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| Volume 55 Number 23, October 11, 2025 | ARCHIVE | HOME | JBCENTRE | SUBSCRIBE |
The June Glastonbury Festival in Solidarity with
Palestine - Photo: Seán MacGobhann
On October 7, thousands of students walked out at universities across Britain marking two years since Israel stepped up its genocidal crimes against the people of Gaza and the West Bank. In London students organised a march from Kings College London (KCL) to SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London) and also student demonstrations took place across Glasgow and in Edinburgh among student actions in other cities. The student and other community actions, vigils, discussions are continuing to take place all week with the culmination of the national march on October 11 at 12 noon in London marching from the embankment to Downing Street. This will be the thirty-second national demonstration for Palestine and is expected to be among the largest yet marking the second anniversary of the start of the genocide in Gaza. Also on the anniversary, Scottish national demonstrations are also taking place from Glasgow Central Station 11am and 12.30pm from McClennan Arch, Glasgow Green.
KCL Students for Justice for Palestine names and ages of
children killed by Israeli military in Gaza, October 7 - Photo: Natalia
Georgopoulos
The two years of genocide mark 77 years of Anglo/US and the Genocide 7 (G7) backing of Israeli crimes against the Palestinians with denial of their rights, with murder, ethnic cleansing, imprisonment, torture and settler colonialism. Yet, Britain's complicity and involvement in these war crimes of Israel was further compounded when the only concern of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on October 7 was to demand that everyone condemn Hamas and not Israel [1]. He went further in announcing to the press that the student protests were being "un-British", and that they were "showing a lack of respect for others" when referring to the Manchester Synagogue attack and claiming that pro-Palestine protests are a "despicable excuse to attack British Jews". Facts reported show that, contrary what Keir Starmer infers this attack has nothing to do with any organisations, or individuals involved with the Palestine Solidarity movement. [2]
In this way, Starmer deliberately insults the people standing with Palestine who welcome the thousands of Jewish people into their actions and just opposition to Israeli war crimes; and in doing so he insults the Jewish community as if the Jewish community in Britain supports the Israeli regime in its genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. This is not the case. The fact is that, unlike the genocidal British ruling elite, much of the Jewish community like the majority in Britain stand with Palestinians and either support or increasingly take part in all the actions to defeat Israel's genocide and Britain's support for it. The students from SOAS [3] stated that, "as students, academics, workers, people of conscience, we cannot allow this to continue with business as usual during a live streamed genocide. We must transform everything we do into strength, into solidarity, into relentless action and a relentless fight." They emphasised that, "our unity matters. Every step w e take through our campuses is a refusal to let genocide be normalised, ignored, or erased."
It is no accident that Starmer fears the progressive student movement and attacks the students in particular. The spirit of the students at KCL and SOAS is shown by their action and statements which is echoed by students across Britain. They say: "Every step we take through our campuses is to resist their complicity through investments, Israeli academic partnerships. Every step we take is showing them that their repression will never intimidate us. That they can try to discipline us, suspend us, expel us, that they can attempt to erase Palestine from our universities but that we will never abide to that and that we will ensure that never happens. We will continue to rise and our goals will be achieved."
The British government's attempts to rescue the genocidal state of Israel by attacking any resistance to Israel's genocide in Palestine as well the resistance in Britain. The government and their media constantly present their lies that the resistance of the Palestinian people and the huge opposition of the people in Britain to genocide is a threat to a "safe and secure Israel" and threatens rising "antisemitism on our streets, in our country". These lies are the justification for siding with Israel in its ethnic cleansing of Gaza, and the British government's state policy of arresting thousands of people who stand with the Palestinian people, ruling their peaceful actions "terrorist". What it shows is that the resistance of the Palestinians and the resistance of the people standing with Palestinians is increasingly effective in leading to the complete defeat of these horrendous crimes against the Palestinian people and all humanity.
Over two years, literally millions upon millions have demonstrated worldwide and taken actions without let-up right across the globe in support of the Palestinian cause for their right to be and their right to resist. Broad sections of the people in Britain, including the workers' movement and the youth and students, have taken actions against the arms industries, actions against the supply of weapons and bombs to Israel, actions such as the flotillas against starvation to break the blockade, actions that close all the space for Israel and its G7 backers, and actions that have taken to the streets to help defeat this genocide. They affirm without let-up to Free, Free Palestine! and vehemently call for an end to the genocidal assaults on the Palestinian people, and that all the perpetrators be brought to justice in Israel and Britain.
Free, Free Palestine!
Stand with Palestine! Stand with the Resistance!
Notes
1. Press release PM statement on 7 October attacks
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-statement-on-7-october-attacks
2. Manchester Synagogue attack. Facts reported show that, contrary to what Keir
Starmer infers this attack by Jihad Shamie has nothing to do with any
organisations, or individuals involved with the Palestine Solidarity movement.
Reports indicate that Jihad al Shamie, 35, carried out the attack last
Thursday, October 2, as he tried to get inside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation
Synagogue in Crumpsall. Two people were killed during his car and knife attack
and the police response. Three other people remain in hospital. The police shot
Jihad al Shamie the attacker dead. Also Adrian Daulby, 53, "is believed to
have been shot dead by police." who was attempting to prevent Jihad al
Shamie entering the synagogue. A spokesperson for Counter Terrorism Policing
North West said on Wednesday October 8: "We can confirm that, in the
initial stages of the attack outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation
Synagogue, a call was made by the attacker to police claiming to pledge
allegiance to the so-called Islamic State."
3. Inter University March, The Canary, October 7
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2025/10/07/london-universities-walk-out-gaza/