‘PALESTINE is the spearhead of the struggle against colonisation,’ orthopaedic surgeon and founder of Medical Aid for Palestinians Dr Swee Ang told over 100 workers, students and youth at the News Line 55th Anniversary Rally on Sunday.
Opening the rally and chairing it in the Theatre at St Matthew’s Church in Brixton, south-west London on Sunday, Workers Revolutionary Party General Secretary Nash Campbell said: ‘We are here to celebrate our daily paper which fights to intervene and provide leadership in every working class struggle.
‘All round the world workers are coming out on strike against capitalist exploitation and all around the world people are revolutionised by Palestinians fighting genocide in Gaza.
‘There have been more than 63,000 killed by Israel in Gaza and even after the ceasefire Israel is continuing stopping aid getting into Gaza.
‘We’re very proud to support the Palestinian people and their revolution and will continue to do so.’
Dr Swee Ang, who showed slides on a screen as she addressed the rally, said: ‘For 43 years I’ve been working with the Palestinians, and I’m honoured to be sitting next to Evie, who was on the flotilla.
‘We have to live in the world. We cannot be happy in isolation. We suffer and prosper collectively. We can only be free if others are free. Palestine is the spearhead of the fight against colonisation.
‘The moment the Gaza ceasefire was declared half a million people started walking north, only to find devastation. Trump described it as one huge demolition site.
‘These figures are well-known to all of us – 67,000 killed, 9,000 under the rubble, 90 per cent of the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza homeless. 17,000 children with no surviving family. The Lancet estimates that there are 168,000 dead in Gaza.
‘But within a month of the ceasefire with no homes, among the rubble, they are enrolling children in in their schools. That is the resilience of the Palestinian people.
‘I grew up in Singapore. In 1982 I gave up my job in St Thomas’ hospital to work in Lebanon. I came to Lebanon at the time of the Sabra and Shatilla massacre. Last year as I went back to Lebanon, as soon as I got off the plane I was taken straight to the hospital.
‘4,000 people had (Israeli booby-trapped) pagers exploding in their hands and in their faces – doctors, firemen, security people, holding pagers that go off. One, said to me, “doctor, don’t be sad. I’m not sad. I decided to give my life to my people”. I had to cut off his wedding ring. He had only two digits left on his hand.
‘I’ve met many heroes, not just Palestinians, also Lebanese. Apart from their suffering, there’s something very special. They’ve had 77 years of suffering. Ethnic cleansing. Gaza is flattened, but the Palestinians are still there. In the midst of death and destruction and despair, Palestinian children are still there. Let us salute the heroes and the martyrs of Palestine.’
Frank Sweeney from the WRP Central Committee, said: ‘We support the struggles of the working class all over the world. This is an epoch of wars and revolutions. Tariffs are making lives impossible all over the world.
‘The centre of the crisis is in the advanced capitalist countries. But you can’t open a meeting like this without paying tribute to the Palestinian people.
‘The Workers Revolutionary Party is a leadership party based on Marxist theory and practice which is determined to do what is needed to bring down the capitalist system and go forward to a socialist society.’
Evie Snedker, from the Global Sumud Flotilla, a 40 boat flotilla which sailed for Gaza to break the siege in August and was brutally intercepted by Israeli forces, said: ‘I saw the call for sailors for the flotilla and I put in my name.
‘Then on 24th August, I received a call and I was in Barcelona on the 25th. The flotilla was five weeks. We got intercepted on the 1st of October on my boat. We had eight people, amazing people and we created something amazing.
‘We had drone attacks and it was scary to begin with. You saw a flash of light and then heard a huge bang. It was so scary and we realised in a way what the Israelis had been doing the Palestinians for two years.
‘Then they boarded the boat and started trying to interrogate us. Eventually we got off the boat and they put us in the torture position. We were processed and body searched. Ben-Gvir (Israeli far-right national security minister) came and started making a speech calling us terrorists. Everyone started shouting “Free Palestine!”
‘We were zip-tied, blindfolded and put on the prison buses. There was textbook dehumanisation. They kept us in open cages, women wearing hijabs had them pulled off in front of men. Then we were strip-searched, some internally searched. We couldn’t sleep. Every hour a light was shone into your face. The Israelis are racist, but they are losing and will lose.’
Aabhinav Tyagi, Young Socialist Editor, said: ‘What’s happening all over the world has a common thread. Capitalism has within it the need to look for a scapegoat for its collapse. We’re at the height of a capitalist crisis which has no solution.
‘There is a limit to how you can cover up the truth. They can’t claim anymore that the system is a progression of human rights, young people care and people did follow the flotilla.
‘The facade has broken down and the ruling class can’t pretend to care for anything other than the bottom line. The ruling class in crisis seeks to get what it can before the whole thing comes crashing down.
‘In Britain, you’re being told to make do, even though your wages are going down and you can’t pay the bills. You are told to believe in this mysticism which tells you that having the boot in your face is a good thing.
‘There has to be a movement actually coming together that becomes so big it can take the power and make the world a better place.’
Siobhan McCarthy, from Aylesham Community Action, which is part of SHAPE (Southwark Housing and Planning Emergency), said: ‘News Line, has always been very supportive of SHAPE. Let’s give News Line a round of applause, for its 55 years.
‘We are a very inclusive organisation. Some of our bodies support direct action against the use of bailiffs. The council are using bailiffs, not as a last resort but as a first resort.
‘At the Aylesham Centre, they want to knock down the shopping centre and build 16 tall towers. Out of 867 housing units they only want 77 so-called affordable homes. We’ve had to fund raise for the community to have a voice in the so-called consultation. We think the Aylesham decision will be in six or eight weeks. But it’s happening everywhere across the country. The government is seeking to reduce its 35% affordable homes target down to 20%.’
In conclusion, Siobhan got everybody to stand up and shout ‘Homes for people, not-for-profit! Homes for people, not for profit!’
Chris Anglin from the Workers Revolutionary Party Central Committee, said: ‘There is a Labour government with a massive majority and yet it could come down any minute. It’s losing the confidence of the money markets and it’s targeting the one million youth not in work, claiming they are workshy.
‘The Home Secretary says that migrants are splitting the country, but in fact, it’s people like her that are using migrants to whip up racism. The economic crisis is ripping apart local councils and education. There are 29 bankrupt county councils around the country. They are cutting special educational needs spending and using a statutory device to do so.
‘They are cutting the Birmingham binworkers’ pay by £8,500 a year. There is a struggle between the binworkers and their own union leaders. The government minister went up there saying that they should accept the wage cutting deal, but they refused and sent her packing.
‘In the university sector 59 universities are facing bankruptcy. The quality of the courses will be cut. The crisis of universities is crashing local economies.
‘This morning, TUC leader. Paul Novak was on television calling for the reform of the Office for Budget Responsibility and for it to be on the side of working people. That will never be. These reformist leaders are useless.
‘The TUC must call a general strike and bring down the Starmer government. We need a workers’ government and socialism.’
