Palestinian Solidarity Rally in London
I attended the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign rally in London today. I went for two reasons. Firstly, I know that Palestinians welcome the show of support. They are under attack in their homeland and thousands have died in a genocidal campaign by Israeli armed forces. They are fellow human beings, they should be supported. Secondly, a well-attended rally is a sign to the British state that its support for the actions of Israel is just plain wrong. The killing of Palestinians is a genocide. You should never support a genocide.
What I saw and heard was quite extraordinary.
This rally had been planned and approved in advance. Permission was then withdrawn by the Met because marching past the BBC (in protest of its coverage of the genocide) was deemed unacceptable. The rally became a static event in Whitehall.
When I arrived, a stage had been set up for speakers in Whitehall as a centerpiece for the rally. Sound and vision were being tested. The police then declared an exclusion zone around the stage creating the impression that the stage could not be used. It was later used by speakers like Jeremy Corbyn, so why the exclusion zone?
Other police lines were placed across Whitehall to restrict movement up and down the road. People could move, but only through narrow gaps. This created some dangerous crushes. I moved to the North end of Whitehall and found that access to Trafalgar Square was blocked by a line of police vans. It became impossible to leave this area, it was effectively a kettle. My friend and I went to a pub as it wasn’t possible to leave the area. The publican was deeply annoyed because his passing trade had collapsed.
Eventually the protesters formed up into a march and pushed into the police line on the southern edge of Trafalgar Square. The police fell back under the pressure and the march spilled into the square. The police vans then blocked Pall Mall and Northumberland Avenue. Probably The Strand as well.
This is all quite extraordinary. Marches take place in London all the time. A route is agreed. The traffic is stopped and the march takes place. Taking to the street to express a point of view is an established aspect of our open and democratic way of life in the UK. So why was this march expressing solidarity with the victims of a genocide treated differently?
Probably for the same reasons that the mainstream newspapers and media never refer to what is happening in Gaza as a genocide. Probably for the same reasons that neither the current or former governments will refer to what is happening as a genocide. Probably for the same reasons that demand Western democracies continue to provide support to Israel when it’s prime minister and defence minister are the subject of International Criminal Court arrest warrants on charges of genocide.
These comments are not directed at the police. My experience of dealing with the police whilst attending and photographing street rallies and protests has always been positive. They are reasonable and courteous. Today, something else was going on. People with power wanted this protest to be squashed. Banning a protest is bad PR, so the police were directed to make life as difficult as possible for the protestors.
As a citizen of a democracy, I expect honesty and transparency from political leaders and for them to act in the public interest. I expect the same from institutions like the media and the police. With regard to the activities of Israel in Gaza, these expectations are not being met. Whilst the unfortunate people of Gaza are losing their lives, we in the UK are losing aspects of our democracy and freedom.
Stop the genocide. Stop the lies.
