This demonstration was the first since the Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary of the current Labour Government proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation under the Terrorism Act of 2000, essentially making them in the eyes of the law, the same as ISIS, Al Qaeda, or the far right National Action. As of July 19th, over 100 people have been arrested for carrying signs saying “I Support Palestine Action” or similar This includes and 83 year old vicar.
Amnesty International described the ban as “an unprecedented legal overreach”. describing the UK’s definition of terrorism as as “deeply flawed and overly broad”.
Human rights experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) criticised the “unjustified labelling of a political protest movement as ‘terrorist’”.
The International Court of Justice, states that Israel is illegally occupying Gaza and the West Bank, and that states should not assist it. The UK is supplying arms and military support to Israel, essentially making us complicit in a genocide. The UK government are now targeting those speaking out against this.
There was heavy rain on the day of the demonstration, but still an estimated 80’000 turned up to protest the genocide. We met Stephen Kapos, the UK’s oldest Holocaust survivor at Embankment tube, who was in attendance with his daughter and grandson. In March this year, he was questioned by the Met Police, after laying flowers at a demonstration. He uses his time to speak out against what Israel is doing and the UK’s complicity in it
In July this year, Catherine Russell of UNICEF briefed the UN Security Council that on average 28 children per day were being killed in Gaza. Whilst at the same time; “Between May 27th and July 7th, the UN Human Rights Office recorded the killings of 798 Palestinian civilians – including children – desperate to find food, at or near distribution sites and humanitarian convoys.”
“In addition, the number of Palestinian children from the West Bank in detention for alleged security-related offences has reached its highest level in seven years. This includes 120 children detained without charge or trial, under administrative detention orders.”
After the demo, we went for a cup of tea and ended up sharing a table with a group of Jewish people, who’s also been on the demo, it turned out we knew some of the same people. They told us that some pro Israel supporters had shouted at them that they were ‘n*z* collaborators”
Voices from the Protests 