UK Pro-Palestine protests escalate against Israeli offensive in Gaza

In April 2024, protests against Israel’s attack on Gaza continued, with people across the United Kingdom demanding an end to the invasion and the illegal occupation of Gaza. They highlighted the tens of thousands of civilians who have been killed by the Israel Defence Force (IDF).

Demonstrations for Palestine in London occur every Saturday. Zionists have sought to delegitimize the demonstrations by claiming they are anti-Semitic. However, unfortunately, a few people have disgraced themselves by making anti-Semitic remarks.

Conservative politician Suella Braverman dubbed these protests 'hate marches' and accused those calling for an end to the war of being anti-Semitic. Mrs Braverman, who used to be the Home Secretary, claims that anti-Semitism hurts her because her husband is Jewish. She also claims that Central London has become a no-go zone for Jews on Saturday afternoons because of anti-Semitism.

This is ironic since some of those who stand with Palestine are also Jewish. The younger generation tends to sympathize with Palestinian freedom. Undergraduates have demonstrated in many universities an end to the slaughter in Gaza and an end to the blockade that has killed so many through malnutrition.

Former Conservative cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg addressed Conservative students at Cardiff University. The university’s security guard escorted him to and from the event. As he left, he was loudly heckled by pro-Palestinian demonstrators who accused him of being an accessory to genocide. Many politicians have sought to criminalize peaceful protest and call it intimidation. Rees-Mogg gallantly stood up for free speech and said that what was done to him was permissible.