Stop the War and all our partners in the national Palestine coalition have two big asks for left organisations and all supporters of the Palestinian cause: build for Liverpool, then all to London!
As we hurtle towards the two year anniversary of Israel’s latest war on Gaza, we need as many who can to join us on the streets of Liverpool this Saturday (27 September), the second national Palestine demonstration held in the city on the eve of Labour conference, to demand the complicit government stop arming Israel.
And our message from Liverpool must also be clear: All to London on 11 October! In coinciding with the second anniversary of the genocide, 11 October must be the biggest demonstration for Palestine in British history.
The Palestine movement that the Stop the War Coalition is a core part of is making a difference. Last week, the UN International Commission of Inquiry found that Israel is committing a genocide. And this weekend, the prime minister confirmed the British government will recognise a Palestinian state – an act that, of course, does not stop the genocide, but is a result of the global campaign for Palestine in which our movement has played a major part.
But, of course, we know that Labour conference fixers are still trying to stifle debate on Palestine and prevent calls on the government to take more meaningful steps to end its complicity in Israel’s genocide. Which is why our voices for a Free Palestine must fill the streets of Liverpool on Saturday.
Earlier this month, as a result of immense hard work by trade unions and their delegates, including from the NEU, UCU and RMT, the TUC congress passed a resolution demanding that the government cut all ties with and stop arming Israel, along with one reaffirming that the trade union movement’s priority must be welfare and wages, not weapons and war.
So it’s fantastic that the People’s Assembly Against Austerity is mobilising for people to join the Welfare Not Warfare bloc in Liverpool.
Of course, all of these developments, small victories even, may not be much more than words, but they are significant and make it easier for us to strengthen our arguments and build our movement further. None of these things would have happened without the strength of every single person who has joined our demonstrations and got involved in other actions up and down the country.
This movement is unprecedented, probably the biggest on any issue in British history. It has won the support of the overwhelming majority of people in this country. Pro-Palestine sentiment now exists in every community, in every corner of this land.
So, our job now is to turn that sentiment into a social force so great that we make it impossible for our government to continue to collude with Israel’s genocide. We already know 11 October is going to be massive, but it needs to be historically so. It must send the loudest message ever to our government to end its complicity.
The whole movement is urging people to come to London by all and any means necessary to help build the demonstration. So far, we know there will be a cab drivers’ convoy coming from the North West, cyclists coming from the South, a flotilla of sailboats from Southend, a convoy of narrowboats on the canals of East London and a cavalcade of motorcyclists from the Home Counties.
Local groups and organisations should also aim to increase the number of coaches they put on to London: if you put on two last time, make it six or more this time. And as individuals, we must urge friends and family members, even those who have never marched for Palestine before, to join us.
The state is continuing to try to demonise and criminalise our movement, and our answer must be to bring the streets of London on 11 October to a halt. We have under three weeks to mobilise for that, and it requires a massive effort. We need to be leafleting in every city, town and community, at every workplace. The next Workplace Day of Action on 9 October is the opportunity to urge colleagues to join us.
This isn’t just about a massive show of solidarity with the people of Palestine, as important as that is. We must make 11 October a hammer blow that can break the government’s collusion with Israel.
So get busy. All to London on 11 October!
Source: Labour Outlook