Latest news with #PalestineSolidarityCampaign
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Pro-Palestine protesters in UK call for Israel arms embargo, sanctions
Pro-Palestine campaigners have rallied against Israel's punishing war on Gaza, gathering outside the British Parliament in London and demanding a full arms embargo and that hard-hitting sanctions be imposed on the Israeli government. Wednesday's march, organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), came as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer took weekly questions from parliamentarians. Thousands of protesters created a 'Red Line for Palestine', wearing red while encircling the building. Starmer told Parliament that Israel's actions in the besieged and bombarded enclave are 'appalling' and 'intolerable'. 'It is right to describe these days as dark,' Starmer said. 'We have strongly opposed the expansion of Israeli military operations, and settler violence, and the blocking of humanitarian aid.' Starmer added that the UK has imposed sanctions, suspended free trade negotiations, and is currently considering further sanctions. But the UK leader, his Foreign Secretary David Lammy, and his government have come under heavy criticism in the UK for not speaking more forcefully backed by actual action earlier in the war, and for not doing enough now as Palestinians face what United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called the 'cruellest phase of this cruel conflict'. Al Jazeera's Rory Challands, reporting from London, said the protest went on for several hours and throughout Starmer's entire speech to Parliament. 'There was a red line around the whole of Parliament,' Challands said. 'These protesters had formed a cordon, essentially all the way down from Parliament to the first bridge … that goes across to the other side of the [River] Thames, and they came back up … and returned over Westminster Bridge to join up here to make a full loop,' he added. According to Challands, protesters say that their 'red line' is to show that the UK government should have its own red lines when it comes to Gaza. It has not had 'sufficient' red lines in place, he said. 'The protesters say there should have been red lines before 54,000 deaths.' In his remarks, Starmer also called for an end to the siege and said humanitarian aid must reach Gaza quickly and in the required quantities. Israel has maintained a crippling blockade on the territory, barring the entry of much-needed aid, including food, medicine, clean water, and fuel required by generators. A famine now looms as more than two million people are facing starvation, the UN has warned. Meanwhile, a controversial, United States-backed group that runs aid distribution points in Gaza – the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) – has suspended operations for a full day. The move came after Israeli forces opened fire at hungry aid seekers several times, killing dozens of Palestinians and injuring hundreds more since the organisation started operating in the enclave on May 27. The killing of people desperately seeking food supplies has triggered mounting international outrage as many say aid is being weaponised and with the UN's Guterres demanding an independent inquiry. Israel's war on Gaza has killed at least 54,607 Palestinians and wounded 125,341, according to the Health Ministry.
Al Jazeera
4 hours ago
- General
- Al Jazeera
Pro-Palestine protesters in UK call for Israel arms embargo, sanctions
Pro-Palestine campaigners have rallied against Israel's punishing war on Gaza, gathering outside the British Parliament in London and demanding a full arms embargo and that hard-hitting sanctions be imposed on the Israeli government. Wednesday's march, organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), came as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer took weekly questions from parliamentarians. Thousands of protesters created a 'Red Line for Palestine', wearing red while encircling the building. Starmer told Parliament that Israel's actions in the besieged and bombarded enclave are 'appalling' and 'intolerable'. 'It is right to describe these days as dark,' Starmer said. 'We have strongly opposed the expansion of Israeli military operations, and settler violence, and the blocking of humanitarian aid.' Starmer added that the UK has imposed sanctions, suspended free trade negotiations, and is currently considering further sanctions. But the UK leader, his Foreign Secretary David Lammy, and his government have come under heavy criticism in the UK for not speaking more forcefully backed by actual action earlier in the war, and for not doing enough now as Palestinians face what United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called the 'cruellest phase of this cruel conflict'. Al Jazeera's Rory Challands, reporting from London, said the protest went on for several hours and throughout Starmer's entire speech to Parliament. 'There was a red line around the whole of Parliament,' Challands said. 'These protesters had formed a cordon, essentially all the way down from Parliament to the first bridge … that goes across to the other side of the [River] Thames, and they came back up … and returned over Westminster Bridge to join up here to make a full loop,' he added. According to Challands, protesters say that their 'red line' is to show that the UK government should have its own red lines when it comes to Gaza. It has not had 'sufficient' red lines in place, he said. 