![Thousands of protesters gather outside Downing Street to demonstrate solidarity with the Palestinian people and demand an immediate ceasefire to end the war on Gaza, in London, UK on October 21, 2023 [Wiktor Szymanowicz/Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/AA-20231021-32477152-32477148-FROM_RIVER_TO_SEA_THOUSANDS_ATTEND_LATEST_PROPALESTINE_RALLY_IN_LONDON-scaled-e1697964404987.jpg?fit=920%2C613&ssl=1)
Thousands gathered outside Downing Street on Friday evening in an emergency protest under the banner “Stop Arming Israel – Words Are Not Enough,” demanding an immediate halt to the UK’s arms exports to Israel. The mass mobilisation was organised by leading advocacy groups including the Palestinian Forum in Britain (PFB), Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), Friends of Al-Aqsa (FOA), Stop the War Coalition, Muslim Association of Britain, and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND).
The protest drew people from across the UK, all united in opposition to the British government’s continued complicity in Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. The crowd held aloft Palestinian flags and placards, chanting calls for justice, ceasefire, and sanctions, as speeches from a wide range of campaigners filled the air with powerful messages.
Speaking on behalf of PFB, Sireen El Hamamy delivered a moving address condemning the UK’s role in Gaza’s genocide. “While words have been spoken, the UK continues to export weapons that enable atrocities,” she said. “This is the height of hypocrisy and moral failure. We demand that the British government align its actions with its words.” She went on to describe the catastrophic situation in Gaza, highlighting the deaths of children from starvation and disease and criticising the West’s “racist and selective” approach to human rights. Her speech concluded with the defiant call: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
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