logo
Thousands march through Edinburgh for pro-Palestinian campaign

Thousands march through Edinburgh for pro-Palestinian campaign

STV News19-07-2025
Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators braved rain to march through Edinburgh on Saturday, as part of a national campaign.
One veteran activist said the recent move to proscribe Palestine Action under anti-terror laws had not deterred people from showing their support to the wider movement.
A large group gathered outside St Giles' Cathedral in the early afternoon before marching down the Royal Mile, chanting while waving flags and banners.
The march stopped in front of the UK Government headquarters at Queen Elizabeth House, where speeches were given outside the building, before heading on to Bute House – the First Minister's official residence.
Other demonstrations took place in Manchester, Bristol, Truro and London – calling for the ban on Palestine Action to be reversed.
While there were dozens of arrests at the other events, Police Scotland said no arrests had been made in relation to the march in Edinburgh.
Mick Napier, founding member of the Scottish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, said there was a large turnout in the Scottish capital because of outrage over Israel's plan for a 'humanitarian city' in Rafah. PA Media
Speaking as the march set off down the Royal Mile, he told the PA news agency: 'It's large, it's bigger than we've had for a very long time and it's entirely due to the building of the Israeli concentration camp in Rafah.
'They've called it a humanitarian city but people are utterly horrified, cumulatively, by what's happened during 22 months of genocide.'
He said the ban on Palestine Action was 'absurd' and police had been on a hair trigger, arresting people for placards and banners which contain the words Palestine and action.
Mr Napier said the ban had not deterred people from supporting the wider pro-Palestinian movement, saying: 'I think people are enraged.
'I look back to previous campaigns against the war in Vietnam, when that issue became fused with the issue of free speech it rose to a higher level.'
Earlier this week, three women were arrested under the Terrorism Act after a van was driven into the external fence of the Leonardo UK factory in Edinburgh.
The group Shut Down Leonardo claimed it was making components for F-35 fighter jets but the defence company says it does not directly supply equipment to Israel.
Asked if such actions worked against the pro-Palestinian movement, Mr Napier said: 'I think in the past it may have put some people off, not any more.'
Other activists at the march condemned the move to ban Palestine Action.
Jane Ferrell, who travelled from Fife, said: 'It's Palestine Action one day, what's it going to be in the end?
'Trade unionism, the Labour Party activists, who knows?'
Former MP Tommy Sheppard spoke to the crowd outside Queen Elizabeth house, saying: 'Today in the Middle East a genocide is being prosecuted in real time and we are watching it on television play by play.'
Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Flimsy fence protects air base set for Britain's new nuclear-armed jets
Flimsy fence protects air base set for Britain's new nuclear-armed jets

Daily Mirror

time7 minutes ago

  • Daily Mirror

Flimsy fence protects air base set for Britain's new nuclear-armed jets

The flimsy barrier is 300 metres from the runway at RAF Marham, Norfolk. Our revelation comes just weeks after protesters were arrested for causing £7million of damage to aircraft at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire An airbase set to house the RAF's nuclear-armed jets is protected by a five-foot wooden fence. ‌ The flimsy barrier is 300 metres from the runway at RAF Marham, Norfolk. Our revelation comes just weeks after protesters were arrested for causing £7million of damage to aircraft at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. ‌ The fence at RAF Marham can be accessed by five gaps in a hedge in a farmer's field. We visited the spot this week and stood there for 30 minutes but no security guard came to check on us. The rest of the base is surrounded by 18-foot barbed-wire fences. ‌ Last night Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a former army colonel and nuclear weapons expert, said: 'It seems incongruous that at the base for our stealth fighters there is only a picket fence, which a small child could vault, as protection. When our new tactical nuclear bombers, the F-35As, arrive at RAF Marham, a wooden fence is almost encouraging terrorists to 'have a go'.' ‌ RAF Marham is the home of 617 Squadron 'The Dambusters' who fly the F-35B Lightning multi-role stealth fighter. A month ago Keir Starmer announced the government was buying at least 12 American-made F-35A fighter-bombers that can carry nuclear weapons as well as conventional ones at an estimated cost of around £700million. At a Nato summit in The Hague, the Prime Minister said the purchase was a 'response to a growing nuclear threat'. Downing Street said the move was 'the biggest strengthening of the UK's nuclear posture in a generation'. It is the first time the RAF will be able to carry nukes since the 1990s. The move comes at a time of growing global insecurity – and as the PM and his European and Canadian allies scramble to convince Donald Trump they are serious about defending Europe, rather than relying on the US. Colonel de Bretton-Gordon added: 'I applaud the design to get a tactical nuclear deterrent but the protection of these aircraft is as important as the aircraft themselves'. A government spokesperson said: ''We take security extremely seriously and operate a multi-layered approach to protect our sites, including fencing, patrols and CCTV monitoring. Following the incident at Brize Norton, we are urgently reviewing security and have implemented a series of enhanced security measures at all sites. After years of hollowing out and underfunding of the armed forces, the Strategic Defence Review concluded that we need to invest more, backed by the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War.'

