‘OCCUPATION is a crime! Free Iraq and Palestine!’ shouted more than 400 people gathered in Whitehall opposite the gates to Downing Street on Wednesday evening.
‘Olmert – terrorist! Tony Blair – terrorist! George Bush – terrorist!’ they continued shouting, as well as ‘From the River to the Sea – Palestine will be free!’ and ‘Viva, viva Palestina!’
They were taking part in a protest called by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, to demonstrate their anger at the Blair government’s refusal to condemn Israel’s collective punishment of the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Electricity and water supplies in Gaza have been bombed and destroyed and the population is starving.
Hakim, one of the protesters, said: ‘I’m proud to be Lebanese and I was in Beirut in 1982 and I lived under the Israeli siege for three months.
‘There was constant bombing by Israeli planes, so I understand what’s happening in Gaza now. That’s similar.’
Aquil, a British Palestinian, said: ‘It’s a catastrophe in Gaza. This is a continuous suffering of the Palestinian people under the Israeli regime.
‘I think history tells us that Britain was responsible for establishing the Israeli state in Palestine, so I think organisations like the British trade unions, they could help in calling for a boycott of Israel in all forms – economic, educational, in all forms.
‘We would like to see some support like a big march, where people showed the government that they should stop supporting Israeli policies in Palestine.
‘I think the whole world has to think in the 21st century there is one country that remains unfree: that country is called Palestine.’
Rola, another protester, said: ‘I support the Palestinians.
‘I am angry with Tony Blair and all the Western governments for staying silent and supporting Israel.
‘I am Lebanese and I am happy that Hezbollah is resisting and I hope all the other Lebanese people will support Hezbollah and fight Israel.’
Carole Gelenter, a member of Westminster National Union of Teachers, told News Line: ‘I think everybody should speak out about what’s going on.
‘The governments of the US, UK and Europe could stop Israel, if they had the political will to do so.
‘I am part of the International Women’s Peace Service and we work in Salfit, in the West Bank, where there is currently a massive settlement programme by Israel. It’s full of illegal settlements.
‘Israel has already stolen the Palestinians’ water acquifier and most of the wells of the region.
‘It’s a very rich agricultural region and Israel has already taken most of the land for settlements, for road building and now for the Wall.
‘And I would like you to know that I am Jewish.’
Anne Paget, from Surrey, said: ‘I’m an old age pensioner. Read my notice: “Blair – agent of US-Israel’’. This is the nub of the problem.
‘I think Blair is an empty man. His only real quality is acting. Our democracy is a farce.
‘I consider Blair to be a trojan horse on behalf of extreme American capitalism and Zionist policies.
‘Stop voting Labour and boycott Israel. Boycott New Labour because New Labour is for Israel.’
Anne Smith, from west London, said: ‘It’s a massive injustice that’s being committed against the Palestinians.
‘It’s now very clear that Israel wants to get rid of the Palestinians.
‘This is ethnic cleansing. They’re creating an Apartheid system.
‘Every aspect of Palestinians’ lives is controlled by Israel.
‘What is happening to the Palestinians in Gaza? I wouldn’t do justice to try and describe it.
‘But when you hear that people have no food and they haven’t had food for a long time; children going through rubbish to try and get something to eat, and fathers committing suicide because they can’t feed their children.’
She added: ‘I’m particularly worried about the children under 18.
‘What is Israel detaining children for: they’re detaining them to make their parents collaborators.
‘The silence of the Blair government is disgraceful.
‘I want our government to do the right thing. Our government should stand up there and condemn Israel.
‘The trade unions must support the Palestinians in every way and they can by visiting Palestine, just to show them that they are not alone.
‘They should boycott anything Israeli and refuse to let goods from Israel into Britain or take part in the export of arms to Israel.’
Nursat Jaan, a member of the National Union of Teachers from north London, said: ‘I have supported the Palestinians since the early 1970s and over the decades I have seen how things have gone from bad to worse and now they are very bad indeed.
