Tens of thousands defy police on Palestine march in London

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝 𝙞𝙣 𝙇𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙤𝙣 (𝙋𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚: 𝙂𝙪𝙮 𝙎𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙢𝙖𝙣)

The Palestine movement in Britain faced one of its biggest tests during its national demonstration on Saturday.

The British state was determined to block marchers from leaving Whitehall. But tens of thousands of people defied the massed ranks of the Metropolitan Police, who’d come determined to mete out mass arrests and repression.

Palestine marchers wanted to march from Whitehall to the BBC, but the Met erected police lines and barricades.

Around 3pm, Palestine Solidarity Campaign director Ben Jamal announced that a delegation would march to the BBC.

The crowd opened and a delegation, including MPs Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell, went to the front and were let through.

The march broke through the police’s barricade. The police quickly reformed. But protesters pushed through the second line too—and a sea of people streamed into Trafalgar Square.

Police blocked the exits and arrested chief steward Chris Nineham of the Stop The War Coalition.

One campaigner who pushed through police lines told Socialist Worker, “The cops are stopping democracy, our demonstration, our right to protest. They are orchestrated by our government and our government is pro-Zionist.

“They are denying our democratic rights because they don’t want us protesting our genocide. Our government wants to defend a colonial outpost in the Middle East and so the police are against us.”

Police arrested at least 50 other people and violently repressed the protest in Trafalgar Square. The police stopped people from marching on the BBC, but the Palestine movement showed its radicalism and determination.

Paul told Socialist Worker, “The police have been so obstructive—we especially wanted to come out to make a point about freedom to protest.”

The demonstration was supposed to gather outside the BBC in Portland Place to expose the hypocrisy of its reporting. But police denied marchers that right, claiming it would threaten a nearby synagogue.

“They are all out to get these marches banned if they can,” Paul said. “It’s an excuse that there is a synagogue nearby—as if that matters. Lots of us here are Jewish, but it seems we are the wrong kind of Jews.”

Protester Phoebe said, “It’s a disgrace that they try to stop people marching. I don’t know how they can live with themselves. I’m here because of the atrocities that this country is enabling in Gaza and around the world. The ceasefire brings hope but is not enough.”

Protester Ali Hadi said, “I’ve been to almost all of the protests. It’s because of the invasion, the occupation, the genocide. So I’m obviously very happy to see the ceasefire. I hope it lasts.

“But you have to look at the root cause,” he added. “The apartheid and the occupation. It will happen again unless the Palestinians have human rights and unless they have a state. They have to live side by side but they need equal rights.

“People who face injustice are always going to lash out—they just want liberation.”

Since the ceasefire was provisionally announced on Wednesday, Israel has escalated it’s brutal destruction and murder in Gaza.

Zakariya told Socialist Worker, “Israel uses it as an excuse and opportunity to do maximum damage just before it is called.” “On the back of how many dead” does this come, he asked. “Is this truly long lasting? I’m doubtful.”

He added, “Israel’s intentions are to grow and make a larger Israel and expand. It is not just spontaneous—these are steps that the Israeli government is taking.”

Fiona, who lives in London, said that, “Palestine needs more than a ceasefire. It needs a solution, preferably a one secular state with equal rights for all.” She argued that means to “stop arming Israel and stop all diplomatic support to Israel.”

The West has facilitated Israel’s genocide. Marc, who travelled from Nottingham, slammed the hypocrisy of Joe Biden talking up his role in the peace talks. “Israel couldn’t carry out its genocide without the US backing it,” he told Socialist Worker.

What has happened over the last 15 months has shown that those at the top “will side with anyone who furthers their own interests”. “I think that Donald Trump will just give Israel even more support,” he said.

He argued, “We have to keep going until the occupation ends. We need numbers, boycotts, anything that we can do. I’ve been in over a dozen marches and will come to many more.”

Arthur, a protester from Liverpool, said, “I don’t trust Israel at all. There’ll be a ceasefire while they get their hostages back, and then their genocide will start up again.

“I hope this brings Israel down, but they have the backing of the American Empire and Britain.”

Lindsey German from Stop The War told the demonstration, “Tomorrow we have the ceasefire in Gaza. Everyone must celebrate this brief pause in the brutality. But we all know the level of destruction is horrific.

“That is the fault of the Israelis, but not them alone—it’s the fault of everyone who said Israel has the right to defend itself.

“Everyone knows this ceasefire could’ve happened months ago, but it didn’t because they allowed the genocide. It is shocking to see the level of repression we have faced over our democratic right to march.

“We are not going to stop demonstrating as the ceasefire is just the beginning of freedom from Palestinians.”

Dr Ismail Patel from Friends of Al-Aqsa emphasised the power of the demonstrations. “This is a milestone—so we need to continue, to demonstrate, to boycott, to campaign,” he said. “Our collective strength is greater than that of Starmer and it can give peace and justice to the whole of humanity.

“We stand here with a glimmer of hope. We have to understand that we have a great struggle we must continue.”

A sense of defiance captured the 23rd national Palestine demonstration—we need more of that militancy and mass numbers to win. It’s vital to keep fighting for the British state to cut all ties with Israel and stop all arms sales—and for a free Palestine from the river to the sea.