PALESTINE supporters mobilised across Britain over the weekend as Israel continued its unrelenting slaughter in north Gaza and its attacks on Lebanon.
Protesters besieged the Sheffield city centre branch of Barclays Bank — one of many actions nationwide over the bank’s involvement in firms supplying Israel.
In Leeds, an emergency protest moved into Leeds City Station.
Manchester’s regular weekly protest focused on Gaza’s health workers.
And in Bristol, Palestine supporters mounted a “people’s red line” protest highlighting the British government’s complicity in Israel’s war crimes and Westminster’s breaches of international law.
Film director Ken Loach was among the speakers in Bristol and in an interview he said: “Red lines are established in international law and are very clear.
“Britain itself has broken the red lines and is now supplying weapons to war criminals.
“We must demand international law and the United Nations are supported by our government.”
He condemned Prime Minister as “an opportunist who says and does what he thinks will give him an advantage, so I have no faith in Keir Starmer.
“He is committed to Israel — he has made that plain,” he said. “He seems to have no regard for Palestinian rights.”
At a march and rally in Manchester Palestinian Dr Mona El-Farra, who left Gaza shortly before the genocide began, spoke movingly.
“The last three or four days, like most other days of the last year, were very intense for me and I felt so low, numb and shocked,” she said.
But she said her daughter and close friends told her: “It is time to work, not to grieve.
“All my friends, including one from Kuwait, said we must continue. We do not have time to grieve.
“Continue believing in yourselves and how important your pressure here is — your solidarity.
“Your solidarity means a lot for them. You may not feel it in the news but I can assure you it makes a change in their lives.”
Dr El-Farra was cheered when she said: “The Palestinian people have the right to resist.”
In Scotland, campaigners from Dumfries to Aberdeen took to the streets to demonstrate.
First Minister John Swinney echoed their calls for peace by condemning the crisis in Gaza, calling for an “immediate ceasefire” and “international recognition of the sovereign state of Palestine.”
Despite the Scottish government’s ongoing financial support through Scottish Enterprise for profitable arms manufacturers such as BAe Systems, he repeated his administration’s call to end Britain’s arms sales to Israel.
