Thousands rally outside British PM’s office over arms sales to Israel amid Gaza genocide

Following an urgent call by peace organizations and pro-Palestinian groups, a protest has been held in front of the UK Prime Minister’s Office with the participation of people from various social backgrounds.

Several anti-war and anti-Zionist organizations, such as Stop the War Coalition and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign in the UK, called on peace activists to gather in front of the Prime Minister’s Office to protest the continued shipment of bombs and weapons to Israel, despite the intensifying genocide of Palestinians.

Speakers and participants in the protest, including Jeremy Corbyn, an independent member of UK Parliament and prominent anti-war figure and supporter of Palestinian rights, urged the UK government to stop supplying weapons to the Israeli military and to refrain from contributing further to Israel’s genocide.

At least 7,000 demonstrators gathered under banners saying “Emergency Protest, Stop Arming Israel, Stop Starving Gaza, Children are being killed in Gaza, Words Are Not Enough”.

The protest call noted that although some British officials have spoken out against Israel’s crimes and claim to support a ceasefire in Gaza, they have taken no practical steps to halt the export of bombs and missiles to Israel.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, told members of the UK House of Commons this week that he had summoned the Israeli ambassador to the Foreign Office in response to Israel’s 11-week blockade on humanitarian aid to Gaza and its disregard for human rights concerns.

This week, the UK, France, and Canada, which are all key supporters of Israel, claimed they would take "serious action" in response to Israel’s conduct in Gaza. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called on Israel to refrain from launching new attacks in Gaza and to allow humanitarian aid into the region.

Nevertheless, these governments have continued to support Israel and its actions, especially over the past three years. The UK government has not even temporarily suspended arms exports to the Israeli military.

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After a rise in public outrage over continued UK political and military support for Israel, David Lammy told the British Parliament that the UK-Israel talks on a free trade agreement would be suspended, in protest against Israel’s refusal to heed its supporters' advice.

The Foreign Secretary has, however, defended what he calls "Israel’s right to self-defense" and has reiterated the UK's long-standing support for Israel.

John Rees, a British political activist, academic and journalist, addressed the crowd during the rally, saying, “Starmer has lost this country on the question of Palestine.”

“Before this statement was issued, I knew that Starmer was a hypocrite. I knew that Lammy was a liar, and after this statement is issued, I still think that Starmer is a hypocrite, but Lammy is a liar. We demand that they turn those words into action. Stop arming Israel.”

The protest was supported by the National Education Union, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Friends of Al-Aqsa, the Palestinian Forum in Britain, various student and academic organizations across the UK, and several Islamic institutions.

Just last week, the British government was defending its supply of F-35 parts to Israel by claiming it had to maintain its relationship with the United States.

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