‘As a movement, we must raise our voices to prevent further escalation in Lebanon and call for an immediate end to the suffering in Gaza.’
Today, August 3, pro-Palestine activists are heading to London to take part in the National March for Palestine – Tell Starmer Stop Arming Israel, End the Genocide.
The demonstration’s organisers, Stop the War Coalition (STWC), commend Labour’s decision to reinstate funding for the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNWRA), and the abandonment of a proposal to block the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) warrants against Netanyahu, describing the moves as victories for their movement. But they are calling on the government to go further and suspend all arms sales to the Israeli state.
Condemning the recent airstrike in Lebanon that killed 12 young people, the anti-war campaigners warn that Israel’s actions risk escalating broader regional conflict with severe consequences.
“As a movement, we must raise our voices to prevent further escalation in Lebanon and call for an immediate end to the suffering in Gaza,” says STWC.
Following the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in an airstrike in Iran, Foreign Secretary David Lammy is being urged to denounce Israel’s actions as an attempt to escalate the conflict in the Middle East. The activists say that Haniyeh was a key figure in ceasefire negotiations in Qatar, and his killing was highly provocative.
Chris Nineham, vice-chairman of STWC, criticised Labour for using the killing to delay its plans to cancel certain arms sales to Israel. “Israel’s series of overnight attacks in Iran, Lebanon, and Iraq were a dramatic and calculated attempt to spark a wider war in the Middle East. If you are serious about ceasefire negotiations, you don’t assassinate the people you are negotiating with,” he said.
Nineham pointed out that despite Britain being a main Western supporter of US policy in the Middle East, the pro-Palestine movement has pressured the new Starmer government to signal changes in its position on Israel. He called for the government to condemn Netanyahu’s actions. “Shockingly, it appears the foreign secretary is using this crisis to delay plans to cancel some arms sales to Israel,” he added.
The protesters are marching from Park Lane to Downing Street at 12 noon to urge Keir Starmer and the Labour government to stop arming Israel and end the genocide.
This weekend’s march is the latest in a series of pro-Palestine demonstrations that began after the October 7 attack by Hamas militants on Israel, which resulted in around 12,000 deaths and 250 hostages taken. Israel’s military response in Gaza has since killed more than 39,000 people, mostly civilians.
Large crowds have been gathering across Britain, demanding an end to the conflict. In response to the latest activist demands, the Foreign Office stated: “We continue to reiterate that now is the time for de-escalation and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.”
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