By Fiona Edwards
Saturday’s national demonstration against Israel’s assault on Gaza represented the biggest ever mobilisation for Palestine in British history. 150,000 people marched to demand an end to the massacre, an end to the siege and for the West to stop arming Israel.
The demonstration, which was organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign alongside a coalition of groups including Friends of Al Asqa, Stop the War and CND, was diverse, upbeat and mobilised huge numbers of young people. This is a reflection of the fact that a new generation has been radicalised in response to the horrific scenes of death and devastation that have been exposed to the world through international media outlets and social media, despite the Western media’s best efforts to suppress the truth.
Saturday’s march ended with a rally in Hyde Park where a broad platform of Palestinians, MPs, peace campaigners, student leaders, trade unionists and others addressed the huge crowd of protesters.
MPs attacked Prime Minister David Cameron for the government’s refusal to stop arming Israel, with Diane Abbott MP warning that “{he} needs to know that we will keep up the pressure until he takes a stand that is morally defensible.”
Glyn Secker from Jews for Justice for Palestinians, made a powerful speech. He said: “Today, an image remains in my mind. It is the image of a Palestinian father carrying the flesh of his son in a plastic bag. As a Jew, I will not ever be associated with these monstrosities. Never in my name, never in my life, never in my children’s life.”
A liveblog with a huge collection photos, videos and speeches from the march is available here.
As the international pressure on Israel and its allies in the West continues to mount, we must keep on vigorously campaigning in support of the Palestinian demands.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign are coordinating a national day of localised action in solidarity with Gaza on Saturday 16 August – click here find out what is happening in your area and get involved.