Demonstrating outside the Israeli embassy in London, 11.7.14, photo by Paula Mitchell

Demonstrating outside the Israeli embassy in London, 11.7.14, photo by Paula Mitchell   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

Stop the onslaught on Gaza

London demonstration – 11th July

Travelling early on Friday evening to the London demonstration against the war on Gaza, it was clear it would be a large protest. The station platforms and train carriages were full of people heading for High Street Kensington, where the protest was assembling near the Israeli embassy.

High Street Kensington in London became packed with protesters, 11.7.14, photo J. Beishon

High Street Kensington in London became packed with protesters, 11.7.14, photo J. Beishon   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

The police had fenced off a strip of the street to hem in the protesters, but this ‘cage’ was quickly overwhelmed by the mass of people assembling.

The number 52 is going nowhere, photo J. Beishon

The number 52 is going nowhere, photo J. Beishon   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

Soon, the entire width of the high street and much of the length was full of people, determined to show their anger at the brutal actions of the Israeli military.

A bus is 'occupied', photo by Sarah Wrack

A bus is ‘occupied’, photo by Sarah Wrack   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

A double decker bus was ‘occupied’ by protesters, who were soon on its roof waving flags. The huge crowd erupted in cheers when an orthodox Jewish man climbed up to join others on the bus roof, equally keen to express his condemnation of the bombardment of Gaza.

London Socialist Party members received a constant stream of people at our stalls, signing our petition condemning the actions of the Israeli regime, donating money, buying the Socialist and taking our leaflet (text below).

Overall, 155 copies of the Socialist were bought, £200 given in donations and over 30 people filled in Socialist Party ‘join’ cards.


London Socialist Party, Stop the war on Gaza meetings, go to:

http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/18944/12-07-2014/stop-the-war-on-gaza-london-meetings


Birmingham

On Friday 11th July close to 1,000 people rallied in Birmingham city centre against the attacks on Palestinian civilians by the Israeli army.

The largest and most youthful demonstration in Birmingham in support of the people of Gaza for some years, the march stopped traffic in the city centre as it made its way to the BBC’s local headquarters to protest against the way in which it has covered the attacks.

Nick Hart, Birmingham Central Socialist Party

Swansea

Stop the war on Gaza, demo in Swansea, photo by E. Schluessel

Stop the war on Gaza, demo in Swansea, photo by E. Schluessel   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

Around 100 protesters, mainly from the Swansea Palestinian community, held a protest and spontaneous march last Saturday in Swansea city centre. With banners, flags and placards demanding an end to the Israeli slaughter in Gaza the protesters got a warm reception from shoppers as they marched around the city centre.

Our Socialist Party stall which we set up earlier in the city centre saw a lot of young people sign our petition and show an interest in our material. When we moved up to the protest our leaflets were eagerly taken and our stall was busy with many Palestinians agreeing with our demands.

Swansea Socialist Party branch will be discussing the Israeli attacks on Gaza this Thursday and will be welcoming the Swansea Palestinian community and the general public to come and listen to the socialist response to these latest attacks by the Israeli state: Thursday July 17th, 7.30pm, Dyfatty Community Centre, Chapel St, Swansea SA1 1NB

Alec Thraves

Manchester

(Posted on 15.7.14)

Hundreds of protesters stormed Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester on Saturday to protest against the vile attack on the Palestinian people by the Israeli state.

An open-mic rally allowed workers to express their support for Palestinians and fury with the Israeli regime and the imperialist governments who have helped to arm it.

Some speakers noted the support of many ordinary Israelis for the Palestinians’ cause, and Socialist Party members got the best reception when we praised the joint protests of Jews and Arabs against the Israeli regime, whilst calling for more joint action and another Intifada to end the occupation.

Our stall was mobbed with people wanting to sign our petition and our material was eagerly received. 13 people expressed a desire to join the Socialist Party, and some enthusiastic protesters took our petitions round the crowd to sign and handed out our leaflets. We sold dozens of copies of the Socialist and raised £175 for the party’s fighting fund.

After the rally, the demo surged over to Media City in Salford to highlight the bias in the BBC’s reporting on the conflict. The longer it went on, the more people came, as up to 2,000 protesters piled in from around the region. Shamefully, no one from the BBC even bothered to come out to explain why their coverage has been so sympathetic to the Israeli regime.