'The protesters say there should have been red lines before 54,000 deaths.' In his remarks, Starmer also called for an end to the siege and said humanitarian aid must reach Gaza quickly and in the required quantities. Israel has maintained a crippling blockade on the territory, barring the entry of much-needed aid, including food, medicine, clean water, and fuel required by generators. A famine now looms as more than two million people are facing starvation, the UN has warned. Meanwhile, a controversial, United States-backed group that runs aid distribution points in Gaza – the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) – has suspended operations for a full day. The move came after Israeli forces opened fire at hungry aid seekers several times, killing dozens of Palestinians and injuring hundreds more since the organisation started operating in the enclave on May 27. The killing of people desperately seeking food supplies has triggered mounting international outrage as many say aid is being weaponised and with the UN's Guterres demanding an independent inquiry. Israel's war on Gaza has killed at least 54,607 Palestinians and wounded 125,341, according to the Health Ministry.
Middle East Eye
6 hours ago
- Business
- Middle East Eye
Majority of British people support arms embargo on Israel
A majority of British people support a full arms embargo on Israel, according to a new poll commissioned by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. The poll, conducted by Opinium Research between 30 May and 2 June, found that 57 percent of people think the UK should impose a full arms embargo, with only 13 percent opposed. The poll also found 53 percent of people think Israel should be expelled from the United Nations, while 50 percent said Israeli products in supermarkets should be boycotted. Fifty-four percent backed sanctioning far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has been a staunch supporter of Israel's total blockade of the Gaza Strip that has left over 93 percent of the population suffering from acute food insecurity. Increasing numbers of public figures in the UK are speaking out against Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed at least 54,607 Palestinians and wounded 125,341 since 7 October 2023. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Last week, more than 300 artists signed an open letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer calling for an end to British arms sales to Israel. The new poll comes after a similar survey showed public support for Israel in European countries had fallen to its lowest recorded level. Support for Israel in Europe drops to record low, finds YouGov poll Read More » According to a survey by YouGov last month, fewer than a fifth of respondents in six countries held a favourable view of Israel. The poll was conducted between 12 and 26 May in Britain, France, Germany, Denmark, Spain and Italy. Middle East Eye revealed on Tuesday that the US has been pressuring the UK not to back a French proposal to recognise a Palestinian state. France is reportedly gearing up to unilaterally recognise Palestine at an upcoming UN conference. MEE understands that France has been lobbying Britain to do so as well. Prominent Israeli diplomat Alon Pinkas told MEE this week that Macron's push to recognise Palestinian statehood 'is serious and has the backing of most of the European Union and Saudi Arabia'. French officials believe the British government is on board with the plan, according to French media.
Arab News
a day ago
- General
- Arab News
Vast majority of Brits want full arms embargo on Israel: Poll
LONDON: Around 80 percent of the British public support a full arms embargo on Israel, and just 16 percent oppose expelling the country from the UN, according to a poll conducted by Opinium. Around three-quarters of respondents want public sector pensions to disengage from investments linked to Israel. The findings come in the aftermath of Co-op members voting at their annual general meeting last week for the supermarket to stop selling Israeli products. Two-thirds of those surveyed by Opinium back similar boycotts by other UK supermarkets. Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said in a statement: 'The polling … speaks to Israel's growing isolation and the significant public support for sanctions. 'By continuing to arm and support Israel even as it enacts a genocide and a policy of forced starvation, the British government is holding on to an increasingly fringe position, completely out of sync with public opinion, and with the views of those who supported it at the last election.' On Wednesday, thousands of activists are set to form a kilometer-long cordon around the Houses of Parliament in London, linked by a stretch of red fabric, to call for an end to UK military aid to Israel and the imposition of sanctions on the country. Jamal said: 'Those bringing the demand for an arms embargo to Parliament … in a symbolic red line are doing so knowing that the demand is supported by the majority of their fellow citizens.' The PSC said in a press release: 'For nearly 3 months Israel imposed a total blockade preventing all humanitarian assistance, resulting in deaths by starvation, widespread malnutrition and hunger amongst 2.3 million people. 'Israel has now imposed a severely limited and militarised aid operation, condemned by international aid organisations, that has resulted in scores of Palestinians being shot dead as they search for food.'
