‘FREE, Free Palestine!’ shouted a crowd of over 400 workers and youth demonstrating opposite the Israeli embassy on Saturday.
The protest was part of the International Global March to Jerusalem against Israel’s ongoing violations against the Palestinians in Jerusalem.
‘In our thousands in our millions, we are all Palestinians,’ the crowd chanted, as we well as ‘From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free!’
News Line spoke to a number of the participants. Shahd Awawda, a lawyer from Palestine, said: ‘I come from Hebron.
‘I”m a volunteer here for five months.
‘My family live in Hebron – my grandmother and great grandmother have lived there.
‘We have houses for more than 100 years ago.
‘It’s not easy living in Hebron. There’s an Israeli settlement, moving checkpoints and Zionists live in Hebron itself.>
‘They annoy the Palestinians, they throw rubbish out of their windows on us.
‘We have two roads – the the narrow one is for the Palestinians and wide one is for Israelis.
‘I want one Palestine. We want to live in peace, we don’t want to stay like this.
‘The national unity government is a good thing.
‘I support a new Intifada – if the situation is like this, why not?
‘An Intifada will change things.
‘The Israelis are building more settlements, we want to stop this.
‘We would like peace but the Intifada is the last solution.
‘We have the right to fight as an occupied people.
‘We are an indigenous people, we have lived in Palestine for generations.
Denver Garrison, a volunteer from Lewisham, told News Line: ‘I’ve come today because I saw this advertised in the News Line.
‘I support the struggle of the Palestinians.
‘I was here in January, I want to see Israel taken to court for its war crimes against the Palestinians.
‘I’m also against what Israel is doing to people who are seeking asylum.
‘Israel has got away with its illegal occupation since 1948.
‘I support the boycott of Israel. The trade unions should organise a boycott.
‘Artists and musicians should not play in Israel – it’s an apartheid state.
‘Artists boycotted South Africa, they should boycott Israel.’
Anna W from Surrey added: ‘I’m showing solidarity with the Palestinians.
‘I want to do my bit in helping to end the occupation.
‘I’ve been to various countries because I’m interested in ancient history.
‘And I’ve been well received by Arab peoples in those countries.
‘It seems what is going on is like a slow genocide of the Palestinian people.
‘I’m not against Israeli people, but I’m against the Israeli government and body politic.
‘The new Palestinian national unity government is good.’
Imran Zakhi, a British Gas worker from Leicester, said: ‘In this day and age, animals have basic rights, how is it that the world turns a blind eye to the brutal occupation of the Palestinians at the hands of Israel?
‘I stand here today in solidarity with the Palestinians and say the brutal apartheid system – similar to the British one in South Africa – must cease.
‘I demand Israel stop their cold-blooded murder of innocent children.
‘The holding of administrative detainees is appalling.
‘I support the hunger strikers, also, I condemn the arrests of children who are beaten, tortured and forced to sign confessions in Hebrew – a language they don’t understand.
‘This is appalling from a country that signed the Convention on the Rights of a Child in 1991.
‘The national unity government is a good thing for the Palestinians.
‘Countries should enforce a boycott of Israel. The trade unions should work in conjunction with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.’
Palestinian student Eman Bahaj said: ‘I’m standing in solidarity with the Palestinians.
‘It’s important to me because I’m a Palestinian who was born in Europe and have never been back to my homeland.
‘It is painful for me and my family. My parents were refugees in Lebanon.
‘I’m here to show I haven’t forgotten where I came from.
‘I believe all Palestinians should have the right to return.
‘What Israel is doing is an injustice, and no one should support that.
‘Everybody should boycott Israel because they are doing an injustice against the Palestinian people.
‘I support any action that will give the Palestinians their rights back – though I”m not for violence.’
A west London pharmacist, Mohammed Jay, said: ‘We’re here to call for the stopping of the injustice that is happening in Palestine.
‘We’re calling for one state where everyone lives together as it was before the Zionist occupation.
‘I’m against the daily oppression, the fact that children have to go through barrier after barrier just to go to school, and workers have to do the same to go to work.
‘I support action that ends the occupation.
‘The national unity government is a step forward.
‘But it needs everyone to get their act together internationally and recognise a Palestinian state.
‘Workers’ unions should boycott Israel.’
Sarah Kasak was with her son Daniel. She said: ‘I’m from Slovakia and my son is Hungarian.
‘The Palestinians are our brothers and sisters. We want to show our solidarity and support for them.
‘They deserve to be free – everyone deserves to be free and have their own rights.”
Hackney pensioner John Clayden said: ‘I’ve been demonstrating for years in support of the Palestinians. I feel you have to keep on doing it.
‘What makes me feel so strongly is there is no difference between the Palestinians and anybody else. What is wrong is Palestinians being treated as expendable.
‘The way the BBC reported the Mavi Marmara and the Israeli Cast Lead bombardment of Gaza was blatantly serving the interests of the British government and its support for Israel and the Americans.
‘It was so uneven, and the key thing was when they refused to broadcast the Palestinians’ appeal for the victims.
‘The Irish TUC has come out for a boycott of Israel, the British TUC should call a boycott.’
Camden teacher Mohammad Abdullah said: ‘I’m here to raise awareness that there has been a theft of land for the past 66 years since 1947 when Palestine was occupied.
‘It’s colonialism. I’m raising awareness of shoppers to not buy produce that has been grown on stolen Palestinian land.
‘Also, I’m here as part of the Global March to Jerusalem by activists, not just here but all over the world.
‘The message is to everyone to not purchase goods from Israel, the Jordan Valley or produce grown by settlers in the West Bank.’
Katrina Thornton from London said: ‘I’m opposed to the illegal settlements, the stealing of Palestinian land and the bulldozing of Palestinians’ houses.
‘I’m for the end of the occupation and I’m especially against the torture of prisoners in Israeli jails, including child prisoners.
‘A trade union boycott would be a good idea.’
Omer El-Hamdoon from the Muslim Association of Britain addressed the gathering, saying: ‘Jerusalem is a pivotal city to all three monotheistic faiths.
‘This plurality is facing threats. Israel is imposing restrictions on Palestinians to pray in the religious sites.
‘The Palestinians are being treated as slaves in their own homes and their own lands.
‘Israel continues to expand on Palestinian land illegally.
‘Hundreds of thousands of homes are being destroyed.
‘Extreme right-wing Israelis attack Palestinians with the backing of the Israeli Army.
‘We are here to say no to slavery, no to imperialism, not to illegal settlements and apartheid.
‘Our message to the British government is stop the apartheid state of Israel and end the occupation and illegal settlements.’
