HUNDREDS of thousands marched once more through the streets of London on Saturday, demanding a free Palestine. All the customary banners were there, along with many familiar speakers who have turned up month after month to demand not only a ceasefire but an end to the British government’s complicity in arming Israel. 

But this time it was different. This time, it was not only a march for Palestine, but a march to demand an end to the bombing of Iran. This time, Iranian flags were also flying. 

Ever since Israel escalated its violence in the region with its unprovoked and reckless attack on Iran, fears have been mounting that what is already a horrific genocide perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinians in Gaza could escalate into something worse: the use of nuclear weapons. 

Whose nuclear weapons they would be remains an open question. Israel is a known yet absurdly unacknowledged nuclear power with as many as 200 nuclear warheads. US President Donald Trump is an unpredictable tinder box, easily ignited by the warmongering voices around him or by his own impulsiveness. If Trump allows the use of a US nuclear weapon, it will be a catastrophe that could ignite World War III.

As speaker after speaker pointed out, Israel has nuclear weapons, Iran does not. While Israel refuses to allow international inspections of its secret nuclear weapons facility and will not sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Iran has permitted inspectors into its civil nuclear facilities and is a signatory to the NPT. 

And yet, while the Starmer government continues to arm Israel, it is scrambling to cover its latest humiliation by signalling an intention to categorise the direct action group, Palestine Action, as a “terrorist” organisation. That move came after activists from the group easily penetrated RAF Brize Norton last week and sprayed two military jets with red paint. The base is used as a departure point for flights to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, and from there for military operations in Gaza and across the Middle East. 

Somehow, spray painting two planes is terrorism now, but bombing babies and shooting starving people in bread queues, as Israel has been doing in Gaza, isn’t. 

But the continued refusal by the British government to end its complicity in the Gaza genocide left the inevitable question hanging in the air after yet another massive march: what more can we do? 

“The show of strength and solidarity at this demonstration that brought people together today means that the government can no longer be silent on this,” said Fran Heathcote, general secretary of the PCS union, when we spoke at the end of the march.  

But, she added, it was unclear whether even this latest show of public opposition would be enough. “Frankly, nobody wanted rid of the Tories more than PCS, we were delighted,” she said. “However, I think there was an aspiration that things would be better under Labour, and they really need to show that now, and they’re not showing it.” 

Somaye Bagher Zadeh, with Iranians For Palestine UK, agreed. “As Iranians in Britain, our priority should be putting pressure on the British government not to arm Israel and not to join the war in Iran,” she told me.  

Echoing the position also expressed by Maryam Eslamdoust, general secretary of the TSSA rail union, who spoke at the rally, Zadeh added: “The war in Iran is not about nuclear weapons, because Iran doesn’t have nuclear weapons — Israel does. It’s a completely topsy-turvy world when they claim Iran is a threat, whereas we know Israel is the one carrying out a genocide on the Palestinians and has nuclear weapons.” 

Although no supporter of the current Iranian government, Zadeh, an Iranian refugee, strongly believes the Iranian people should be allowed to choose their political future.  

Israel’s actions “might be about getting rid of the Iranian regime, but to be frank, regime change by any foreign power is not in the interests of the Iranian people,” she said. “And it’s entirely up to the Iranian people to decide who rules them. And it’s not the case that the Iranian people can’t do that. They did it once in 1979 when they got rid of the brutal regime of the shah, and are perfectly capable of doing the same again.”

Then only a few hours after the end of the rally, the protesters’ worst fears were confirmed: in the middle of the night, the US carried out Operation Midnight Hammer, a bombing raid of over 100 US warplanes dropping massive bunker busting bombs that in the words of Trump “obliterated” three nuclear sites in Iran.

Melissa Parke, the executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, said: “By joining Israel’s attack on Iran, the US is also breaking international law.

“Military action against Iran is not the way to resolve concerns over Tehran’s nuclear programme. Given that US intelligence agencies assess Iran is not pursuing nuclear weapons, this is a senseless and reckless act that could undermine international efforts to prevent the further proliferation of nuclear weapons.

“The US should have continued to pursue the diplomatic process underway before Israel resorted to the illegal use of force. This does not make the region or the world safer. It makes it more dangerous. Striking nuclear installations is explicitly banned under international law and risks causing radioactive contamination harmful to human health and the environment. The US must stop all military action and return to the diplomatic path.”

In Britain, the Stop the War Coalition demanded an immediate halt to aggression and that no British bases or assets be used to support US action:

“Trump’s attack on Iran is brutal, illegal and unjustified. Stop the War condemns it unequivocally and urges every possible mobilisation against British military or political support for the aggression.

“By taking this action, Trump has aligned the US with Israel’s war aim of removing all possible obstacles to completing its genocidal elimination of the Palestinian people. It risks a considerable widening of the conflict in the Middle East and a repeat of the disastrous interventions in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.

“It is entirely hypocritical of Keir Starmer to endorse these attacks while preaching the need for ‘de-escalation’ in the region.  He appears to believe that Iran should exclusively follow diplomacy, while Israel and the US assail it militarily. This is a bankruptcy of British policy.

“We demand an immediate halt to the aggression against Iran, no use of any British bases or other military assets to support the aggressors and the peaceful resolution of all issues relating to Iran’s nuclear programme.

“Above all, we demand an end to Israel’s genocidal attacks on the Palestinian people, reaching new levels of depravity with each passing week, and an end to British government complicity in these crimes.” 

Linda Pentz Gunter is a writer based in Takoma Park, Maryland. She is currently covering events in London.