Hundreds of thousands gathered on Embankment. Photo: Sweta Choudhury, Stop the War
Lucy Nichols looks back at what we have achieved, and what we must continue to build to force our government to end its support for Israel
‘Peace means more than a pause in the bombing, it means freedom’ said Zarah Sultana to the 32nd national demonstration for Palestine, two years after we first marched through London demanding a ceasefire.
In these two years, we have built Britain’s biggest ever protest movement. Millions have called for an immediate end to Israel’s genocide in Gaza, not just by joining the huge central London marches, but by mobilising in their schools, workplaces, local communities and beyond. The Palestine movement has changed the face of British politics, ousting a Tory Home Secretary, undermining the current Labour government and laying the foundations for a huge new electoral project led by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana. The majority of public opinion now stands with Palestine.
Saturday’s vibrant demonstration brought together 600,000 people from all over the UK, days after Israel promised a ceasefire in Gaza. Some argued that this ceasefire should mean the end of our marches, that our movement would be far weaker post-ceasefire: we have proven otherwise.
Hundreds of thousands travelled to central London on Saturday, by coach, train, underground, or motorbike. We defied the right-wing and establishment voices that argued against us marching for Palestine, or said that to do so would be ‘un-British’. For the 32nd time, young, old, black, white, Muslim and Jewish people demanded freedom for Palestine as they marched through the capital and descended on Whitehall.
The march was defiant, loud, and determined. Chants and speeches focused on justice and liberation in the aftermath of this terrible genocide by Israel. Demonstrators called for not only Netanyahu but Starmer, Lammy and Trump to be brought to justice over their complicity in Israel’s crimes. Speeches condemned the plans to allow Tony Blair to act as a new viceroy in Gaza, demanding that Palestinians be allowed to decide their own fate, not Washington nor Westminster.
Though Israel has been forced to roll back on its ethnic cleansing and genocide, and the worst of Palestinians’ suffering should now be over, this was not a victory march. The killing is over, but hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have lost everything, hundreds of thousands have been murdered and Gaza has been virtually destroyed.
Those responsible must be brought to justice, and Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank should be allowed their freedom.
For the last two years, Israel has demonstrated its depravity for the world to see. Now the very worst of it is over, we must continue to fight for this depravity to be stopped.
We know the power of our movement and the international Palestine movement. We heard from our comrades in Paris that Europe takes inspiration from our national marches for Palestine. Even Donald Trump can see our strength, and proved this when he told Netanyahu that ‘Israel can’t fight the world’.
We also know that our very right to protest is at risk, with the government threatening to crack down on the Palestine movement even more.
Saturday’s demonstration proved that even with a ceasefire, the movement for Palestinian liberation is incredibly strong. We also proved, once again, that not even the government’s threats can stop us from marching for peace and justice. It does not seem the Palestine movement is going anywhere, despite all those who wish it would.
We must continue to build, and call for an end to the occupation, an end to British support for Israel, and for freedom for Palestine.
Before you go
The ongoing genocide in Gaza, Starmer’s austerity and the danger of a resurgent far right demonstrate the urgent need for socialist organisation and ideas. Counterfire has been central to the Palestine revolt and we are committed to building mass, united movements of resistance. Become a member today and join the fightback.
