Protesters urge intifada at ‘Nakba’ Day in London
Protesters at an anti-Israel, “Nakba Day” march in London on May 13 called for an “intifada” against Israeli “apartheid.”
Thousands attended the event on Saturday ahead of May 15, the day Palestinians observe the nakba—what they view as the “catastrophe” or “disaster” of the founding of modern-day Israel on May 14, 1948. Events marking the day routinely call for the “right of return” for displaced Palestinians and their descendants.
Protesters march in London observing “Nakba Day,” May 13, 2023. Photo by Loredana Sangiuliano/Shutterstock.
The London march, billed online as “Nakba 75—End Apartheid, End the Occupation,” began at the BBC’s central London headquarters and concluded some 1.5 miles away, outside the British prime minister’s residence at 10 Downing Street.
Video footage of the event shows protesters urging intifada as “the only solution” to the Arab-Israeli conflict, with posters accusing Israel of “ethnic cleansing” and even comparing the Jewish state to Nazi Germany.
Visible at the rally were members of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Friends of Al Aqsa, the National Education Union, and the University and College Union. British political leaders also attended, including Jeremy Corbyn, former head of the British Labour Party. In March, the former opposition leader, an avowed Socialist and frequent Israel critic was blocked by Labour from future leadership.
Other high-profile figures included John McDonnell, a member of Parliament and Corbyn-era shadow chancellor; former Labour Party minister Clare Short; and Stephen Sizer, an Anglican vicar suspended from his ministry for “virulently antisemitic” remarks.
Today we marched through London to mark the 75th anniversary of the Nakba and speak out against the ongoing dispossession of the Palestinian people.
End the occupation. Free Palestine. pic.twitter.com/7wXmcy29TV
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) May 13, 2023
JNS
