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London- With the escalation of events in Gaza, anger increases on the global street, despite the neglect of governments, most of which ignore the voice of hundreds of thousands of demonstrators in the streets every week, denouncing the aggression against Gaza.
The activists and demonstrators who rejected the aggression only took escalatory steps to draw government attention to their requests for an immediate ceasefire and to urge the British government to stop supporting Israel.
Many British NGOs, such as the feminist Sister Incognito, Black Lives Matter, and the Palestinian Youth Movement, came together to respond to the global call for a movement for Palestine through escalating events without prior authorization with the aim of confusing the government, which ignores official opinion polls in Britain, which confirmed the demand of 75% of the British people for an immediate ceasefire.
He besieged it for the sake of Palestine
Websites called for the closure of major public squares in several countries on January 6, and civil society organizations in Britain responded to the call, with the closure and siege being in Westminster Square, known as Parliament Square.
Traffic stopped completely on Britain's official holiday, which sparked the anger of right-wing communities who accused the police of failing to protect them for a weekend in peace, and prompted these groups to put pressure on the government to take action. However, the government countered these pressures with pressure on the margin of freedom, which had become a matter of controversy. In Britain recently.
The Popular Alliance for Palestine coalition demanded an immediate ceasefire as the attack on Gaza entered its 92nd day. More than 22,000 Palestinians were martyred in Israeli air strikes. It also demanded a halt to the supply of weapons produced and sold by the United Kingdom.
The Public Policy Committee of the International Center for Justice for Palestine chose this date, before Odeh Parliamentto send a signal to the UK government that Palestine is a political priority and that there can be no life in London as usual amid the aggression.
Hacking protesters' phones
Although the demonstration was launched through secret calls and without a permit from the police, some demonstrators and journalists announced hacking of their mobile phones days before the demonstration. The police arrived at the same time as the demonstrators, and the Defense Israel Movement group in London also attended.
The demonstration took place in a public park, and despite the legal observers’ affirmation of the freedom to demonstrate, the police interrupted the speakers and asked to stop the demonstration that had not begun and confiscated the loudspeakers.
The clash began between the demonstrators and the police, and demonstrators were arrested as the demonstration began. The police insisted on containing the demonstration and preventing it from moving forward, but the demonstrators succeeded in reaching the square and blocking the main bridge in London.
When the demonstration reached the bridge, the demonstrators sat down and announced that they were blocking the road and completely paralyzing movement in central London. Then they displayed the dead, where the activists pretended that they were dead and raised the names of the martyrs on tombstones. The demonstrators raised banners indicating that the bombing was funded by taxpayers’ money, and they urged passers-by to To join the demonstration.
Human rights concern in London
This sudden demonstration comes days after 10 activists supporting Palestine were investigated at airports after they returned from vacations outside the country. The activists were reluctant to share names due to the inability to know the dimensions of the investigation, which took place against the backdrop of terrorism laws that allow the police to arrest without formal charges, according to Article 7 of Law 200.
The police also searched the detainees' personal belongings and their tablets and laptops, and a source close to the ten activists (who refused to mention his name) confirmed to Al Jazeera Net that some of the activists held British passports. He added that there are many activists of British origin who have been taken for investigation on terrorism charges, including a female citizen who is not known for any political activity. She made a video on social media commenting on “hummus.”
The same source also confirmed that some students were expelled from universities following comments on social media, while the source considered this step an unprecedented escalation and a narrowing of the margin of freedom in Britain.
Public Affairs and Communications Officer Jonathan Purcell at the International Center for Justice for Palestine commented to Al Jazeera Net, “In the United Kingdom and around the world, there is a fundamental division between the grassroots and those in power. Citizens are horrified by the killing of children, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. It is no wonder that “People want to protest Israeli war crimes and the UK government's complicity.”
“However, politicians seem intent on demonizing peaceful protests, undermining civil liberties, and turning calls for peace into a culture war,” the civil activist added.
In the same context, the civil coalitions to support Palestine considered the civil escalation an inevitable necessity and that more movement would begin, especially with the start of Parliament in two days and its intention to discuss legislation to criminalize the boycott of Israeli goods, which the coalition rejected, stressing that the Free Palestine Coalition is committed to continued obstruction until the circulation of weapons with Israel stops. This is so that Parliament will allocate resources to end the 75-year occupation of Palestine.
