‘MY uncle was shot in the head, at point blank range,’ the nephew of one of the victims of Israel’s massacre on the Gaza aid ship, the ‘Mavi Marmara’, told the 25,000-strong demonstration to condemn the massacre in London on Saturday.
The march ended with a mass rally outside the gates leading to Israel’s embassy in Kensington.
To cries of ‘End the siege!’ and ‘Free Palestine!’, several British survivors of the massacre addressed the demonstration before it set off from Whitehall and when the march arrived in Kensington.
And they vowed that they would continue to fight Israel’s criminal siege of Gaza until it is broken.
One of those who addressed the crowds and was on board the ‘Mavi Marmara’ when Israel attacked last Monday, was Ismael Patel, the chairman of Friends of Al Aqsa.
He told News Line before the demonstration that on Sunday (May 30), ‘At approximately 10.00pm local time, we spotted four Israeli warships and we realised something is likely to happen and we raised the alarm for the international community to come and assist us.
‘Six hours later, at 4.00am, the warships dispatched speedboats and as they got near they started to fire stun grenades, tear gas and sound bombs at the ship.
‘This happened without a warning while we were sailing in international waters, some 100 miles away from Gaza.
‘The very important technical point is we were sailing parallel, not towards, Gaza.
‘As the speed boats approached people picked up whatever they could on deck, from shoes to broomsticks to tomatoes, and threw them overboard at the speedboats.
‘Some people started water hosepipes, spraying water at them.
‘The Israeli speed boats moved away from the ship at this stage.
‘This was followed by a helicopter coming to the Mavi Marmara and it started firing live ammunition onto the decks.
‘We encouraged passengers to run to the middle deck and take their seats to avoid casualties.
‘After the first fatality a white flag was raised, but to no avail, and they carried on shooting.
‘The first Israeli commandos who descended the deck were wrestled down, their handguns taken away from them, bullets removed from the guns, and the guns given back to them.
‘After that it was mayhem.
‘A helicopter appeared again and they started firing randomly from the helicopter at the ship’s deck and more commandos came down.
‘What must have happened in the next hour as the shooting carried on is nine people were killed and 48 had gun wounds.
‘In other words, one person was being shot every minute.
‘While this was going on, after the Israelis didn’t heed our white flag, I went to the tannoy and announced first an appeal to all the passengers to take their seats and remain calm and put their hands out on the tables. And I appealed to the Israelis and announced that we have surrendered, and I repeated that many times, but again they carried on shooting.’
Ismael Patel continued: ‘As the casualties came down, we requested medical help for the injured and this was denied.
‘After a while, the Israeli soldiers had surrounded the whole ship and they started asking us one by one to come out, and as soon as we came out they put our hands behind our backs and tied them.
‘And then they put us upstairs on the top deck and made us sit down in a crouched position.
‘From there they took us to Ashdod and then from Ashdod they transferred us to a prison in Beersheba, called “Ela’’.
‘We remained there for another 48 hours and were then taken to Ben Gurion Airport and with the courtesy of the Turkish airlines we were taken to Istanbul.’
Ismael Patel was greeted by many well-wishers as he recounted what had happened.
He added: ‘All our possessions were taken.
‘We were left in our clothes that we were wearing.
‘Some people had their passports stolen.’
Young demonstrators arrived in Whitehall shouting: ‘Free, free Palestine!’, ‘Long live Palestine! Long live Gaza!’ and ‘Globalise the Intifada!’
The main road opposite Downing Street soon filled with people with placards, Palestinian and Turkish flags and banners, including one big banner urging a boycott of Israel that read: ‘Israeli terror – funded by British government, British companies, British shoppers’.
As the march assembled, Ryan Assad, who had come from Dorset, told News Line: ‘I went on the Viva Palestina convoy and my grandfather is a Palestinian, from Nazareth.
‘He was made a refugee in 1947. I’m here for the solidarity for the Palestinians.
‘My family are Christian Arabs and I want to make people realise this is not a struggle between Muslims and Jews. It’s about a nation of people who have had their land and their liberty taken from them, everything.
‘The British government should stand up for the rights of the Gazan people and all Palestinians – not just stand up for the Israelis – and support the Palestinians’ right to return to their homeland as well.’
Mussa Esat, from Leicester, said: ‘I’ve come to support the cause of the Gazan people and all the Palestinian people.
‘What happened to the Freedom Flotilla took place in international waters.
‘It could have happened to any of us, to me or to you.
‘I think there should be a total boycott of Israel.’
