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| Volume 54 Number 22, September 7, 2024 | ARCHIVE | HOME | JBCENTRE | SUBSCRIBE |
Hands around Parliament, July 18
In common with democratic forces world-wide, an important national march is being held on Saturday, September 7, in London. It has been organised, as with earlier demonstrations, by a coalition of forces, in the teeth of obstruction from the police, and the so-called "mainstream media" to whom opposition to the Israeli-Zionist genocide constitutes anti-Semitism. This Israeli-Zionist genocide is backed by the US and Britain with weaponry and the refusal to take serious measures to hold Israel to account. And this at a time when Israel has widened its assault on the existence of the Palestinian people by its killings and seizure of land on the West Bank. Israel has further targeted and assassinated leaders of the Palestinian resistance. All this has only strengthened the resolve of the Palestinian people. It has also led to the strikes and opposition of tens of thousands within Israel itself. At the same time, arrests of journalists and others taking a stand and speaking out, particularly in support of the resistance, under the Terrorism Act 2000 have been stepped up in Britain. The British government has covered itself in opprobrium and shame in putting its state power behind Israel's continuing attempts to commit genocide, which in the end are bound to fail. Britain itself will forever stand condemned by history for its refusal to stand up to the Zionist criminal acts, illegal under international law at every turn.
But we are convinced that justice will prevail, despite as well as because of the lives laid down by the Palestinian resistance. The spirit of the Palestinian martyrs inspires the declaration that "We Are All Palestinians" as we stand as one humanity.
Stand with Palestine as One Humanity!
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September 6, 2024
Saturday, September 7, 12 noon
Assemble: Pall Mall - March to Israeli Embassy [see route map]
With less than 24 hours to go, the Metropolitan Police has dropped its attempt to frustrate our national march for Palestine. Tomorrow we will march to the Israeli Embassy as planned. Following a week of argument and attempts to bully and intimidate the demonstration organisers, the police have now agreed that protesters will assemble from 12noon, at Regent Street St James's as we had originally intended. Previous conditions that were imposed in a wholly unjustified attempt to prevent us from doing so have now been rescinded.
This debacle has caused serious disruption to our organising efforts. The constant imposition of conditions on our marches are an unacceptable curtailment of our right to demonstrate peacefully and we will continue to challenge them. Nevertheless, this is a major victory in defence of the democratic right to protest. We are thankful to everyone in the movement who has stood firm in the face of these threats and to the MPs, members of the House of Lords, trade union leaders and many others who have made representations to the police. We call on people to turn out in huge numbers in solidarity with Palestine tomorrow.
We are marching to bring an end to Israel's ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the continuing complicity of the British government in those crimes. We will not allow repressive tactics to distract us. We call on everyone to join us from 12noon, at Regent Street St James's.
Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Palestinian Forum in Britain
Friends of Al-Aqsa
Stop the War Coalition
Muslim Association of Britain
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
"We are marching to bring an end to Israel's ongoing genocide. We will not allow repressive tactics to distract us. We call on everyone to join us from 12noon, at Regent Street St James's. Be there - we cannot relent!"
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Jewish Voice for Labour (JVL), September 4, 2024
JVL is appalled by the Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis (who represents only a portion of Britain's Orthodox Jewish community) claiming that "this announcement [of partial suspension of UK arms licences for Israel] feeds the falsehood that Israel is in breach of International Humanitarian Law, when in fact it is going to extraordinary lengths to uphold it".
Such blatant denial of the evidence we all see daily on our television screens, powerfully reinforced by rulings of both the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, does no credit to him or the wider Jewish communities he purports to represent. The same is true of the Board of Deputies of British Jews whose president Philip Rosenberg has protested about the government "castigating" Israel.
JVL regards the announcement of the suspension, not cancellation, of fewer than 10% of UK arms contracts with Israel as the very least a government that claims to uphold international law can do. It is welcome that, finally, the government seems to acknowledge that Israel has no respect for international law. The limited action it has taken is the minimum we might expect now that it has recognised the "clear risk that the items [exported] might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law". . The logic of such a recognition needs to go further. It should mean that Britain will speedily impose further effective sanctions including an immediate ending of all arms sales to Israel and purchases of Israeli arms and the closing of all Israeli owned arms factories in Britain.
The Campaign Against the Arms Trade has disclosed, for example, that the essential British components of F-35 fighters have been excluded from the suspension, despite clear evidence of the planes being used in attacks on so called "safe zones".
JVL will continue to join with all others working to intensify the campaign to end British complicity with Israel's crimes.
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On Saturday, August 31, in Newcastle, hundreds took part in a Palestine march and rally organised by Newcastle Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC), with the support of Newcastle Stop the War. Speakers included Palestinians, PCS, FBU, and many others condemning the Labour government support for and arming Israel. Dozens of union activists with PCS flags added to the militant and united atmosphere.
Following recent events with the so-called "right-wing riots" that enabled the government to present itself as enforcing law and order and placing itself "centre left" against extremists, the government cannot now be allowed to use this pretext as an excuse to continue to justify the attack on the Palestinian movement here and Muslims and immigrants in general. In this context the march and rally was an important event.
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"Why War, Peace & Palestine are Trade Union
Issues"
Monday, September 9 - 6.30pm
Friends House, Ship St, Brighton, BN1 1AF
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Stop the War have announced that a demonstration is being organised in two weeks time, on Saturday, September 21, at the Labour Party Conference to demand that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy immediately end their support for apartheid Israel's genocide. The organisers emphasise that a huge demonstration is needed to send a clear message to the new government that we will not tolerate their complicity in such heinous crimes as those playing out in occupied Palestine.