Half a million march to Downing Street to urge Starmer to cut ties with Israel
An estimated 600,000 people marched through central London to Downing Street on Saturday to commemorate the 77th anniversary of the Nakba.
The demonstration began at Embankment before passing Big Ben, crossing the river to Waterloo and ending up outside Downing Street.
It was organised by the Palestine Solidarity Compaign, Friends of Al-Aqsa, the Muslim Association of Britain, Stop the War, the Palestinian Forum in Britain and other pro-Palestine groups.
Protesters came from around the country, including from Wales and northern England. Stop the War said the demonstration was attended by an estimated 600,000 people, making it the biggest since November 2023.
Protestors march through Westminster in central London (Middle East Eye)
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign said the march was intended to "mark the 77th anniversary of the 1948 Nakba and demand our government take action to end the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their land".
The Nakba, or catastrophe, refers to the ethnic cleansing of Palestine by Zionist militias to make way for the creation of Israel in 1948.
Small counter-protest
A small contingent of pro-Israel protestors stood on the Strand at the north end of Waterloo Bridge, chanting: "Terror supporters off our streets". Indian flags were seen being waved alongside Israeli flags.
Outside Downing Street, the pro-Palestine marchers heard from several speakers, including MP Apsana Begum, Palestinian ambassador Hussam Zumlot and historian William Dalrymple.
British actor Khalid Abdalla holds a key symbolising the Palestinian right of return (Middle East Eye)
Saturday's protest came as Israel continues its blockade on Gaza, now on day 77. Bombings have increased in the past week and the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 53,000 since 7 October 2023.
During the Nakba in 1948, Zionist forces killed thousands of Palestinians, destroyed hundreds of villages and forcibly expelled 80 percent of the Palestinian population from their homeland.
After more than a year of relentless violence, the newly created State of Israel captured 78 percent of historic Palestine.
The remaining 22 percent, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, were occupied by Israel 19 years later and remain under Israeli military rule.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Khaleej Times
12 minutes ago
- Khaleej Times
Seized Gaza aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg reaches Israeli port
A Gaza-bound aid boat reached Israel's Ashdod port on Monday after being intercepted by Israeli forces, preventing the dozen activists on board including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg from reaching the blockaded Palestinian territory. An AFP photographer said that the Madleen, which organisers said was intercepted in international waters overnight, reached the port north of Gaza at around 8:45 pm (1745 GMT), escorted by the Israeli navy. The Madleen set sail from Italy on June 1 to raise awareness of food shortages in the Gaza Strip, which the United Nations has called the "hungriest place on Earth". After more than 20 months of war, triggered by Palestinian militant group Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, the UN has warned that Gaza's entire population is at risk of famine. At around 4:02 am (0102 GMT) on Monday, Israeli troops "forcibly intercepted" the vessel as it approached Gaza, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said. "If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped," Thunberg said in pre-recorded footage shared by the coalition. Video from the group shows the activists with their hands up as Israeli forces boarded the vessel, with one of them saying nobody was injured prior to the interception. Israel's foreign ministry, in a post on social media, said "all the passengers of the 'selfie yacht' are safe and unharmed", adding it expected the activists to return to their home countries. Turkey condemned the interception as a "heinous attack" and Iran denounced it as "a form of piracy" in international waters. In May, another Freedom Flotilla ship, the Conscience, reported it was struck by drones in an attack the group blamed on Israel. In 2010, an Israeli commando raid on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, which was part of a similar attempt to breach the naval blockade, left 10 civilians dead. On Sunday, Defence Minister Israel Katz said the blockade, in place for years before the Israel-Hamas war, was needed to prevent Palestinian militants from importing weapons. Mounting pressure The Madleen was intercepted about 185 kilometres (115 miles) west of the coast of Gaza, according to coordinates from the coalition. President Emmanuel Macron requested that the six French nationals aboard the boat "be allowed to return to France as soon as possible", a presidential official said. Two of them are journalists, Omar Fayyad of Qatar-based Al Jazeera and Yanis Mhamdi, who works for online publication Blast, according to media rights group Reporters Without Borders, which condemned their detention and called for their "immediate release". Al Jazeera "categorically denounces the Israeli incursion", the network said in a statement, demanding the reporter's release. Adalah, an Israeli NGO offering legal support for the country's Arab minority, said the activists on board the Madleen had requested its services, and that the group was likely to be taken to a detention centre before being deported. Israel is facing mounting pressure to allow more aid into Gaza to alleviate widespread shortages of food and basic supplies. In what organisers called a "symbolic act", hundreds of people launched a land convoy on Monday from Tunisia with the aim of reaching Gaza.
