{"id":2253,"date":"2014-07-27T13:59:10","date_gmt":"2014-07-27T13:59:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/english.thesunrisetoday.com\/?p=2253"},"modified":"2014-07-27T13:59:10","modified_gmt":"2014-07-27T13:59:10","slug":"50000-rally-in-support-of-gaza-in-london","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english.thesunrisetoday.com\/index.php\/50000-rally-in-support-of-gaza-in-london\/","title":{"rendered":"50,000 rally in support of Gaza in London"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"London\"<\/a>At least 50,000 people are attending a pro-Palestinian demonstration in London outside the Israeli embassy in protest against the onslaught in Gaza.
\nThe rally on Saturday, organized by an umbrella group of organizations including Stop the War Coalition and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, assembled at the Israeli embassy for a march to the UK parliament where they said they planned to call for Israel’s attack and killings to stop and for British Prime Minister David Cameron to “stop supporting Israeli war crimes”.
\nProtesters carried banners and placards declaring \u201cFreedom for Palestine\u201d and \u201cStop Israeli state terror\u201d as they marched along streets lined with police officers.
\nOne demonstrator who gave her name as Shazia told Anadolu Agency she wanted the protest to force Cameron to \u201clisten to his electorate\u201d and \u201cstop allying with terrorists like Israel\u201d.
\nBecky Johnson, 31, said: \u201cI\u2019ve spent a bit of time in the Palestinian territories. I\u2019ve got a good idea of the difference in lifestyle. The Israeli government should be accountable for their actions.
\n\u201cPeople need to remember it\u2019s a human conflict. Humans are dying. We are all humans and we should be acting together to stop any suffering throughout the world.\u201d
\n‘Wake up’ call
\nPolice officials estimated about 50,000 people attended the launch of the rally, while organizers said the protest appeared to be becoming as large as one staged last Saturday in London, in which 100,000 people took part.
\nThe demonstration in London was made up of a diverse group of people, including Muslims, Jews, atheists, and many left-wing groups and was also co-organized by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Friends of Al Aqsa, British Muslim Initiative, Muslim Association of Britain and the Palestinian Forum in Britain.
\nSimilar but smaller demonstrations were held across the UK including the cities of Birmingham and Newcastle.
\nGraphic Designer Mark Tophan told AA: \u201cI am hoping today\u2019s protest will have an effect.
\n“I think it\u2019s unbelievable that something like this is going on, the international community has to wake up!\u201d
\nArms embargo campaign
\nThe rally came after a week in which Members of Parliament Diane Abbot, Jeremy Corbyn and Jim Fitzpatrick handed-in an open letter to David Cameron demanding an immediate arms embargo on Israel.
\nAmong the 21,000 people who signed the letter was human rights commentator and film director Ken Loach who said it was \u201cdisgraceful\u201d that the UK was arming the state of Israel.
\nEarlier in the week, the UK government reiterated its stance that it supported the right of Israel to \u201cdefend itself”, while condemning Hamas rocket attacks.
\nIn a joint statement, the Foreign secretary Philip Hammond and International Secretary Justine Greening expressed their shock at the bombing of a UNWRA school in Gaza.
\nThe Palestinian death toll from Israel’s devastating military action in the Gaza Strip had risen to 985, the Gaza Health Ministry said on Saturday.
\nAccording to official Israeli figures, 40 Israelis \u2013 37 soldiers and three civilians \u2013 have been killed since hostilities began.
\nIsrael’s operation “Protective Edge” is the self-proclaimed Jewish state’s third major offensive against the densely populated Gaza Strip – home to 1.8 million Palestinians – within the last six years.<\/p>\n

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