Telegraph
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Veteran gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell ‘arrested for anti-Hamas sign'
The veteran human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell was arrested for carrying an anti-Hamas slogan during a pro-Palestine protest. The 73-year-old said the incident was 'yet another' example of the police 'abusing their powers to suppress freedom of expression'. Mr Tatchell, best known for his pioneering role in the gay rights movement, said he was detained at a march in London on May 17 while holding a sign that read: 'Stop Hamas executions.' He claimed that officers pulled him out of the march and told him the sign represented a 'racially and religiously aggravated breach of the peace'. The Australian-born activist has been supporting the Palestinian cause for the past five decades. He said he attended the march as he wanted to support calls for a ceasefire while also calling out Hamas's execution of protesters and critics in Gaza. On the placard, Mr Tatchell highlighted the case of Odai Al-Rubai, a 22-year-old Gazan man who was beaten with metal bars before his body was dragged through the streets and dumped outside his family home. Mr Tatchell told The Telegraph that before his arrest a 'handful' of pro-Palestine protesters had confronted him over the sign in an 'aggressive, threatening and intimidating' manner. He said: 'Some people told me to f--- off, others called me Zionist scum, all while the police stood by and did nothing.' Mr Tatchell said he was later confronted by Metropolitan Police officers after Palestine Solidarity Campaign stewards complained that he was chanting: 'Hamas are terrorists.' Mr Tatchell told the officers he was not chanting or using that phrase and pointed out that his sign read: 'Stop Israel Genocide! Stop Hamas Executions!' He said he was then accused of being part of a counter-protest despite making it clear to the officers he was in solidarity with the pro-Palestine marchers. Mr Tatchell said he was pulled out of the march and arrested on suspicion of a racially and religiously aggravated breach of the peace under the Public Order Act. Police 'abusing' their powers He was arrested and had his fingerprints, DNA sample and photograph taken, before being released after five and a half hours. Mr Tatchell said: 'This is another example of the way the police are abusing their powers to suppress freedom of expression and the right to peaceful protest.' He added: 'The arresting officers must face disciplinary action. My arrest was a massive waste of police resources and taxpayers' money on trumped-up charges. 'Police allege that my placard was a 'racially and religiously aggravated breach of the peace' and that I had violated a Section 14 order. That is nonsense. My placard made no mention of anyone's race or religion.' A Met Police spokesman said that Mr Tatchell had been arrested in 'error' and had been released without charge. The force said that officers had acted in 'good faith based on the information they had at the time' but it would review the handling of the incident. The spokesman added: 'Mr Tatchell was initially detained after concerns were raised with officers by stewards from the Palestine Coalition protest. 'Officers spoke with him and, believing him to be a counter protester, directed him to join the counter protest in its designated area. When he attempted to rejoin the Palestine Coalition protest he was arrested on suspicion of breaching the conditions in place and to prevent a breach of the peace. 'While officers were acting in good faith based on the information they had received at the time, we now understand that Mr Tatchell was legitimately participating in the Palestine Coalition protest and was not in breach of any conditions. 'He was released from custody at the earliest opportunity once officers realised that an error had been made. He will face no further action. 'We will review our handling of the incident to fully understand what took place.' A spokesperson for the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) said: 'PSC did not make any complaint to the police about Peter Tatchell and we are not aware of any of the stewards making a complaint to any police officer.'
