Gaza Protest in London

By John Owen - 24/7/2014

From a warm and sunny Liverpool just coming awake the pitta patter of tourist feet and squeak of luggage in search of cheap digs a coach miraculously appeared to whisk promptly in 6 hours to London.

The group slowly morphed together over the journey that was to become the Liverpool friends of Palestine contingent going away to make our mark and protest over the bombing of Gaza by Israel.

We quickly learn or I do it’s not just a local concern of a few scattered concerned intellectuals dedicated to the rights of Palestinians et al free of Israeli occupation. There were young fresh faced hopeful youth on the march a good racial mix Arabic Muslim and people unseen on demonstrations before.

I reflected back to my first days in the political movement I was going to London then too! Where as a YS leader I spoke I think in one of the universities after the PLO rep or the NUS supporting general secretary. Can’t say I fully grasped the issues at stake but the attacks on refugee camps had provoked a deep reaction in me right down to my soul. That’s never left. I may of left the issue and wandered from the cause the issues though remained as clear as a bell.

What was this land called Israel who decided its birth when and why was it created and who for?

None of these questions are able to be given definite answers all of the above meet the traditional left response ie imperialist enclave, fist of the USA in the Middle East, Zionist state, attempt to break up Arab unity etc puppet of usa and Great Britain governments.

But to an eager teenager willing to sacrifice his time and energy to learn the answers seemed much rehearsed and just patter someone had learnt by heart. I couldn’t fathom it then and I’ve got to say I can’t now.

The displaced Palestinian people cursed to lead a nomadic existence or be imprisoned under Israel’s boot, escaping Zionist oppression to labour around the globe as a wage slave in some dead end jobs.

What for a scrap of land no bigger than New Brighton yet so much coveted. But why? This area so densely populated in fact the most populated on the planet 1.8 million suddenly become the target practice of Israel’s guns tanks plane and missiles what have these civilians done to deserve this.

A kind of ironic re run of the Warsaw ghetto uprising where young Jewish kids fought the gestapo then the Wehrmacht to a standstill before they were crushed at the tail end of world war two.

The young old dying and the sick hospitals schools beaches s all targets in the game of war, religious atheists socialist Hamas fighter a kaleidoscope of peoples crammed into a box carved out by the apparent stronger the IDF militarily that is .divide and rule strategy to isolate people from their leaders to strengthen their hand in an hostile Arab world using the people as chess pieces to stay the hands of other powers from intervening.

Today (Saturday) saw over 100,000 people hit the streets in London to chants singing some to pray but to be seen and heard, to let the Israeli embassy know we won’t stand idly by as they massacre people. In France we hear they have banned marches for Palestine but the people march against both socialist Hollande government and Israel as well. Palestine is not alone.

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