Jacob Dreyer, from Virginia in the United States, said: ‘As an American citizen I am angry that American taxpayers’ money is buying the weapons that Israel is using and actually killed an American in this raid.
‘I think the siege of Gaza should be lifted immediately and the US and UK governments should withdraw their support for the Netanyahu government in Israel right away.’
Tariq Hussein, from Derby, said: ‘Britain says it is against terrorism and Israel is a terrorist state, so if this is what we say, then we should do it and oppose Israel.
‘We are not against all the people of Israel. It’s their government we are against.
‘A lot of places are now boycotting Israeli goods and we should reinforce it.
‘We should demand justice for the Palestinians from the British government.’
Simon Barber, a student from Goldsmiths University in London, said: ‘I think it is disgusting what the Israelis have done and continue to do.
‘I agree with a complete boycott of Israel and a refusal to handle Israeli goods or send arms to Israel.
‘I don’t think international law is doing anything. Israel isn’t scared of that.
‘It’s just a whitewash, so I think we have to do something ourselves.’
Opposite Downing Street, a tearful Sarah Colborne, one of the survivors of the Freedom Flotilla massacre, read out the names of the victims of Israel’s attack.
She also detailed the gunshot wounds they had suffered.
One man had six gunshot wounds to his legs, chest and arms, another victim had wounds to the head and belly, another a gunshot wound to the neck, and another to the shoulder and back.
A minute’s silence was held in Whitehall to remember the victims of the Israeli raid, and also outside the gates to the Israeli embassy at the end of the demonstration.
Among the speakers in Whitehall were Betty Hunter, of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. She said it was a ‘very sombre occasion’ to commemorate those who have given their lives for the freedom of Palestine.
She said Israel was committing ‘war crimes’ and said the attack on the Freedom Flotilla bringing aid to the Palestinians was an act of ‘piracy, murder and kidnap’ against peaceful activists.
Lindsey German, from the Stop The War Coalition, announced that the latest aid ship, ‘MV Rachel Corrie’, had also been intercepted by the Israelis.
The next speaker, Daoud Abdullah, demanded: ‘We want a full lifting of the siege of Gaza, nothing more, nothing less.’
Addressing the Liberal Democrats, he said: ‘You promised us a vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote for Gaza. It is time to deliver now, Mr Clegg.
‘Open up the borders so the people can deliver the aid, deliver the medicine, deliver the steel to reconstruct the Gaza Strip.
‘Palestinians have suffered for 62 years. Enough is enough! The only justice for Palestine is when the occupation is ended.’
As the crowd continued to grow, a speaker from the NUS Black Students campaign said the only reward the Israeli commandos should get for their attack on the ‘Mavi Marmara’ is a ‘lifelong prison sentence’.
He said students occupied their campuses to demonstrate against Israel’s attack on Gaza last year – in which 1,400 Palestinians were massacred – and joined aid convoys for Gaza.
He condemned the ‘shameful’ NUS leadership.
They had not come out and loudly condemned the murder of activists in international waters or the war on Gaza last year, he said.
But he pledged: ‘We will stand by our brothers and sisters in Palestine, until Palestine is free.’
‘The important thing to realise about demonstrations like this is we are on the winning side,’ said Tony Benn.
‘The boycott and disinvestment of Israeli goods is going to be a very powerful weapon. This is a struggle for people who want to live in freedom everywhere.’
‘Tell Israel, its days are numbered!’ Ismael Patel told the demonstration.
‘We the international community are taking up direct, non-violent action.
‘Our willpower is stronger than any military power you can put in front of us.’
He added that on board the Gaza aid ship, ‘I was with people from 40 countries, representing millions across the globe.
‘We will free Palestine. As long as I have breath, I will carry on.
‘My colleagues were butchered and murdered in cold blood. I will not forget that.
‘I will make sure everyone I know joins that campaign so we can break that siege.’
He expressed his ‘greatest gratitude and thanks to the Turkish people, Turkish government and Turkish airlines’.
A speaker from the Day-Mer Centre, brought greetings to the demonstration.
Among the other speakers were Caroline Lucas, a speaker from Jews for Justice for Palestinians, filmmaker Ken Loach, Respect councillor Salma Yaqoob, John Rose and rapper Low Key.
Eva and Alice, survivors from the aid convoy, addressed the crowd.
‘We are now at the beginning, at the moment of change after 62 years of occupation and massacre,’ Eva said.
‘What you saw on the Mavi Marmara has been happening to the people of Palestine for 60 years, in Gaza, Jerusalem, Jenin, Nablus and in 1948 in historic Palestine.
