TODAY
Palestine march organisers defiant in face of police repression
Organisers are defying the cops and called on people to assemble on Whitehall at 12noon
On the last national demonstration for Palestine (Photo: Guy Smallman)
By Tomáš Tengely-Evans
Friday 17 January 2025
SOCIALIST WORKER Issue 2938
The organisers of the Palestine national demonstration on Saturday are defying police attempts to repress the march.
The Metropolitan Police wanted to stop people from protesting outside the BBC HQ in central London—and now from assembling on Whitehall. But the organisers are standing firm.
The Met tried to sow confusion about the assembly point on Thursday night, saying the “only permitted form up point is Russell Square”.
“Our position on Saturday’s Palestine Solidarity Campaign demonstration has not changed,” it said. “We have set out a route for people to exercise their right to protest and that is the route they should use.”
But Stop The War said, “To be clear, there is no Russell Square assembly or ‘route’—we will assemble at Whitehall at noon.”
This will be the 23rd national demonstration since Israel launched the genocide in Gaza.
The mobilisations have been organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop The War Coalition, Friends of Al Aqsa, the Muslim Association of Britain and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
A statement from the organisers said, “Over the past week, the Metropolitan Police have imposed a series of repressive conditions to prevent us from protesting at the BBC as previously agreed. Last night, this reached the absurd point of the police announcing that our march would commence at Russell Square—something that we have never expressed any intention of doing.
“Grotesquely, the Board of Deputies put out a statement making clear that they had advised the police to impose this route. We decide where we protest, not pro-Israel organisations. The police have now accepted that they cannot force us to go to Russell Square.
“We will assemble on Whitehall at 12 noon. We reiterate our call for the police to lift the repressive restrictions and allow us to march. If they continue to refuse to do so and prevent us from marching, we will be rallying on Whitehall in protest.”
The anti-war movement has a long history of defying police restrictions. In 2007 the cops tried to ban a STW march to parliament. Labour MP Tony Benn told a press conference, “I will be marching. It is entirely up to the police and government what they do.” Organisers made clear they would continue to parliament—and the cops backed off.
In 2008 police wanted to stop a march down Whitehall when the then United States president George Bush came to Britain. A STW spokesperson told the media, “We will defy the ban”—and the march went ahead.
In 2003, Labour’s culture secretary Tessa Jowell approved a ban on the 15 February demonstration against the war in Iraq “because of fears it might damage the grass” in Hyde Park. Two million people gathered in Hyde Park on the day and marched.
The best way to defend the right to protest is to use it—and there is widespread support for the march.
A statement initiated by the organisers last week was signed by over 30 MPs, several trade union general secretaries and prominent figures such as actor Mark Rylance.
It said, “We strongly condemn police attempts to stop an agreed march for Palestine from protesting at the BBC on 18 January. The route for the march was confirmed with the police nearly two months ago and, as agreed with them, was publicly announced on 30 November.
“The BBC is a major institution—it is a publicly‑funded state broadcaster and is rightly accountable to the public. The police should not be misusing public order powers to shield the BBC from democratic scrutiny.”
“The British state is pushing the lie that opposition to Israel is antisemitic and the Palestine movement is a threat to Jewish people.
“The excuse offered by the police is that the march could cause disruption to a nearby synagogue which is not even on the march route,” said the statement.
“Any suggestion that pro‑Palestine marches are somehow hostile to Jewish people ignores the fact that Jewish people have been joining the marches in their thousands.”
Stop The War convenor Lindsey German last week told Socialist Worker, “We reject the attempts to stop us from marching.
“This is a draconian measure which prevents us protesting over Palestine on any Saturday in the West End of London.
“The BBC coverage has been really poor and we believe it is a democratic right to be able to protest there. The genocide in Gaza is horrific and must be opposed. We cannot allow a situation where the police are shielding it from legitimate criticism.”
It’s right to defy the police.Join the protest 12 noon, Saturday 18 January, Whitehall, central London
Palestine Solidarity Campaign march to go ahead as more Palestinians killed despite ceasefire deal
Olivia Barber
Olivia Barber
Yesterday
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s national demonstration will go ahead this Saturday as a ceasefire deal in Gaza draws nearer.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) reported that in the last week the Met police has imposed “repressive restrictions” preventing the group from protesting outside the BBC’s HQ, as previously agreed.
