The hottest day of the year didn’t deter the more than 350,000 demonstrators as they assembled in London in support of Palestine on Saturday, 21st June. In addition to calls for Israel to stop the genocide and the deliberate starvation in Gaza, there was more of a focus on Iran than ever before. Many called for a complete de-escalation of the Middle East and blamed Keir Starmer for not calming it down.
Speakers Ben Jamal from Palestine Solidarity Campaign and MPs Jeremy Corbyn and Zara Sultana MP spoke about how the world has turned upside down as the government tries to convince us that what we know and view on our television screens is not genocide. Examples were given of the staggering hypocrisy of the UK government where one minute it says “never again” to genocide and yet the arms sales to Israel continue. Politicians should be using every ounce of their energy to bring about a peaceful solution. Instead, we live in a parallel universe.
Humza Yousaf, the former SNP leader, said that the Government was abusing anti-terror laws against pro-Palestinian activists and he compared the current crisis to the run-up to the Iraq war.
Singer-song writer Paloma Faith said that those “who facilitate these crimes against humanity need to be made accountable”.
The march happened when news that two members of Palestine Action had broken into RAF Brize Norton and sprayed red paint, symbolizing Palestinian bloodshed, on two military planes in a high-profile security breach at the UK’s largest airbase. The targeted planes, Airbus Voyagers, can carry military cargo and are used to refuel Israel/UK military aircraft and fighter jets that go to Gaza.
Palestine Action called for emergency mobilisation in response to government plans for designate it a terrorist organisation. Some marchers carried posters reading We Are All Palestine Action.
Jeremy Corbyn finished his speech saying, “All we have are ourselves with our humanitarian instincts …. We are the global voice for peace and humanity, and we won’t go away.”
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