A rally took place outside the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police in London on 21 May to “defend the right to protest”. Protesters, including Jeremy Corbyn, took to Scotland Yard to call for an end to police persecution of people who oppose Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Corbyn, Nineham under “a serious and deeply political attack”
Stop the War Coalition co-founder and vice chair Chris Nineham insisted at the protest that:
This movement has faced unprecedented harassment from the police from the start. Every single one of our national marches has had control orders placed on it – something never seen on peaceful protests before.
He added that:
Journalists have had their homes raided in the morning. Young activists are languishing in prison for the crime of putting graffiti on arms factories. And on January the 18th, in a major escalation, as you know myself and Ben Jamal and 13 other leading figures in the movement were arrested, charged, or have been called in for police interview.
And he stressed:
We should be under no doubt. This is a serious and deeply political attack on the right to protest and on free expression in this country. It constitutes a real moment of danger for anyone who dissents to the direction the government is trying to take this country in. And it is essential that we respond.
“It is only right that the police drop all the charges, release all the prisoners, stop harassing a movement that has been vindicated. This is a movement for justice, a movement for freedom and a movement for humanity!”@ChrisNineham at tonight’s defend the right to protest demo pic.twitter.com/piuEpneR6g
— Stop the War (@STWuk) May 21, 2025
Jeremy Corbyn was present at the rally. And signs in the crowd included ones saying “Jews against ethnic cleansing”, “Jews against the occupation”, and calling for the UK to expel its highly controversial Israeli ambassador Tzipi Hotovely:
Defend the right to protest rally with @jeremycorbyn speaking outside New Scotland Yard….@STWuk @counterfireorg pic.twitter.com/ZmvFYl5Xec
— John Rees (@JohnWRees) May 21, 2025
Emergency protest at Downing Street on Friday 23 May
An emergency protest, meanwhile, will take place outside Downing Street to call on the government to go beyond words and finally stop all arms sales to Israel.
Emergency Protest – Stop Arming Israel – Words are not enough
Friday 23 May, 6:30PM
Downing Street
Israel is starving Palestinians to death in Gaza. Meanwhile our government continues to send them arms and offers only words of condemnation.
We must demand our… pic.twitter.com/ByFuWvtjKG
— Palestine Solidarity Campaign (@PSCupdates) May 21, 2025
https://xtwitter.com/STWuk/status/1925197435980087771
This follows a slight increase of Labour’s criticism of Israel as its ongoing blockade of Gaza threatens the lives of thousands of babies in the occupied territory.
Featured image via screengrab
By Ed Sykes
This post was originally published on Canary.