Demonstrators on Westminster Bridge in London during a march in support of Palestine (French)
London -
The speech of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak - attacking the pro-Palestine marches - opened the appetite of politicians affiliated with the Conservative Party and the far right, to attack these protests and demand their ban, claiming that they spread terror among the Jewish minority in Britain, spread anti-Semitic slogans, and give a platform for Islamists to express their positions. .
A state of anger and shock still prevails among a number of British jurists and politicians, because they believe that Sunak’s speech divided the country into two parts: the first represents British values and does not participate in the marches in support of Gaza, while the second is a rebellious section that is outside British values and is represented by those who go out in the pro-Gaza marches. For Palestine.
Richie Sunak, Prime Minister of #Britain, delivered an emergency speech to the British nation after the sudden and sweeping victory of George #Galloway, who supports the people of #Gaza, in the by-elections and dedicated his victory to them.
Sunak considered Galloway’s victory a dangerous and worrying warning and announced a series of measures aimed at pursuing anyone who violates... pic.twitter.com/XhJ7PV7ViC
— Mourad Aly Dr.
Murad Ali (@mouradaly) March 2, 2024
Incitement campaign
A number of pro-Israel politicians and right-wing British media are trying to exploit Sunak's speech to put pressure on the police to restrict marches in support of Palestine and even prevent them by force if necessary, after London has turned into a global station where hundreds of thousands of people periodically go out in marches rejecting the aggression on Gaza.
In the face of the unprecedented incitement campaign against the institutions and personalities organizing these marches, which are known for their criticism of the government’s absolute support for Israel and its continued refusal to call for a permanent ceasefire, two figures at the forefront of the public debate - during an interview with Al Jazeera Net - warned of Britain turning into a “totalitarian” country. “Only one opinion is accepted.
Famous journalist Peter Oborne told Al Jazeera Net that the Prime Minister and those behind him who are leading this campaign against the Palestinian marches "are trying to demonize and distort the image of solidarity with the Palestinians in public opinion."
He added that what bothers Sunak and others is that these marches have gained legitimacy as a peaceful movement that has not been proven to incite violence, over the past months.
Allegations dominate the political community in #Britain claiming that “radical Islamists” control the streets of #London.. Who is behind the campaign of incitement against Muslims in the country?
pic.twitter.com/n5wMVdqYl6
- Al Jazeera Channel (@AJArabic) March 4, 2024
Wrong order
Auburn, a journalist known for his critical positions on the government, pointed out that the demand for a ceasefire against civilians in Gaza is not a demand for a specific group in society, but rather it is a call shared by different sects of Britons, which makes calling it Islamist marches “wrong.”
He considered that the nature of the speech delivered by Sunak, and received by the conservative and extreme right, “threatens the essence of the principle of freedom of opinion and expression on which British democracy was founded,” explaining that Sunak and those with him want to withdraw from the streets an important matter that they have accumulated over decades, “which is the long history of civil political movement that was He staged these streets in solidarity with global liberation movements and against wars.”
Auburn gave an example of what happened during the Iraq War, where British streets turned into a weekly platform for million-man marches demanding an end to this war, even though London was participating in it and no one came out to demonize these movements.
He also warned that “trying to deny this ancient history of exercising the right to peaceful expression and demonstration will have very negative repercussions on the democratic system,” expressing his regret at what the political class is doing because it indicates “that the British system is moving toward a totalitarian political system that only recognizes voice and opinion.” "One, and here we must sound the alarm."
Demonization and distortion
For her part, Kate Hudson, Secretary-General of the "Stop Nuclear Armament" coalition and one of the leaders of the coalition organizing support marches for Palestine in Britain, expressed her anger at Sunak's speech, and told Al Jazeera Net that, for 5 months, "the government turned a blind eye to the genocide committed by Israel in Gaza, which is What enabled Tel Aviv to continue unabated.”
Hudson added that her country's government did not stop arms supplies to Israel in addition to providing diplomatic and political support and rejected a permanent ceasefire, which led to the death of 30,000 Gazans, thousands remaining suffering from life-altering injuries, and millions on the brink of famine.
She also said that this tragic situation prompted many to express their hope that the government would change its positions, but the opposite happened, “as Sunak chose to demonize hundreds of thousands of people who were walking peacefully in order to end the war,” expressing her fear that her country would enter an era of “restriction on The right to protest.
She stressed that Sunak's speech "will not deter us and will not make us retreat from our just cause. We will continue to call for a ceasefire and organize marches for peace and justice, and we will not be intimidated by those who allow this horror to continue."
Source: Al Jazeera