OVER 350,000 workers, students and youth marched through central London from Russell Square to Downing Street on Saturday, in one of the largest demonstrations for Palestine to date.
Banners at the front of the march said: ‘Free Palestine! No War on Iran! End the Genocide! Stop Arming Israel!,’ with the banners of the main organisers of the march – Stop the War, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and CND behind them.
There were tens of thousands of Palestinian flags on the march as well as numerous home-made placards saying such as ‘No to Ethnic Cleansing!’ ‘Down with Israeli Apartheid!’ and ‘Stop the Zionist Bloodbath!’
The march began at 1pm from Russell Square, stretching all the way to Whitehall.
It came as horrifying reports emerged that more than 200 Palestinians were killed in the last 48 hours alone, the vast majority gunned down as they approached the US-led aid point in southern Gaza, where the Israeli Occupation Forces opened fire on civilians desperately seeking food, with eyewitnesses describing it as a massacre.
Joy Owen, a nurse, said: ‘I subscribe to Doctors Without Borders and there have been so many doctors and other health workers killed. Israel targets health workers and journalists. Kick Starmer out!’
Her friend, Carolyn Savage said: ‘I’m from Australia and I’m shocked at the bias and lack of proper reporting of the war, especially from the BBC. Australian media covers it much more objectively.’
Their friend, Marguerita Evans, a teacher from north London, said: ‘I’ve been to all the marches. Starmer said that Israel has the right to do whatever it does. He said yesterday that the Palestinian activists who sprayed red paint into the the engines of the British warplanes were disgraceful. That’s what they used to say about the Suffragettes.
‘They are now making this group illegal and locking them up without charge. We need to make Starmer illegal and lock him up for arming Israeli genocide.’
There was a loud and lively delegation behind the Workers Revolutionary Party and Young Socialists banner keeping up constant chants of: ‘Don’t Attack Iran – Imperialism Out! Trump, Starmer You Can’t Hide – we charge You with Genocide! From the River to the Sea – Palestine will be Free!’ and ‘Bring down the Government – General Strike Now!’
Steven Kwong travelled from Hemel Hempstead to take part in the march. Joining the WRP and Young Socialists delegation, he told News Line: ‘I’m very happy to meet people fighting to bring down the Starmer government and put an end to these injustices like the genocide that’s going on in Palestine. I was getting quite frustrated because I had spoken to local councillors, but they seem only concerned with local issues. I think it’s really important that the unions take action.’
With the trade union bloc on the march, Phil Brown from Watford Unite told News Line: ‘Defence industry workers should strike against militarisation. Starmer is guilty of supporting genocide and should be expelled from the Labour Party.’
Behzad Tarfee, a UCU member from New City FE College said: ‘The ongoing Gaza genocide must cease. No to war in Iran, We definitely need a general strike.’
Arthur Shaw, from Liverpool RMT, said: ‘RMT supports the need for unions to strike for Palestine to stop the genocide. We need a general strike and a revolution.’
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