Despite the news of a ceasefire deal on Wednesday, Palestinian authorities reported that Israeli attacks had killed at least 86 Palestinians in the day following the announcement.
In a statement, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) said it shares “the immense relief expressed by Palestinians at the ceasefire agreement that promises to stop the immediate catastrophic loss of life caused by Israel’s genocide in the Gaza Strip”.
The PSC added that “Despite this agreement, Israel is continuing to kill Palestinians, and its government has not yet endorsed the deal.”
“Many more could be killed in the coming days. This violence must end immediately”, the statement added.
A vote initially planned for Thursday was delayed, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stating his cabinet would not meet until “Hamas accepts all elements of the agreement.”
Israel’s cabinet is expected to convene a meeting today to approve the Gaza ceasefire agreement, with the ceasefire set to take effect on Sunday.
The PSC said that “ending the bombing is only the start” and that Israel’s blockade on Gaza must end to allow humanitarian aid including food and medical supplies to enter.
The group stressed that the ceasefire must be permanent, and said “we will continue our campaigning until Israel’s system of apartheid is dismantled”.
On the location of the protest, the PSC statement said that they will assemble on Whitehall at midday on Saturday.
The PSC said it had previously announced that they would assemble outside the BBC “to protest against the pro-Israel bias of its coverage”, something that journalist Owen Jones recently outlined in a report, which they said the BBC has yet to respond to.
The police have said the reason for not allowing the march to take place outside the BBC is that it could cause disruption to a nearby synagogue.
Commander Adam Slonecki, who is leading the policing operation this weekend, said: “Our role is not to take sides.
“We police without fear or favour and we have taken the decisions we have motivated only by the need to ensure groups can exercise their right to peaceful protest, while also ensuring the wider community can go about their lives without serious disruption.”
Slonecki added: “I know some reporting has suggested that this is a ban on protests outside the BBC in general. This is absolutely not the case.
“We recognise why the PSC want to protest at the BBC and we’ve offered to work with them in considering alternative days of the week to do so, where we could be confident that they wouldn’t cause serious disruption to the lives of those attending the synagogue.”
However, PSC said that last night, they reached “the absurd point of the police announcing that our march would commence at Russell Square – something that we have never expressed any intention of doing”.
The PSC’s statement said that the Board of Deputies, an organisation that represents British Jews, had advised the police to impose this route.
“We decide where we protest, not pro-Israel organisations. The police have now accepted that they cannot force us to go to Russell Square,” the PSC said.
They added: “We reiterate our call for the police to lift the repressive restrictions and allow us to march. If they continue to refuse to do so and prevent us from marching, we will be rallying on Whitehall in protest.”
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
The ceasefire comes over 15 months since Israel launched its genocide
Trump and Netanyahu shaking hands (Picture: D.Myles Cullen)
By Arthur Townend
Wednesday 15 January 2025
After 15 months of Israel’s genocide and murder of over 46,500 Palestinians, the terror state has agreed to a ceasefire.
The Palestinians remain undefeated in the face of the Israeli onslaught and prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s promise of an “absolute victory”.
Gaza burst into celebration after it was announced on Wednesday evening that a ceasefire is set to begin on Sunday.
Palestinian journalist Alaa Salameh, who has been displaced to al-Mawasi, spoke to Socialist Worker immediately after the ceasefire announcement. She said, “Gazans will now have the time to mourn those we lost and those who are still buried under the rubble and who are missed.
“We will have time to cry and be sad. People here want to live in dignity and we have hopes for the future.”
The ceasefire will come into effect this Sunday, and this first phase will last for six weeks. Hamas has agreed to release 33 prisoners in return for hundreds of Palestinians that Israel has held hostage.
But the exact details of the implementation of the ceasefire are still to be worked out. Qatar and Egypt will work to ensure the implementation of the first phase.
As part of the deal, Israel must withdraw its forces to areas no closer than 700 metres inside Gaza’s border. Israel will also allow Palestinians to return to their homes in the occupied areas of the territory.
But Israel retains the right to “re-engage” in Gaza. According to analyst Dan Perry, “If reports are to be believed, then Israel will not get back all of its hostages until it pulls out of Gaza and essentially ends the war.”
Joe Biden said that the agreement is partially due to “dogged and painstaking American diplomacy”. “My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done,” he added.