‘The worst thing of all is that it’s not being reported anywhere in the British media.
‘There is a conspiracy of silence. It’s nowhere near anyone’s agenda.
‘There is no avenue for addressing key issues and this is having repercussions for Muslims everywhere.
‘They feel disenfranchised, that they don’t have a voice and no one is listening to them.
‘It is partly linked to the class struggle worldwide.
‘You have the Palestinians who are the powerless, disenfranchised group and then you have the Israelis, who are the ones with all the power.
‘I certainly support the call for an international boycott of Israel.’
Nursat also compared the situation to Apartheid South Africa, where a white regime ruled over the black majority.
‘You had the white regime there being assisted by Western governments and you had Mrs Thatcher who wouldn’t boycott South Africa, because they were all benefiting from the white South African government.
‘There is a similar thing going on with Israel, with big multinationals linked to the state of Israel, and they’re actually linked to each other and feeding profits into the Israeli government.’
Rabbi Yacov Weisz said: ‘It’s unacceptable the way the international community is responding and giving the green light to Olmert (the Israeli prime minister) for his acts of collective punishment.
‘The international community is ignoring the true cause of the bloodshed, which is the brutal occupation, which is illegal. It has no basis in international law.
‘Judaism has to speak out. The basis of religion is humanity and dignity for all and the violation of the Commandments and the whole concept of a political state has no place in Judaism,’ he said.
‘The politicians must be honest: they’re not doing a favour for the Jewish people by giving the green light to all these war crimes and the brutal occupation, because there’s no light at the end of the tunnel unless Israel is brought to account for what it’s done so far.’
George, a member of the GMB trade union, condemned ‘the Zionist and terrorist government of Israel’, and the support of the British and American governments for its actions.
He continued: ‘They have no compassion: whether it’s men, women or children, a Palestinian life doesn’t seem to equal that of an Israeli Zionist. They treat them with complete disdain.’
He added: ‘It is scandalous that this so-called democratically elected government of Tony Blair (elected by a minority of the population) has no compassion whatsoever for the Palestinians.
‘It is a scandal that the catastrophe – because that’s what it is – has been going on for 58 years and the world has turned a blind eye and ignored it completely.
‘I don’t know how they can live with their consciences, but we are appealing to Tony Blair to have a modicum of decency, a modicum of compassion towards the Palestinians.
‘After all, they are the aggrieved people, the dispossessed.
‘It is to be hoped the British people will put pressure on their elected leaders, their elected MPs, and question their motivation if they support Israel.
‘After all, we are the ones who elected them.
‘We appeal to Christian leaders in this country to show some compassion – and to bear in mind that the situation of murder and terrorising of a whole population can’t go on in this fashion, unchecked and with no redress.
‘It is to be hoped that at least one MP would take the moral courage to make a full statement in the Houses of Parliament, not some Early Day Motion that gets swept under the carpet.’
Addressing the demonstration, Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn condemned Israel for ‘acts of state terrorism against the people of Gaza and the West Bank’.
He condemned the invasion and bombing of Gaza and the sonic blasts through the day and night ‘all in the name of the defence of Israel’.
‘The people of Palestine have suffered enough for long enough,’ Corbyn said.
‘They’ve taken hostage members of the Palestinian parliament and the Palestinian government for one soldier, who was on active service duty.
‘The Palestinian people have been abducted by an occupying power,’ he added, demanding an end to the arms trade with Israel, suspension of the EU-Israel trade agreement and demanding that the British government ‘speak out in our name against the violation of human rights that’s going on.’
Lindsay German, from the Stop The War Coalition, condemned the Serious Crime and Disorder Act passed by MPs.
‘What a disgrace it is that this parliament has passed a law which means we can’t use megaphones and microphones.’
But she added: ‘The voices of support for the Palestinians are louder than the voices that want to silence us.’
Dan Judalson, Jews for Justice for Palestinians executive member, was loudly applauded for a national newspaper advertisement taken out by 300 Jews in Britain condemning Israel’s actions.