UK MPs Criticise Student Loan System as Potentially Mis-Sold to Millions of Borrowers
Policy Groups Propose Bank of England-Backed Solar Loan Scheme for Millions of Homes
UK Health Agency Issues Amber Heat Alerts Across Six Regions as Temperatures Rise
Royal Air Force F-35 Jets Conduct First High North Air Policing Missions From Aircraft Carrier
Major UK Companies Join Government Cybersecurity Pledge Amid Rising Digital Threats
UK Sanctions Russian Operatives Linked to Chemical Weapons Programmes and Poisoning Cases
UK Government Expands Free Breakfast Clubs and Limits School Uniform Costs
UK Water Companies Face Tougher Penalties Under New Environmental Enforcement Rules
×