Latest news with #ProPalestine
Al Jazeera
19 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.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- General
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Israel threatens to block Greta Thunberg's 'flotilla of freedom' Gaza cruise as videos show young activist having time of her life
Israel has threatened to block Greta Thunberg 's Freedom Flotilla from delivering aid to Gaza, it has emerged. The climate change campaigner and 11 other pro-Palestine activists set sail on Sunday afternoon for Gaza on a ship aimed at 'breaking Israel 's siege' of the devastated territory. The sailing boat Madleen, operated by activist group Freedom Flotilla Coalition, departed from the Sicilian port of Catania, in southern Italy and is carrying what the campaigners described as a 'symbolic' amount of aid. Videos posted to TikTok show the young activists smiling, swimming, and filming social media content as the vessel makes its journey across the Mediterranean. The Israeli Army says it is prepared to raid the ship, as it has done with previous Freedom Flotilla efforts. 'For this case as well, we are prepared,' IDF spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said, The Times reports. 'We have gained experience in recent years, and we will act accordingly.' Thunberg had been due to board a previous Freedom Flotilla ship last month, but that attempt to reach Gaza by sea failed after another of the group's vessels was attacked by two alleged drones while sailing in international waters off the coast of Malta. The group blamed Israel for the attack, which damaged the front section of the ship, in the latest confrontation over efforts to send assistance to the Palestinian territory devastated by nearly 19 months of war. The Madleen is trying to reach the shores of the Gaza Strip in an effort to bring in some aid and raise 'international awareness' over the ongoing humanitarian crisis, the activists ahead of Sunday's departure. 'We are doing this because, no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying,' Thunberg said, bursting into tears during her speech. 'Because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity. And no matter how dangerous this mission is, it's not even near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the live-streamed genocide,' she added. Israel, which was founded in the aftermath of the Holocaust, has adamantly rejected genocide allegations against it as an anti-Semitic 'blood libel'. 'We are breaking the siege of Gaza by sea, but that's part of a broader strategy of mobilizations that will also attempt to break the siege by land,' echoed activist Thiago Avila. Avila cited the upcoming Global March to Gaza - an international initiative also open to doctors, lawyers and media - which is set to leave Egypt and reach the Rafah crossing in mid-June to stage a protest there, asking Israel to stop the Gaza offensive and reopen the border. In mid-May, Israel slightly eased its blockade of Gaza after nearly three months, allowing a limited amount of humanitarian aid into the territory. Experts have warned Gaza is at risk of famine if more aid is not brought in. UN agencies and major aid groups say Israeli restrictions, the breakdown of law and order, and widespread looting make it extremely difficult to deliver aid to Gaza's roughly 2 million Palestinians. Among those joining the crew of the Madleen are Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent. Hassan has been barred from entering Israel due to her active opposition to the Israeli assault on Gaza. The activists expect to take seven days to get to their destination, if they are not stopped. The Israeli government says the ongoing blockade in Gaza is an attempt to pressure Hamas to release hostages it took during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the conflict. Hamas terrorists assaulted southern Israel that day, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Hamas is still holding 58 hostages, 23 of whom are believed to be alive. In response, Israel launched an offensive that has killed over 52,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Hamas-led Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians. Israel's bombardment and ground operations have destroyed vast areas of the territory and left most of its population homeless. The Flotilla group was only the latest among a growing number of critics to accuse Israel of genocidal acts in its war in Gaza. Israel vehemently denies the allegations, saying its war is directed at Hamas, not Gaza's civilians.
Russia Today
2 days ago
- General
- Russia Today
Man throws Molotov cocktails at pro-Israel activists in Colorado (VIDEOS)
A man was detained in Boulder, Colorado on Sunday after throwing Molotov cocktails at attendees of a demonstration in support of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Videos from the scene show a shirtless man carrying what appear to be bottles of flammable liquid while shouting pro-Palestinian slogans. He is later seen lying on the ground as police move in to detain him. 'We are aware of and fully investigating a targeted terror attack in Boulder, Colorado. Our agents and local law enforcement are on the scene already, and we will share updates as more information becomes available,' FBI Director Kash Patel said on X. Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said officers responded to a report of a suspect 'setting people on fire.' He confirmed that several people had been hospitalized, with injuries ranging 'from very serious to more minor.' FBI Special Agent Mark Michalek later confirmed that the man yelling 'Free Palestine' injured six people. He identified the suspect as 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman. 'Sadly, attacks like this are becoming too common across the country,' Michalek said. A pro-Hamas domestic terrorist threw molotov cocktails at some pro-Israel demonstrators in Boulder, the violence on campuses across the country, to violence on our streets, it's past time these thugs were labeled as domestic BREAKING: SUSPECT IDENTIFIED as Mohamad Soliman in the Boulder terror attack showsHe was shouting pro-Palestine propaganda with a thick IS WHY WE NEED MASS DEPORTATIONS. These people SHOULD NOT BE victims have been life-flighted from the area, and… Heated demonstrations in support of both Palestine and Israel have taken place in many countries since the war between Hamas and Israel broke out in October 2023. The US has seen a wave of anti-Semitic incidents, with pro-Palestinian activists targeting Jewish institutions and individuals demonstrating in support of Israel. Last month, a man shouting pro-Palestinian slogans fatally shot two Israeli Embassy staffers outside the Capital Jewish Museum in downtown Washington.
CNN
4 days ago
- General
- CNN
Hear MIT class president's speech that got her banned from graduation
MIT 2025 class president Megha Vemuri told CNN that after her Pro-Palestine speech, the university's senior leadership informed her she was not allowed to attend Friday's commencement ceremony and was barred from campus until the event concluded.
CNN
4 days ago
- General
- CNN
Hear MIT class president's speech that got her banned from graduation
MIT 2025 class president Megha Vemuri told CNN that after her Pro-Palestine speech, the university's senior leadership informed her she was not allowed to attend Friday's commencement ceremony and was barred from campus until the event concluded.
