Thomas Butler, Liverpool Socialist Party
On the eve of Labour Party conference on 27 September, hundreds of people came out and marched on the streets of Liverpool to display their anger at the Labour government’s complicity in the ongoing slaughter of the Palestinian people.
The only thing Starmer’s government can offer is the recognition of a Palestinian state, a meagre symbolic act. Ultimately it does nothing for the present conditions of the Palestinian people. The working class of Liverpool have not been hoodwinked by this measure and still recognises that Starmer continues to support the Israeli government. It was made clear by this demonstration and by Starmer’s own actions, which is to maintain the vast majority of Israeli arms exports, also allowing the RAF to carry out surveillance missions for the IDF. The vote at conference calling on government to “fully suspend the arms trade with Israel” is not binding, showing the conference for what it is, an anti-democratic farce.
Members of the Socialist Party were out on the demonstration distributing leaflets and selling copies of the Socialist paper, containing our ideas on how we cannot rely on the ruling class for peace in the Middle East, and that only a working class-led movement for socialism can open a way forward.
Liverpool Socialist Students also played a strong role off the back of a successful freshers campaign, a Trump walkout and a packed first meeting bringing new interested students to, in some cases, their first demonstration. Both the Socialist Party and Socialist Students were firm in calling for the organised workers’ movement led by the trade unions to fight in solidarity with the Palestinian masses.