But it is the United States that has consistently enabled Binyamin Netanyahu to continue the genocide. It is a cruel joke that “Genocide Joe” can claim any stake in the agreement—it is Biden who underwrote and enabled Israel’s horrors in Gaza.
The pressure from president-elect Donald Trump has likely pushed Israel into accepting a temporary ceasefire and he threatened Hamas with “hell” if it did not release hostages before his inauguration. But Trump’s pro-imperialism and pro-Zionism means any future agreement will serve Israel—and the West’s—interest.
During the first phase, the second and third phases of the ceasefire will be worked out. Currently, Israel would have to completely withdraw from Gaza.
But here there is huge uncertainty. Far right ministers in Netanyahu’s cabinet have said they will vote against any ceasefire—and far right security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has threatened to resign. If Netanyahu loses far right support, his coalition government will collapse. So a permanent ceasefire is far from assured.
“We still have fears about Israel’s commitments to accomplish all phases of deal,” Alaa added.
Indeed, Israel slaughtered 62 people on Wednesday. Journalist Hani Mahmoud, reporting from al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Gaza, said, “These coming days until Sunday are very critical times, and people here expect a surge in Israeli attacks.”
In the final hours before the ceasefire in Lebanon, Israel pounded Beirut. Until Sunday, Israel will continue to bombard Gaza. Israel has a bloody history of violating peace agreements to expand its destruction and murder.
“People want to go back to their homes, to gather their shattered hearts, to hug their loved ones. People here prove that they deserve life for their strength under Israel’s inhumane war that targets their very existence,” Alaa said.
Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya said, “The barbaric war of extermination that the Israeli occupation and its backers have carried out over 467 days will forever be engraved in the memory of our people and the world. We won’t forget, and we won’t forgive.”
Israel and its Western backers authored this genocide. There must be no let-up in the Palestine movement until it is free from the river to the sea.
Take to the streets in London this Saturday, fight to stop British state’s arms sales to Israel and break its links with the terror state.
Left Foot Forward
‘Many more could be killed in the coming days. This violence must end immediately.’
‘Many more could be killed in the coming days. This violence must end immediately.’
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s national demonstration will go ahead this Saturday as a ceasefire deal in Gaza draws nearer.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) reported that in the last week the Met police has imposed “repressive restrictions” preventing the group from protesting outside the BBC’s HQ, as previously agreed.
Despite the news of a ceasefire deal on Wednesday, Palestinian authorities reported that Israeli attacks had killed at least 86 Palestinians in the day following the announcement.
In a statement, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) said it shares “the immense relief expressed by Palestinians at the ceasefire agreement that promises to stop the immediate catastrophic loss of life caused by Israel’s genocide in the Gaza Strip”.
The PSC added that “Despite this agreement, Israel is continuing to kill Palestinians, and its government has not yet endorsed the deal.”
“Many more could be killed in the coming days. This violence must end immediately”, the statement added.
A vote initially planned for Thursday was delayed, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stating his cabinet would not meet until “Hamas accepts all elements of the agreement.”
Israel’s cabinet is expected to convene a meeting today to approve the Gaza ceasefire agreement, with the ceasefire set to take effect on Sunday.
The PSC said that “ending the bombing is only the start” and that Israel’s blockade on Gaza must end to allow humanitarian aid including food and medical supplies to enter.
The group stressed that the ceasefire must be permanent, and said “we will continue our campaigning until Israel’s system of apartheid is dismantled”.
On the location of the protest, the PSC statement said that they will assemble on Whitehall at midday on Saturday.
The PSC said it had previously announced that they would assemble outside the BBC “to protest against the pro-Israel bias of its coverage”, something that journalist Owen Jones recently outlined in a report, which they said the BBC has yet to respond to.
The police have said the reason for not allowing the march to take place outside the BBC is that it could cause disruption to a nearby synagogue.
Commander Adam Slonecki, who is leading the policing operation this weekend, said: “Our role is not to take sides.
“We police without fear or favour and we have taken the decisions we have motivated only by the need to ensure groups can exercise their right to peaceful protest, while also ensuring the wider community can go about their lives without serious disruption.”
Slonecki added: “I know some reporting has suggested that this is a ban on protests outside the BBC in general. This is absolutely not the case.
“We recognise why the PSC want to protest at the BBC and we’ve offered to work with them in considering alternative days of the week to do so, where we could be confident that they wouldn’t cause serious disruption to the lives of those attending the synagogue.”
