MORE than half a million workers, students and youth joined London’s Nakba 77 march on Downing Street in support of Palestine on Saturday.
As it was assembling on Embankment alongside the River Thames on Saturday morning, marchers spoke to News Line.
Carrie Reidinger, a GMB union member, said: ‘We need strike action for Palestine. Healthcare workers are targeted by Israel in Gaza. Boycotting Israel and a trade and arms embargo are important. If the UK does not impose an arms embargo it will be breaking international law. The main thing is we must have strike action.’
Aisha, Mubchi, Aleena and Humna, four young women workers from east London, said: ‘We had to come here for Palestine on the 77th anniversary of the Nakba. If we all unite we can achieve victory. It’s so hard for us to express how we feel about what is happening in Palestine. Strike action is needed but organising it is hard. However, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. We’ve caused mass disruption in the past and we will do it again.’
Mary Scott, a teacher from East London, said: ‘I come on these marches whenever I can because I feel so strongly about the situation. It’s all so heartbreaking. The unions should call strike action for Palestine as soon as possible. Enough is enough! It’s so hard to watch the children suffering. There has to be a general strike to stop Britain arming Israel.’
In front of the ‘Dying to save lives – Targeting Humanitarian Assistance is a War Crime’ banner, Tom Sloan from SE London FBU spoke to the assembled marchers, saying: ‘Emergency workers should be able to carry out their life-saving work safely without being attacked. But that’s not the situation in Gaza. As firefighters we mourn the loss of our colleagues. We cannot imagine carrying out our job in the hugely unsafe conditions in Gaza. We fully support and admire our brave colleagues in Palestine.’
Samina Din, from the London Ambulance Service, told the crowd: ‘As medics we uphold a common pledge – to save others from harm. Medical supplies are being withheld from the Palestinian people. We cannot let their sacrifices be buried in the sand. We are bearing witness to the greatest barbarity in the world. No more! The genocide must end now!’
The march set off, with many of the marchers carrying ‘keys’, symbolising the keys to the homes that three quarters of a million Palestinians were evicted from in the Nakba (catastrophe) which began on May 15th 1948.
All along the route loud and lively marchers behind the Workers Revolutionary Party and Young Socialists banner chanted: ‘General Strike for Palestine, Kick Starmer Out! One, two, three, four, Occupation no more, five, six, seven, eight, Israel is a terror state! Free. Free Palestine! From the River to the Sea Palestine will be Free!’
There were hundreds of homemade placards, including ‘77 years, the Nakba never ended!’ ‘Hands off Gaza, Hands off Yemen!’ ‘Stop arming Israel, Stop killing children!’ There were tens of thousands of Palestinian flags and scores of trade union banners.
The huge march crossed the River Thames over Westminster Bridge, then back over Waterloo Bridge and down the Strand to Whitehall where a rally was held outside iron-gated Downing Street.
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