Thousands of pro-Palestine protesters to urge Andy Burnham to act on Israel
Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators will gather in London on Saturday to call on Andy Burnham to impose sanctions on Israel.
The protest aims to pressure the government to take decisive action regarding Israel’s operations in Gaza.
The Metropolitan Police enforced conditions under the Public Order Act to manage the National Palestine March organized by the Palestine Coalition, which included members of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC).
The march is planned to start in Russell Square at 12.45pm, proceed via Holborn and the Strand, through Westminster, to Whitehall for the speeches and finish by 5.30pm. Attendees who gather before the show must remain in Russell Square until the march begins, with all marchers sticking to the stated route and leaving by 1pm.
PSC deputy director Peter Leary said: “On Friday, Andy Burnham was confirmed as the next prime minister. Last week he had to apologize and admit that the Government had got it wrong. We didn’t need him to tell us because we always knew that it was the people, the millions of people, who stood resolutely for Palestine that got it right.”
Mr Leary also urged the Makerfield MP to steer clear of Sir Keir Starmer’s approach, adding: “If he truly wants to break away from Starmer’s shameful legacy, he should start by imposing far-reaching sanctions on Israel, including a total arms embargo and a complete ban on all trade that aids or aids Israel’s breaches of international law. Mass pressure from our solidarity movement has forced this apology. It is clear that only continued action will deliver real change.”
Last week Mr Burnham vowed to “strengthen our approach”, saying “my party did not get it right and for that I am sorry”.
He criticized Britain’s slow response to calls for a ceasefire and advocated further sanctions, including “measures to ban the trade in goods with illegal settlements”.
While he called for “our criticism of what is happening in Gaza to be clear” and condemned the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and subsequent anti-Semitic violence in the UK, he refrained from accusing Israel of committing genocide. Mr Burnham noted the “mounting evidence that war crimes have been committed” but stressed that such findings were for international tribunals, not politicians.
Labour’s initial stance on Israel’s military actions in Gaza, particularly its reluctance to demand an immediate ceasefire, provoked significant criticism from the party’s support base, contributing to a significant shift of young voters towards the Green Party.
