Police Attack Pro-Palestinian Demonstrators

Around 300 Palestinian supporters have staged protests outside the Israeli Embassy every evening this week as part of the ongoing protest at the invasion of Gaza by the IDF. These daily protests have been taking place in the build up to the National Demonstration on Saturday 10 January.

Last night (Wednesday 7 January) pro-Zionists (500 according to the AFP) organised their own counter-protest which started around 7.30pm. They waved Israeli flags, Union Jacks and England flags. All week the pro-Palestinian protests have ended at 7.30 however last night hundreds of protestors stayed and even though we were separated from the pro-Zionists by police cordons we maintained a noisy and vibrant demonstration. The make-up of the protest was typical of previous ones, made up of mainly Palestinian and Asian youth angry at the atrocities inflicted on their brothers and sisters in Gaza.

After a couple of hours, the protest was drawing to its natural close and there were around 200 of us left. Suddenly the police moved in with unnecessary brutal force in an attempt to break up the protest, violently trying to fragment our group. The same thing did not happen to the pro-Zionists who were allowed to carry on with their demonstration of support for the slaughter of innocent people in Gaza. We were pushed and shoved away from the protest area with no regard for age or gender.

The bravery of the youth was inspiring as they stood their ground against the police lines and moved in to defend comrades who were being snatched by the police. This spontaneous solidarity prevented many of us from being arrested as we piled in to stop the police from arresting our people. Several times we did sit-down protests with youth taking the leadership and trying to keep us together. It took the police over an hour to disperse us and this is a testament to the determination of the youth on that protest to make their voices heard and to ensure that we did not become fragmented. We stuck together and I personally was asked by protestors “Sister are you okay?” as we all ensured that everyone got away safely.

I observed close at hand the police ferocity as a woman protestor was sitting at a bus stop when suddenly a police officer broke away from his line and brutally attacked her trying to drag her from us away down the road. Again we went back to defend her and collectively we managed to get her away. Unfortunately there were some arrests made (about 6 according to a police spokeswoman).

The presence of the left was very small, particularly towards the end, which shows how dislocated the left in Britain are from this important movement of resistance. This protest was dominated by militant and brave youth who are prepared to stand their ground against police oppression in order to show their solidarity with the people of Gaza. Socialists, trade unionists, anti-war activists and community campaigners should be mobilising with the same level of urgency and militancy as the youth have shown if the British left is to be taken seriously. Before the police smashed up the demo there was plenty of opportunity to discuss the situation in Palestine and a comrade and I gave out several of our leaflets which were well received.

I would encourage socialists who believe in the self-defence of the Palestinian people to go down to the Israeli Embassy today and tomorrow. Protests begin at 5.30pm, outside the Israeli Embassy Kensington High Street (nearest tube High Street Kensington). We must enforce our right to protest against the atrocities being committed by the Israeli government and keep active the solidarity, which our brothers and sisters in Gaza welcome and so urgently need at the moment.

Thu 08, January 2009 @ 16:22