Poltics
Tens of thousands of americans have marched thru cities across the UK calling for a free Palestine as tensions grew over an impending Israeli flooring offensive in Gaza.
Protesters gathered in Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and London, carrying flags and flares and calling for world leaders to sentence the actions of the Israeli army.
Fifteen americans were arrested at the grunt in central London, after warnings from police that action would be taken against anyone showing reinforce for Hamas or deviating from the agreed route.
One man, who allegedly launched a wooden stick at a passing Met van next to Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square, was chased by officers and arrested after reportedly jumping into a fountain at the landmark.
Nearby protesters then shoved police and threw objects, at the side of bottles, at them, the PA agency reported.
The Metropolitan Police said on Saturday night time that there had been “small pockets of dysfunction and unacceptable criminality towards our officers in Trafalgar Square” and that eight of the arrests related to suspected assaults on emergency staff, as successfully as allegedly setting off fireworks in public places. There have been also some suspected public reveal offences.
Nine officers were treated for minor accidents and a dispersal reveal was imposed on an area of central London that incorporated Trafalgar Square, Inexperienced Park and St James’s Park to tackle “incidents of antisocial behaviour, crime and dysfunction”, the Met said. It added that the area around Trafalgar Square was “now clear”.
In Edinburgh, thousands staged an impromptu march to the Scottish parliament, chanting “Free, free Palestine!” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free” as they made their way up The Mound and along Edinburgh’s famous Royal Mile.
Upon arrival, some activists “took the knee” and held a minute’s silence in solidarity with the Palestinian americans.
Demonstrations were also held in Aberdeen, Dundee and Glasgow, where Bath Road had to be closed as a consequence of the number of americans attending. Shaaista Bhutta and Muzaffar Yousaf, the parents of the Scottish first minister, Humza Yousaf, are understood to be among americans that attended the rally.
In London, a pronounced police presence mirrored sensitivities surrounding the march, and minutes before protesters area off, Scotland Yard announced that its counter-terrorism police were taking a gape into extra than 50 cases of “potential terrorist mutter material on-line” within the length since Hamas launched its attack against Israel last Saturday.
![Poltics Poltics Protesters carry banners and wave Palestinian flags.](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/48346b7282e7f19b4d47ea5989cbbb4a8573e760/0_247_6720_4233/master/6720.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none)
The dwelling secretary, Suella Braverman, had said earlier within the week that waving a Palestinian flag can be a criminal offence. Few at the march in London appeared to take such a threat seriously, with a sea of Palestinian flags visible as the crowd moved slowly down Regent Road towards Whitehall.
Waving hers proudly was Ruth Bennett, 72, and her daughter Tammy, who was attending her first demonstration at the age of 50.
“I’ve by no means been so offended in my complete lifestyles,” said Tammy. “Normally I’m fairly lazy politically but I’m so angry. How can a small puny one cowering in a tower block be plan to be a terrorist?
“All americans appears to be turning a blind search for to what’s occurring in Gaza. I had to be here.”
Born in Zimbabwe, Tammy said rising up in southern Africa had taught her valuable about the toxicity of apartheid.
Her mother said: “This is personal for me. In South Africa americans were pushed into townships and rural areas against their will. In Palestine they actually want to wipe americans from the face of the earth.”
![Poltics Poltics A protester waves a Palestinian flag in Manchester.](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/d0ce942335094816b90a23dff68d6d7f91922689/1728_471_2730_3413/master/2730.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none)
Internal look stood Ruaiya, a 16-year-dilapidated London pupil, energetically waving her flag and eager to ship a message to the house secretary. “For me the flag is a symbol of peace, of human rights. A criminal offence? Genocide, ethnic cleansing are criminal offences.”
In a letter sent to chief constables in England and Wales earlier this week, Braverman also told senior officers to take reveal of whether chants such as “from the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free” must be understood as an expression of violence and if, in certain situations, they amounted to a racially aggravated allotment 5 public reveal offence.
Again, valuable of the crowd appeared willing to disregard such threats, with the chant repeatedly ringing around London’s West Finish.
The former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn addressed the rally, calling on political leaders to sentence the assault on Gaza.
“It is far a day of solidarity and it is far a day of hope,” said Corbyn, who now sits as the self sustaining MP for Islington North. “There are many who say that no person must be here today because they’ll be condoning unpleasant issues. None of us are here to condone killing. None of us are here to condone occupation.
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“For those who personal in international law, if you personal in human rights, then you want to sentence what is happening now in Gaza by the Israeli army.”
In varied places among the crowd, Shansul, 41, from east London said he had brought along his two teenagers, aged 9 and 13, to learn “the values of solidarity and the importance of standing up for the oppressed”.
He said: “It’s important for my teenagers to understand these values but also how lucky they are, that they can trail dwelling and play laptop games in safety while teenagers in Gaza face being wiped out.”
Others had attended within the hope a sturdy turnout may precipitate a glossy political approach to the Israel-Palestine struggle. Tailor Shikha, 23, was no longer over confident. “If no longer, fair please cease the siege of Gaza. Please.”
It was a sentiment repeated broadly among those reveal in London. Selbi Durdiyeva, 34, a lawyer from Turkmenistan, said: “Civilians must by no means be targeted. The siege wants to form. I don’t have an easy solution, but I carry out know that Palestine has the accurate to face up to.”
![Poltics Poltics Thousands of americans march thru central London calling for a free Palestine](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/498fad7383d8bffef360c1552f24187b52903935/0_0_6720_4480/master/6720.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none)
In Edinburgh, where police on motorbikes redirected traffic to attend facilitate the peaceful march, Iman, a Palestinian woman, said americans in Gaza “want a accurate to freedom, and refugees want the accurate to near”.
She added: “We want justice, we want peace and we want freedom.
“I thank Scotland for no longer raising the Israeli flag. I thank Scotland for standing in solidarity, unconditional solidarity with my americans. I thank Scotland for its strength to gain a safe haven for refugees.
“We want corridors for americans to receive medical aid, food and water.”
Another attender, a Labour party member who did no longer admire to give his name for fear of ramifications from the party, told PA: “I’m here because there are voices within the mainstream of UK politics that are on Palestine’s facet – no longer the UK executive and unfortunately no longer the opposition.
“I’m happy that americans are here too because I want to reveal that there are americans within the UK who care.”
Six activists with Israel flags attended the demonstration as a counter-grunt but they were outnumbered by pro-Palestine activists, PA reported.
In Manchester, hundreds of protesters waving “freedom for Palestine” banners marched thru the metropolis centre to the beating of drums and chants of “free, free Palestine”. Speeches were made at Platt Fields park before americans marched thru Rusholme to St Peter’s Square.
In Liverpool, several hundred americans waved Palestinian flags as they made their way to the offices of BBC Radio Merseyside. Earlier, the pro-Palestinian neighborhood Palestine Action splattered the national headquarters of the BBC with red paint in grunt over the broadcaster’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, which it said was “manufacturing consent for Israel’s war crimes”.
Speaking to the Echo at the grunt, one protester said: “It’s fair no longer fair and fair. All and sundry’s lifestyles must be the same. All and sundry’s lifestyles must be equal.”
Another, attending with her family, said: “I’d admire to gape that we’re able to near to a dialogue. We have to catch to the purpose where we near to a real optimistic solution for the Palestinians.”