Gulf Today
19 minutes ago
- Gulf Today
VIDEO: Israeli forces halt Gaza-bound aid boat and detain Greta Thunberg and other activists
Israeli forces stopped a Gaza-bound aid boat and detained Greta Thunberg and other activists who were on board early Monday, enforcing a longstanding blockade of the Palestinian territory that has been tightened during the war with Hamas. The activists had set out to protest Israel's ongoing military campaign in the Gaza Strip, which is among the deadliest and most destructive since World War II, and its restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid, both of which have put the territory of some 2 million Palestinians at risk of famine. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which had organized the voyage, said the activists were "kidnapped by Israeli forces' while trying to deliver desperately needed aid to the territory. "The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo-including baby formula, food and medical supplies-confiscated,' it said in a statement. This frame grab of a pre-recorded video posted on Telegram on Monday by the activist group Freedom Flotilla Coalition via AFPTV shows Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, who is on board the Gaza-bound aid boat the Madleen, saying that the vessel has been "intercepted" by Israeli forces. AFP Israel's Foreign Ministry cast the voyage as a public relations stunt, saying in a post on X that "the 'selfie yacht' of the 'celebrities' is safely making its way to the shores of Israel.' It said the passengers would return to their home countries and the aid would be delivered to Gaza through established channels. It later circulated footage of what appeared to be Israeli military personnel handing out sandwiches and water to the activists, who were wearing orange life vests. Thunberg, a climate campaigner, was among 12 activists aboard the Madleen, which set sail from Sicily a week ago. Along the way, it had stopped on Thursday to rescue four migrants who had jumped overboard to avoid being detained by the Libyan coast guard. "I urge all my friends, family and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible," Thunberg said in a pre-recorded message released after the ship was halted. Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent, was also among the volunteers on board. She has been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli policies toward the Palestinians. This grab image show the passengers of the Madleen Gaza-bound aid boat was intercepted by Israeli forces and redirected to Israel's shores, preventing the activists onboard, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg and European parliament member Rima Hassan, from reaching the blockaded Palestinian territory. AFP After a 2½-month total blockade aimed at pressuring Hamas, Israel started allowing some basic aid into Gaza last month, but humanitarian workers and experts have warned of famine unless the blockade is lifted and Israel ends its military offensive. An attempt last month by Freedom Flotilla to reach Gaza by sea failed after another of the group's vessels was attacked by two drones while sailing in international waters off Malta. The group blamed Israel for the attack, which damaged the front section of the ship. Israel and Egypt have imposed varying degrees of blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007. Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent Hamas from importing arms, while critics say it amounts to collective punishment of Gaza's Palestinian population. Israel sealed Gaza off from all aid in the early days of the war ignited by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, but later relented under U.S. pressure. In early March, shortly before Israel ended a ceasefire with Hamas, the country again blocked all imports, including food, fuel and medicine. Hamas-led fighters killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack and abducted 251 hostages, more than half of whom have since been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Hamas is still holding 55 hostages, more than half of them believed to be dead. Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which has said women and children make up most of the dead. It doesn't say whether those killed are civilians or combatants. The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced around 90% of the territory's population, leaving people there almost completely dependent on international aid. Efforts to broker another truce have been deadlocked for months. Hamas says it will only release the remaining hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal, while Israel has vowed to continue the war until all the captives are returned and Hamas is defeated or disarmed and exiled. Associated Press
Gulf Today
3 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Granting Palestinians their full legitimate rights only way to stabilise region, Jordan King tells Macron
Jordan's King Abdullah II, during a meeting with France President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, stressed Amman's readiness to strengthen ties with France across various sectors, which will contribute to enhancing stability in the Middle East. The meeting, held on the sidelines of the third United Nations Ocean Conference. The two leaders highlighted the importance of maintaining coordination on regional issues, stepping up international efforts to reach comprehensive calm in the region, immediately reinstating the ceasefire in Gaza, and resuming the entry of humanitarian aid. King Abdullah warned of the serious consequences of continued escalations in the West Bank and Jerusalem, reiterating that granting Palestinians their full legitimate rights is the only way to stabilise the region. The King expressed appreciation for France's pivotal role in supporting efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East on the basis of the two-state solution, especially through its organisation of an international conference due to be held in New York 17-20 June, in partnership with Saudi Arabia. WAM
