On Saturday 18 July, Victory To The Intifada and supporters helped to organise and lead a protest in London against the illegal annexation of Palestinian land by Israel. The street demonstration – ‘Oppose annexation! Oppose Zionism!’ – took place outside the Israeli embassy in Kensington, where around 50 people, mainly young demonstrators, gathered with flags, placards and an open microphone and chanted slogans of ‘free Palestine!’, ‘Zionism – racism!’ and ‘Not just annexation – not just occupation – fight for liberation! Bring the whole thing down!’ In a subsequent display of anti-imperialist unity, the protest merged with the Black Lives Matter demonstration for Justice for Elijah McClain.
The protest followed an earlier action in the same spot on 4 July. Both Palestine protests have been organised under the banner of Protest For Palestine, which the RCG through its campaign Victory To The Intifada took part in founding. This protest group has formed to organise regular street actions in Britain against the crime of annexation, arising out of the real anger of Palestinian people and their supporters in this country.
Recognising the urgent need for protests, the group’s founders had initially approached Britain’s de facto ‘official’ Palestine group, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), which is affiliated to the Labour Party and the trade unions. The PSC refused to help organise any street protest in central London. Victory To The Intifada responded to the call and agreed to help organise an open, democratic protest. Football Against Apartheid also joined the protest on 18 July. The inaction of the PSC, which has used Covid-19 as an excuse to boycott street protests and instead organised a ‘National Day of Action’ for 4 July – which consisted of no street action but an online petition, social media campaign, and writing to MPs – is shameful.
FRFI spoke to Ayesha, a young protester at the embassy, who explained ‘This is the least I can do from [Britain] to support the Palestinians’. Another protester, Yaseen, said he was there ‘for the freedom of the children of Gaza’.
Following the two-hour picket of the Zionist embassy, the protesters proceeded on a loud rolling picket to Marble Arch where they united with the Black Lives Matter – Justice for Elijah McClain protest. McClain was a 23-year-old black man murdered by police in Colorado, US in August 2019. The Protest For Palestine contingent was welcomed with cheering. The organisers of both demonstrations recognised the unity of the struggle against racist police oppression of black people and against the Zionist state’s oppression of Palestinians. Marching down Oxford street, the united demonstration combined chants of ‘Take it to the streets – defund the police!’, and ‘Free, free Palestine!’ RCG supporter Ameer gave a powerful speech at Piccadilly Circus drawing the links between imperialism and racism in Britain and Israel. Watch the video here:
Protest For Palestine will continue to organise regular protests and other actions against annexation, the next one being arranged for 8 August – follow our social media pages below to stay up to date. Victory To The Intifada will support these demonstrations and keep fighting to build an independent, active and democratic Palestine solidarity movement in Britain.
Stop annexation! Zionism is racism! Victory to the intifada!
Facebook: Victory To The Intifada, Protest For Palestine
Instagram: @protest.for.palestine
