Another massive demonstration for Palestine in London on Saturday. Around 300,000 people on the streets of London at two weeks’ notice in August is a major testament to the horror of the situation but also to the strength of the movement here in Britain. It has been met with growing repression at every level. The proscription of Palestine Action last month has been the latest in those, following numerous arrests and charges, including those of four leaders of the Palestine coalition that organises the demos. The Parliament Square protest organised by Defend our Juries in opposition to the ban was met with policing that saw the arrests of nearly 500 people for simply holding placards in defence of Palestine Action.
The whole operation makes the police and Yvette Cooper look extremely foolish. Proscribing such a group under the terrorism laws is a travesty, makes a mockery of what terrorism actually is, and tries to criminalise protesters who are carrying out non-violent direct action. This would have included the Greenham Common women, the Suffragettes (of whom Cooper is supposedly a big fan), and peace campaigners throughout the last half century. Now we see placard-carrying vicars, doctors, pensioners, all arrested for supposed terrorism offences. It would be ludicrous if it were not so dangerous a use of state power. We should all oppose the ban and show solidarity with those arrested, as I made clear in my speech on Saturday.
The energy on the march was electric with people determined to keep organising. Every week new people are brought into the movement. Across the world we have been inspired by the mass protests – on Sydney Harbour Bridge last week, in Portugal on Saturday, Greece on Sunday. Mass demos have a knock-on effect: they inspire and help organise local and sectional activity and they both give voice to and create new forms of organising. The pots and pans demos are now a regular feature. The Jewish bloc has created a powerful voice to counter those of the Zionists. The health workers have highlighted the plight of those trying to care for the sick and injured in Gaza. There shouldn’t be a counter position between the different parts of the movement. We can support different protests without being part of them, or even if we disagree over tactics, in the face of police repression. There is no doubt that repression is stepping up, fully endorsed by a Labour government.
The best way to deal with that is political campaigning plus a determination to use the most militant and effective tactics to win. We will not let the police stop us from protesting over a genocide. This is an authoritarian government supporting a genocidal state and that cannot stand.