Laurence Maples

Text of the Socialist Party leaflet, 11.7.14:

[For a later article, go to: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/18959/15-07-2014/no-more-onslaught-on-gaza ]

For pdf of leaflet, click here

Stop the bombing of Gaza – End Israeli state terror!

Netanyahu’s Israeli government has launched a horrific onslaught of hundreds of air strikes on the densely populated Gaza strip. Over 100 Gazans have been killed in one week, including 20 children. 400 have been injured. One strike hit a group of football fans who had gathered to watch a world cup match; nine were killed.

Netanyahu argues that this brutality is necessary to counter the increased rocket fire on Israeli towns by Palestinian militias, and David Cameron has given him his support for this carnage. The Palestinians are largely militarily defenceless against the huge Israeli armed forces, but the militias’ rocket fire is no deterrent to the Israeli regime and its indiscriminate use is counter-productive.

The savagery of the Israeli regime’s bombardment is stark, especially when considering that there have been no Israeli deaths and few serious injuries so far from the rockets in this round of bloodshed, though tragic loss of life of Israeli civilians may yet happen.

This terrible military offensive will solve nothing. Netanyahu rejected the ceasefire conditions of Gaza’s Hamas leaders: an end to the Israeli offensive and blockade, the release of prisoners who were freed under a prisoner swap but then re-arrested, and no sabotaging of the new Palestinian ‘unity’ government. Instead the Israeli army has been preparing for an even greater onslaught – a ground invasion – which would escalate the bloodshed, especially for the Palestinians.

The entire strategy of Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition government has been one of continuing the repressive occupation and creating more ‘facts on the ground’ through its programmes of Jewish settlement building and expansion. Palestinians in the occupied territories are forced to suffer heavy repression with regular military incursions, acute unemployment and poverty, and are blockaded, separated and have land continually confiscated.

No end to the national conflict is possible on this basis – the Palestinians have no choice but to continue to struggle for national liberation and decent living standards.

The present cycle of bloodshed was triggered when three Israeli teenagers disappeared and were later tragically found murdered. The Israeli military forces launched a collective punishment operation across the Palestinian territories and there were some nationalist far-right demonstrations and attacks in Israel which included the horrific murder of a young east Jerusalem Palestinian. In response, widespread protests and riots broke out among Palestinians in a number of areas of Israel.

There were also joint anti-war protests of Jews and Arabs in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa, which Socialist Struggle Movement (the Committee for a Workers International – CWI – in Israel/Palestine) has participated in.

Anti-war demonstrations around the world need to be stepped up; and also in Israel – to oppose the propaganda and nationalist incitement of the Israeli leaders and make it clear that the bloodshed is not in the interests of ordinary Israelis. A majority of Israeli people support the setting up of an independent Palestinian state and the dismantling of settlements. However, Netanyahu’s government is using the murders of the three Israeli teenagers and the rocket fire to reinforce the fears of Israelis and unleash further savage repression, which will certainly not bring peace and security for people in Israel.

Tragically, the pro-capitalist political leaders on both sides of the national divide have no programme that will end the cycles of bloodshed. Instead, the Palestinian masses need to build their own grassroots organisations that can democratically organise defence and take offensive initiatives based on mass struggle – such as against the blockade and land seizures.

In Israel, following the unprecedented social movement involving hundreds of thousands of people in 2011, a new workers’ party is needed to concretely advance the aspirations of that movement – for decent housing, services, pay etc.

It will be through the building of new mass workers’ parties and movements in the region that the pro-big business agendas of the capitalist parties can be challenged and thrown out, and socialist ideas can start to take hold. That will be the route to building a socialist Palestine and a socialist Israel as part of a socialist confederation of the Middle East, laying the basis for a future free of war, terror and poverty.

  • Stop the slaughter! End the missile strikes and other attacks on Gaza! No to this war of the Israeli government of big business and settlements.
  • End the blockade of Gaza. For the immediate withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Palestinian territories. The national conflict will not be solved by military means.
  • For a mass struggle of the Palestinians, under their own democratic control, to fight for genuine national liberation.
  • For independent workers’ organisations in Palestine and Israel.
  • For an independent, democratic socialist Palestinian state, alongside a democratic socialist Israel, with two capitals in Jerusalem and guaranteed democratic rights for all minorities, as part of the struggle for a socialist Middle East and regional peace.

This version of this article was first posted on the Socialist Party website on 11 July 2014 and may vary slightly from the version subsequently printed in The Socialist.