AS the ‘Welfare not Warfare’ March was getting ready to leave the BBC and head for Downing Street, Margaret Mills, a Unison member from Leicestershire, told News Line: ‘It’s time the Palestinian people had their own territory.
‘The Israelis have to reflect on the what they are doing to the Palestinians, because in many ways it’s no different from the “final solution” genocide that Hitler inflicted on them.
‘What we are witnessing is the wiping out of the Palestinian people. If the Israelis had nothing to fear they would let the world’s press in. We have to strike, that’s where our power lies.’
Marwa Abdelmola, a restaurant worker from Paris, said: ‘The war in Palestine is not fair, it’s not justice, both sides need to live in peace.
‘We cannot divide the land for a religion cause. Palestinians have got no rights, they haven’t got the minimum rights to food and water.
‘If you look back in history, the British have the main responsibility for what’s going on. In 1948 the British were behind the Nakba.
‘I’m from Egypt and even in Egypt it’s the same. Before the war Jews, Christians and Muslims lived in peace together, and that is what must happen again.’
Lorna McMahon, a campaigner from Victoria, central London, said: ‘I want to bring about change.
‘Starmer is giving all this money to Zelensky when all the kids are being murdered in Gaza. We need strike action for Palestine.
‘I’m always fighting for justice and the underdog. Starmer is having people arrested, sending round the thought police.
‘If they want to save the Labour Party they’ve got to get rid of Starmer.
‘They are cutting Winter Fuel Allowance to raise money for their wars.’
Phil Clarke, National Education Union (NEU) Regional Secretary, said: ‘We are just about to put the Pay Review Body offer to members.
‘The offer sets out that some of this year’s pay rise will have to come out of existing budgets and that we will have to make “efficiencies”, to use their word.
‘We are very clear that what they are talking about is cuts – cuts to teachers support, cuts to education provision.
‘It is unacceptable that the government doesn’t put the money behind it and we will fight it.’
Vicky Patel, University of Bristol Unison, said: ‘There has to be strike action for Palestine. Nothing else is working.
‘The government isn’t listening. Israel has committed multiple war crimes, there should not be complicity in that.
‘There are lots of redundancies in the university sector – thousands of redundancies among lecturers, but also in the student services sector in our union. There should be national strike action.’
At the rally in Whitehall at the end of the march, the first speaker was Paula Peters of Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC), who said: ‘Labour’s benefit cuts are disastrous.
‘They are ramping up homelessness. This government is taking the PIP out of us.
‘Here is our message to Starmer – we want Welfare not Warfare! Let’s tell Rachel Reeves her days are numbered.’
Striking Birmingham bin worker Mike Masters told the rally: ‘Birmingham Council has cut 600 jobs. The Tories brought in six commissioners and they are dictating policy.
‘First they removed the safety critical role and imposed massive pay cuts on us. Rayner told bin workers to accept what she called a good deal, but it was not a good deal. We are a strong force. Enough is enough. Why should we be pushed into austerity?
‘This is the strike that shapes our future and we won’t give up. Thank you for your unconditional support,’ Masters concluded to loud cheers.
Nurse Angela Turner said: ‘Our annual pay award of 3.6% is another real terms pay cut. It’s not just cruel, it’s also cowardly. Nurses stand in full support of doctors and all NHS staff.
‘Health workers, now is your time! To every worker we say “Stand with us as we fight for the future of the NHS”!’
PCS National President Martin Kavanagh said: ‘We’ve had a Labour government for a year now that hasn’t been listening to the people that put them there.
‘We will not accept a government that is complicit in genocide and which is also cutting welfare.
‘Let’s call it what it is. It’s not defence spending, it’s military spending and it’s war spending.’
John Reece, co-founder of the People’s Assembly, said: ‘Dock workers of Marseille, dock workers in Genoa and dock workers in Piraeus in Greece are blocking arms to Israel. Such action must and will spread around the world.
‘When they are cutting welfare from the poor and spending billions on putting profits into the pockets of the arms dealers, we say this is not a Labour government.’
Diane Abbott, Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, said: ‘This is absolutely an international struggle. We have to fight the racists.
‘I was very disturbed to hear Keir Starmer attack immigrants. Immigrants built this land, built this society.
‘He said we risk becoming a country of strangers – I think that was a racist thing to say.
‘My parents came to this country in the 1950s and they weren’t strangers. We will keep fighting and keep campaigning.’
Sarah Kilpatrick, NEU President said: ‘The NEU has 500,000 members and every one of us knows that it is hard to teach hungry children.
‘Every one of us knows that our schools are underfunded. They are using our money to murder children in Gaza. We want books not bombs. Welfare not warfare. Labour ape the racist rhetoric of Reform UK.’
Islington MP Jeremy Corbyn said: ‘They are spending £2.7 trillion on arms this year and NATO is demanding more.
‘They are demanding 5% of GDP is spent on arms and Starmer announces six new nuclear powered subs.
‘As wars rage around the world the genocide of Palestine continues. And this is all when they are taking £5 billion out of the welfare budget. We have to keep on marching, demonstrating and protesting.’
Palestinian activist Leanne Mohammed said: ‘Enough is enough. We live in a system that enabled genocide in Gaza and imposes austerity here.
‘In Gaza, children are being starved and bombed with British government support. We live in a system which makes a choice to fund warfare not welfare. Keir Starmer is choosing his policies. They want us to accept their genocide.
‘We say workers in Britain are wising up. I came to within 500 votes of beating Wes Streeting in the Ilford North constituency in the general election.
‘No more genocide, no more austerity. People are sick of betrayal, sick of genocide. This government has got to be stopped. There is a movement rising. Another world is not only possible, it is necessary.
‘The callousness they show abroad is the same callousness they show here.’
Tanya Murat, Southwark Homes for All, Shape and Defend Council Housing, said: We’re very clear about what’s needed to solve the housing crisis – Build Council Houses! Requisition empty homes. There’s no crisis in the amount of housing, but empty houses have to be occupied. Rein in the power of the landlords.
‘Next Saturday is the 8th anniversary of the Grenfell fire. None of the perpetrators have been jailed and there has been no Justice for Grenfell.
‘In Peckham, SHAPE is fighting the property developer Berkeley Homes who are planning to build a tiny proportion of council homes in their huge development.
‘We say refurbishment not demolition, and homes for people, not for profit!’
