London, October 28, 2023
In an unprecedented massive gathering in London, more than 500,000 demonstrators took to the streets of London today to protest the ongoing aggression against the Gaza Strip and the occupation’s beginning to expand its ground operations in preparation for storming the Strip. The demonstration was organised by a broad coalition of solidarity organisations supporting Palestinian rights and rejecting the Israeli occupation of Palestine. The demonstrators carried Palestinian flags and banners demanding a ceasefire in preparation for ending the war on Gaza and stopping the crimes of genocide and displacement against the Palestinians.
The protesters demanded an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and to allow the flow of urgent humanitarian aid. The speakers at the speech festival held at the end of the demonstration, which included a number of parliamentarians, representatives of trade unions, and heads of solidarity organisations, demanded an immediate end to the war on Gaza and an end to the British government’s support for the occupation government. They called on it to bear legal and moral responsibility towards the innocent civilian victims in the besieged Strip.
The demonstration witnessed an exceptional event when a British citizen whose family resides in Gaza took the stage, where he spoke about the tragedy his family is experiencing due to the continuous bombing in Gaza. The demonstration included a section dedicated to supporting the children of Gaza, which carried a strong message to the world that the international community cannot and will not turn a blind eye to the plight of innocent children killed by Israeli terrorism. Parents and teachers stood alongside their children, holding signs highlighting the urgent need to protect and nurture the future of Gaza’s children and hopeful youth.
Zaher Birawi, head of the Palestinian Forum in Britain and one of the organisers of the national demonstrations and events rejecting the war in London, said that these huge demonstrations are considered a global popular referendum on support for Gaza and additional evidence that the narrative of the occupation and its allies in the West regarding Gaza being similar to ISIS does not deceive the peoples of the world, and that People do not believe their governments and do not care about their false narratives about Gaza. Birawi pointed out that British opinion polls regarding the war on Gaza confirm that the vast majority of Britons (76%) demand an end to the war.
Birawi stressed that the two main parties in Britain have become aware that they will pay the price for their positions and support for the war on Gaza in the upcoming general elections, as opinion polls among Muslims conducted by the MEND Foundation two days ago indicated that the Labor Party, which aspired to win the general elections in May of next year, He has lost traditional support for him among the Arab and Muslim community and will lose more than 60% of the Muslim votes in many electoral districts inhabited by Muslims. Birawi added that the position of a small number of party leaders and representatives, most notably the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who called for a ceasefire in Gaza, bypassing his party leader, Keir Starmer, is considered an important position, but it will not convince Muslims to return to their previous support for the Labor Party because of the party’s position on the war. crimes against Gaza.
For more information, please contact: media@pfbuk.com
28/10/2023
