Israel condemned at massive rally in London for attacks on peaceful Return March

The event was organised by the Palestinian Forum in Britain, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War Coalition, Friends of Al-Aqsa, the Muslim Association of Britain and a number of other organisations.

Thousands of Britons rallied in London on Saturday in front of the prime minister’s official residence in solidarity with the Palestinian people and to condemn Israel’s occupation forces for its brutal attack on the peaceful Return March next to the border fence of the Gaza Strip.

The event was organised by the Palestinian Forum in Britain, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War Coalition, Friends of al-Aqsa, the Muslim Association of Britain and a number of other organisations.

A spokesman of the Palestinian Forum in Britain, Abdul Rahman Tamimi, called on Prime Minister Theresa May to immediately stop arming the Israeli army.

The event was attended by member of the House of Lords, Baroness Jenny Tonge, who expressed her “shame” for what was happening in Gaza.

Tonge criticised the absence of her fellow members of the House of Lords from the demonstration and their unwillingness to take any appropriate measures to stop the massacres committed against the Palestinians.

A representative of the Labour Party gave a speech on behalf of the party leader Jeremy Corbyn, in which she confirmed her party’s solidarity with Gaza, and their rejection of Israel’s use of force against the demonstrators as well as the silence of the international community about the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation.

Corbyn described in his letter the killing and injury of more unarmed Palestinian demonstrators on Friday by the Israeli forces in Gaza as an outrage. He pointed out that the residents of the Gaza Strip are subject to a decade-long blockade, and they suffer from the international community’s disregard for their basic human and political rights. He pointed out that more than two-thirds of the population in the strip depends on humanitarian aid. They also suffer from the scarcity of water and the permanent power outages.

The event was attended by many young British Palestinians. Sarah Aridi spoke on behalf of Olive, a British-Palestinian Youth organization.

The presence of Jewish organizations which called for peace and solidarity with the Palestinians was also remarkable. They rejected the Netanyahu government’s massacres in Gaza in the name of the Jewish people and announced the launch of a campaign entitled “Not In My Name,” to confirm their rejection of Israel’s use of force in dealing with peaceful demonstrators.

Protest in New York

NYPD officers try to move away a man walking among the group of pro-Palestine demonstrators during a protest held to support the “Great March of Return” and mourn the Palestinians shot and killed by Israeli forces along the Gaza border at Union Square in New York, United States on April 6, 2018 [Atılgan Özdil / Anadolu Agency]

People attend a protest held to support the “Great March of Return” and mourn the Palestinians shot and killed by Israeli forces along the Gaza border at Union Square in New York, United States on April 6, 2018 [Atılgan Özdil / Anadolu Agency]

Pro-Israel protesters try to disrupe a protest held to support the “Great March of Return” and mourn the Palestinians shot and killed by Israeli forces along the Gaza border at Union Square in New York, United States on April 6, 2018 [Atılgan Özdil / Anadolu Agency]

Pro-Israel protesters try to disrupt a protest held to support the “Great March of Return” and mourn the Palestinians shot and killed by Israeli forces along the Gaza border at Union Square in New York, United States on April 6, 2018 [Atılgan Özdil / Anadolu Agency]

People attend a protest held to support the ‘Great March of Return’ and mourn the Palestinians shot and killed by Israeli forces in New York, US on 6 April 2018 [Atılgan Özdil/Anadolu Agency]

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