‘Palestine is a political issue. The siege is a human crisis, it is a man-made crisis.’
Pointing to Downing Street, they said: ‘We can’t rely on the people in there to do the job for us.
‘Israel acts with impunity because of the help of the international community. Condemnation is not enough.
‘Respect for human rights and international law is not a policy choice, it’s an obligation!’
She urged everyone to ‘intensify our campaign for boycott, disinvestment and sanctions on Israel’.
Alice said: ‘Before our boat was taken by violence, we saw the beginnings of the attack on the Mavi Marmara.’
She said the last message that her boat had received from the captain of the Mavi Marmara was ‘carry on, take the message out’.
‘Do not let the sacrifice of our Turkish colleagues’ lives be in vain,’ she urged the crowd.
As the demonstration set off, Chris Nineham, from the Stop The War Coalition, said: ‘There are still 21 Gaza protesters languishing in prison now. These people are political prisoners.’
Among the marchers was poet Benjamin Zephaniah, a patron of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
‘I was invited to be on that ship,’ he said. ‘When I heard about the people who died, that could have been me.
‘I have seen how Palestinians live in refugee camps in Beirut.
‘I’ve been to Gaza and the West Bank and I’ve woken up with Israeli guns in my head.
‘It’s not a benign occupation, it’s a brutal occupation. It has to end and the international community has to come together to end it and I’m just here to be counted.’
All through the march chants rang out of ‘From the River to the Sea – Palestine will be free!’
A contingent from the Young Socialists and the Workers Revolutionary Party joined the march, keeping up chants of: ‘Victory to Palestine! Palestinian state now!’ and ‘One state – Palestine!’, ‘Israel – terrorist!’
A homemade banner said: ‘Today we are all Palestinians! End the siege’.
Among the banners on the march were those of CND, the University and College Union (UCU), the College of North East London UCU branch, the PCS civil servants’ union, Lambeth UNISON, J-BIG (Jews for a Boycott of Israeli Goods), SOAS Students Union, the Stop the War Coalition, Wandsworth Stop The War Coalition, East Dulwich Stop The War Coalition, Nottingham Stop the War, Brent Stop The War, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Haringey Justice For Palestine, Nottingham PSC, and the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network.
Thousands of people were holding placards saying: ‘End the siege’, ‘Criminael Israel’ and ‘Free Palestine’.
Many people held Palestinian and Turkish flags, as well as flags for Hamas and Hezbollah, and there was a giant Palestinian flag that was being carried by about 50 people.
Jake Douglas, CONEL UCU branch committee member, told News Line: ‘We were at the UCU conference in Manchester and the news came through about the attack on the flotilla.’
He said that before the news of the Israeli attack, there was ‘quite a hard struggle’ going on at the union’s conference to maintain a policy of an academic boycott of Israel.
‘But then the attack on the flotilla happened and there was a massive spontaneous demonstration that took place’ in Manchester.
He said delegates from the UCU and Unite conferences, also taking place in Manchester, had ‘poured out’ onto the streets to join the march.
‘The mood really shifted and by the final day of the conference a motion went in condemning Israel in very, very strong terms and it was passed virtually unanimously. I think there was one abstention.
‘There is a real shift in consciousness. Zionism is losing a lot of its support.
‘There should be absolute unanimity amongst the British trade unions on breaking off connections with the state-run Israeli trade union there (the Histadrut) and there should be a demand on the British government to suspend all diplomatic relations with Israel and expel the Israeli ambassador,’ he added.
Keith Sonnet, deputy leader of UNISON, representing 1.5 million public service workers, said: ‘My union condemns unreservedly the vicious, unprovoked attack by the Israeli forces on the peaceful people on the Freedom Flotilla and condemns the weak response by the British government.’
Sally Hunt, leader of the UCU, spoke on behalf of the TUC General Council, representing 58 trade unions with over six million members.
She said: ‘Shame on Israel for the murder of innocent people in international waters.’
Abul Zaya, from the Freedom Flotilla, said: ‘I’m extremely disappointed by the government’s response to the deaths as our mission of mercy tried to bring food and supplies to the needy and hungry in Gaza.
‘We were attacked, some of us were killed, some of us are badly injured.’
Lauren Booth said: ‘Don’t watch the BBC! If I hear (Israeli spokesman) Mark Regev once more, I’m going to vomit!’
Other speakers were Jeremy Corbyn MP, Jody McIntyre, Mariam Aboudaye, Kevin Ovenden, Sarah Colborne, and George Galloway.
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