There seems no end in sight to asylum hotel protests - as five intense minutes by a roundabout in Norwich proved
There seems no end in sight to asylum hotel protests - as five intense minutes by a roundabout in Norwich proved

Sky News

time19 minutes ago

  • Sky News

There seems no end in sight to asylum hotel protests - as five intense minutes by a roundabout in Norwich proved

Why you can trust Sky News It was an unlikely backdrop for a protest - a large roundabout on the outskirts of Norwich. But behind the trees flanking one of the carriageways was the reason hundreds had come - another hotel being used to house asylum seekers. Just as towns and cities around the country have seen protests in recent days, most prominently in Epping in Essex where at least 18 arrests have been made, this time the focus was the Brook Hotel. It started peacefully - bar the beeping of horns of passing cars and the chants from protesters on both sides. But in a flash, it all changed. Witnesses say one of the pro-immigration protesters had approached the much larger group wearing a balaclava and in seconds the pent-up fury spilt over as an angry crowd surged towards the police, shouting and swearing. Some tried and failed to hold back the furious crowd urging peace as a small group of police and protesters rolled down a verge, while backup officers emerged from a side road. But as quickly as it started, it was all over - an intense five minutes that seemed to take the wind out of their anger. Trying to find anyone willing to speak was almost impossible: "We don't talk to the mainstream media," a common phrase. But David Beane, from nearby Costessey, a veteran and the father of an eight-year-old boy, had clear views he wanted to share. "I know homeless people from the forces. I got out of the force, no dental treatment, I can't get a doctors. They get everything," he said. "I'm all up for immigrants coming, but sign the paperwork. You show who you are, you come in, you abide by our laws." It was David's first time at a protest. Another local man attending was Glen. "They're in there, free rent, free everything," he said. There have been protests in nearby Diss too this week. The Park Hotel in the town has now informed the Home Office that it will close altogether if it is ever made to house single men rather than families at the location. Back in Norwich, torrential rain was enough the bring an end to the day's event. Only a few stragglers remained two-and-a-half hours after it had all begun. But it seems likely they will be back. There seems to be no end in sight to the current spate of disruption.

Starmer says plan to airdrop Gaza aid and evacuate ill children will go ahead
Starmer says plan to airdrop Gaza aid and evacuate ill children will go ahead

The Guardian

time29 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

Starmer says plan to airdrop Gaza aid and evacuate ill children will go ahead

Keir Starmer has confirmed the government will be 'taking forward' plans to airdrop aid into Gaza and evacuate children who need medical assistance in an effort to relieve what Downing Street called an appalling situation. Speaking to the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, on Saturday morning, the prime minister outlined the UK's intentions to work with Jordan to carry out the plans. The three leaders agreed to work closely together on a plan to 'pave the way to a long-term solution and security in the region'. A No 10 spokesperson said: 'The three leaders talked about the situation in Gaza, which they agreed is appalling, and emphasised the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire, for Israel to lift all restrictions on aid and urgently provide those suffering in Gaza with the food they so desperately need. 'The prime minister set out how the UK will also be taking forward plans to work with partners such as Jordan to airdrop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance. 'They all agreed it would be vital to ensure robust plans are in place to turn an urgently needed ceasefire into lasting peace. 'They discussed their intention to work closely together on a plan, building on their collaboration to date, which would pave the way to a long-term solution and security in the region.' Global condemnation has been growing over Israel's blockade of most aid with reports of starvation and widespread malnutrition in Gaza. Health officials in the strip recorded 43 deaths from hunger over three days this week. There had previously been 68 in total. Médecins Sans Frontières said on Friday that the severe malnutrition rate among children aged under five at its Gaza City clinic had tripled in the last two weeks. The Guardian reported this week that skeletal children were filling hospital wards, and the head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa) said his frontline staff were fainting from hunger. The UK joined 27 other countries in issuing a joint statement earlier this week condemning Israel for depriving Palestinians of 'human dignity' as they issued a call for the immediate lifting of restrictions on the flow of aid and an end to the war in Gaza. They also described proposals by the Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, to move 600,000 Palestinians to a so-called 'humanitarian city' in Rafah, an area that has been heavily damaged by Israeli bombing, as 'completely unacceptable'. The Israeli foreign ministry rejected the joint statement hours later, saying it was 'disconnected from reality'. David Mencer, an Israeli government spokesperson, told Sky News on Wednesday: 'There is no famine in Gaza. There is a famine of the truth.' The Israeli military announced on Friday that it had agreed to let Jordan and the United Arab Emirates airdrop aid into Gaza. Each flight carrying aid is far more expensive and holds fewer supplies than lorries do. The United Arab Emirates's foreign minister on Saturday said the country would resume aid drops over Gaza 'immediately' citing the 'critical' humanitarian situation. 'The humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached a critical and unprecedented level,' sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said in a post on X. 'We will ensure essential aid reaches those most in need, whether through land, air or sea. Air drops are resuming once more, immediately.' Starmer is facing intense pressure from his most senior cabinet ministers and more than a third of MPs to move faster on recognising a Palestinian state. The deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, the health secretary, Wes Streeting, the justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, and the Northern Ireland secretary, Hilary Benn, are among those understood to believe the government should take the lead on Palestinian statehood alongside France. The foreign secretary, David Lammy, faced questions on Monday from dozens of furious MPs across the house who called on the UK government to do more, including recognition of a Palestinian state. Kit Malthouse, a Conservative MP, said he was 'frankly astonished' by Lammy's statement 'at a time when we've got daily lynchings and expulsions on the West Bank [and] dozens being murdered as they beg for aid'. He said he was 'just beyond words really at [Lammy's] inaction, and frankly, complicity by inaction at what is going on', which he said carried the 'personal risk' of ending up at The Hague. Lammy said he understood 'the fury that [Malthouse] feels', to which Malthouse shouted back: 'Why don't you feel it?'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store