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This morning thousands upon thousands – in the order of 15,000 – turned out in the bright winter sunshine to rally for peace for Israel and Gaza. The gathering had an upbeat, carnival air, with people in high-spirits – very much in contradistinction to the 80 or so pro-Hamas supporters who turned out, preaching barbarism and vitriol.
And we should call them pro-Hamas supporters, not pro-Palestine, because that’s what they call themselves, as they wave placards that read “We are all Hamas” and chant “Death death Israel” from behind their terrorist scarves. They have no interest in peace, let alone a two state solution. We shouldn’t be surprised, though. Since seizing power Hamas have systematically crushed all other political groupings in Gaza who supported the two-state solution. Hamas don’t care one iota for the people of Gaza. Make no mistake, this is just the newest manifestation of the oldest hatred. None of our supporters were arrested, no Starbucks were vandalised. A triumph of grace in the face of provocation.
Once again, flags not just of Israel, but India, Portugal, and many other countries were waved by our supporters. Dozens of Union Jacks were on display, emphasising the broad base of support the pro-freedom camp enjoys in this current struggle. At the end of the rally, the crowd sang God Save the Queen and the Israeli anthem.
The rally was addressed by many speakers, including the Chief Rabbi Sacks, the Israeli Ambassador, Douglas Carswell MP and the President of the Board of Jewish Deputies. Time and again, the emphasis was made that Israel doesn’t want to be in this conflict, but that Hamas had left her no option after continually bombarding her cities. The speeches called to mind two quotes from Golda Meir, the former Prime Minister of Israel:
“Peace will come when the Arabs love their children more than they hate us.”
“When peace comes, we will perhaps in time be able to forgive the Arabs for killing our sons. But it will be harder for us to forgive them for having forced us to kill their sons.”
Someone has cynically sent out a very realistic looking email appearing to come from the Board of Deputies of British Jews calling off Sunday’s demonstration. This is a HOAX and is UNTRUE.
The demo goes ahead as planned.
Please spread the message to be wary of this email and tell others this demonstration is on regardless whether you are coming or not. Report any emails to the CST if you can.
TYC will be there, and we want to take our friends with us. We’ve set up a Facebook event for all those who would like to join us, meeting at 10.15 near Charing Cross.
Last night’s Pro-Israel demonstration saw an impressive turnout to oppose the odious Hamas activists and their acolytes. The two sides were kept apart by a tremendous police prescence, and Metropolitan Police deserve much credit for calmly, fairly handling what could have been a dangerous situation.
Amongst the pro-Israel crowd were spotted several conservative movement leaders, showing that this isn’t a Jews vs Muslims issue, it’s freedom-lovers vs terrorists. Our placards called for an end to Hamas Terror, peace for Israel and Gaza; in contradistinction with our opponents who had banners reading “Victory for the Infatada”. We stood with our faces to the foe, they stood with their faces hidden behind scarves.
Protestors bore banners which showed how broad-based this event was, such as Christian, Welsh and English supporters of Israel.
The most noticeable difference between the two camps was scale – the pro-Israel side must have been ten times that of the pro-Hamas. A rough estimate would put numbers in the order of 2,000+ vs 150.
The Hamas supporters chanted, amongst other things “7/7″, waved the flag of that terrorist group, and pelted eggs indiscriminately towards the pro-Israel activists – eerily reminiscent of the unguided rocket strikes Israel endures daily from Hamas terrorists.
On our side one striking difference was that in addition to Israeli flags, Union Jacks were waved, too. Nothing but Hamas and Palestine flags from the other camp. I think that arresting visual tells you all you need to know about the mindsets of these two groups.
The prize for the most powerful sign was the simple, handmade placard shown below, which simply read “If they can smuggle arms, they can smuggle aid.” If Hamas cared about the people of Gaza they’d turn their energies and resources to preserving and enhancing life, not taking it.
Update: Coverage from fellow demonstrators at The Freedom Association, Harry’s Place and Edgar 1981
Update#2: London’s evening press has coverage of the demonstration. Apparently several pro-Hamas protestors were arrested, found to be carrying bricks and knives. A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said a pro-Palestinian faction was “intent on antagonising pro-Israeli demonstrators and police.”
Whilst not usually bedfellows with conservatives, Amnesty International have of late found themselves in the affections of Libertarian conservatives, notably the David Davis variety, for their opposition to the Government’s attempts to secure 42-days detention without charge for suspected terrorists. Tonight, as the Bill, which scrapped through the Commons, heads to an expected defeat in the Lords, Amnesty are organising a protest in Leeds.
“Amnesty International said it had chosen Leeds to launch its campaign because it was targeting MPs who voted for a 42-day limit in June, but who voted against Tony Blair’s earlier plan for a 90-day limit.
“It said Yorkshire had a high proportion of MPs who fell into this category.
“The protest is due to start at 1915 BST at City Square, Leeds followed by a screening of the film “Sleepwalk” at the Hi Fi Club in Central Road at 1945 BST and then speeches from Amnesty’s UK director Kate Allen and 7/7 bombing survivor Rachel North.”
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_yorkshire/7666253.stm)
It’ll be interesting to see what, if anything, comes of this. If you’re an activist in Leeds, such as the booming CF branch there, let us know what transpires and any involvement you have.
More on the Amnesty International campaign on their website.