However, PSC said that last night, they reached “the absurd point of the police announcing that our march would commence at Russell Square – something that we have never expressed any intention of doing”.
The PSC’s statement said that the Board of Deputies, an organisation that represents British Jews, had advised the police to impose this route.
“We decide where we protest, not pro-Israel organisations. The police have now accepted that they cannot force us to go to Russell Square,” the PSC said.
They added: “We reiterate our call for the police to lift the repressive restrictions and allow us to march. If they continue to refuse to do so and prevent us from marching, we will be rallying on Whitehall in protest.”
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
Palestinians celebrate ceasefire, but Israel plans more attacks
The ceasefire comes over 15 months since Israel launched its genocide
Trump and Netanyahu shaking hands (Picture: D.Myles Cullen)
By Arthur Townend
Wednesday 15 January 2025
SOCIALIST WORKER Issue
After 15 months of Israel’s genocide and murder of over 46,500 Palestinians, the terror state has agreed to a ceasefire.
The Palestinians remain undefeated in the face of the Israeli onslaught and prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s promise of an “absolute victory”.
Gaza burst into celebration after it was announced on Wednesday evening that a ceasefire is set to begin on Sunday.
Palestinian journalist Alaa Salameh, who has been displaced to al-Mawasi, spoke to Socialist Worker immediately after the ceasefire announcement. She said, “Gazans will now have the time to mourn those we lost and those who are still buried under the rubble and who are missed.
“We will have time to cry and be sad. People here want to live in dignity and we have hopes for the future.”
The ceasefire will come into effect this Sunday, and this first phase will last for six weeks. Hamas has agreed to release 33 prisoners in return for hundreds of Palestinians that Israel has held hostage.
But the exact details of the implementation of the ceasefire are still to be worked out. Qatar and Egypt will work to ensure the implementation of the first phase.
As part of the deal, Israel must withdraw its forces to areas no closer than 700 metres inside Gaza’s border. Israel will also allow Palestinians to return to their homes in the occupied areas of the territory.
But Israel retains the right to “re-engage” in Gaza. According to analyst Dan Perry, “If reports are to be believed, then Israel will not get back all of its hostages until it pulls out of Gaza and essentially ends the war.”
Joe Biden said that the agreement is partially due to “dogged and painstaking American diplomacy”. “My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done,” he added.
But it is the United States that has consistently enabled Binyamin Netanyahu to continue the genocide. It is a cruel joke that “Genocide Joe” can claim any stake in the agreement—it is Biden who underwrote and enabled Israel’s horrors in Gaza.
The pressure from president-elect Donald Trump has likely pushed Israel into accepting a temporary ceasefire and he threatened Hamas with “hell” if it did not release hostages before his inauguration. But Trump’s pro-imperialism and pro-Zionism means any future agreement will serve Israel—and the West’s—interest.
During the first phase, the second and third phases of the ceasefire will be worked out. Currently, Israel would have to completely withdraw from Gaza.
But here there is huge uncertainty. Far right ministers in Netanyahu’s cabinet have said they will vote against any ceasefire—and far right security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has threatened to resign. If Netanyahu loses far right support, his coalition government will collapse. So a permanent ceasefire is far from assured.
“We still have fears about Israel’s commitments to accomplish all phases of deal,” Alaa added.
Indeed, Israel slaughtered 62 people on Wednesday. Journalist Hani Mahmoud, reporting from al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Gaza, said, “These coming days until Sunday are very critical times, and people here expect a surge in Israeli attacks.”
In the final hours before the ceasefire in Lebanon, Israel pounded Beirut. Until Sunday, Israel will continue to bombard Gaza. Israel has a bloody history of violating peace agreements to expand its destruction and murder.
“People want to go back to their homes, to gather their shattered hearts, to hug their loved ones. People here prove that they deserve life for their strength under Israel’s inhumane war that targets their very existence,” Alaa said.
Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya said, “The barbaric war of extermination that the Israeli occupation and its backers have carried out over 467 days will forever be engraved in the memory of our people and the world. We won’t forget, and we won’t forgive.”
Israel and its Western backers authored this genocide. There must be no let-up in the Palestine movement until it is free from the river to the sea.
Take to the streets in London this Saturday, fight to stop British state’s arms sales to Israel and break its links with the terror state.
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