Protests are taking place in London and around 50 other locations in England and Wales in response to Israel’s conflict in Gaza. This comes just one day after Rishi Sunak expressed concern about extremists targeting democracy.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign specifically targeted Barclays for their day of protest, as hundreds of individuals joined in a rally outside the bank’s branch on Tottenham Court Road in the heart of the city.
The PSC urged individuals to avoid using the British bank due to allegations that Barclays has significant financial connections with arms manufacturers who supply weapons to Israel.
Protesters marched from Mornington Crescent in north London to the Barclays branch. Outside, one demonstrator who preferred not to be named, said she was “beyond frustrated” at the UK government for conflating peaceful protesters with extremism and refusing to acknowledge Islamophobia.
“The failure of our prime minister and government to address Islamophobia is concerning, as it creates a sense of inferiority and marginalization,” she expressed.
She expressed, “It’s a constant refrain: ‘They’re attempting to secretly enter the UK.’ Are we not a integral part of the UK?”
Last week, Lee Anderson, the MP for Ashfield, said the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, was under the control of Islamists on GB News. He has admitted his words were clumsy, but has stood by the comments, which led to him losing the Conservative whip.
Last Friday, while speaking at a podium outside of Downing Street, the leader of the country urged demonstrators to be vigilant against radical individuals joining their movement and cautioned that stricter law enforcement measures may be implemented.
Sunak urged those who are still protesting to not let extremists control their marches.
In the upcoming weeks, you have an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to peacefully and respectfully protest and show empathy towards your fellow citizens.
Pat Mary, a previous educator, and Jocelyn Chaplin, a counselor, expressed that they attended the demonstration due to their revulsion towards Sunak’s remarks.
Mary stated that after hearing Sunak’s speech yesterday, she checked online to see if there was a protest taking place. She believed that even for someone with low levels of integrity like Sunak, the speech exceeded acceptable bounds.
“It was honestly one of the most horrible speeches I can remember, and I can remember Enoch Powell’s 1968 speech … there were echoes of that.”
Chaplin, who stated that she participated in the majority of pro-Palestine demonstrations in London, expressed her dismay at the labeling of peaceful protests as extremist. She further commented that the current situation has become unbearable and should not be considered extreme to advocate for a ceasefire.
In explaining the significance of holding the protest outside of Barclays bank, Mary emphasized the value of examining the funding and support behind certain entities. She posed the question of what would transpire if the Israeli government or Israel itself no longer had access to financial and military aid from the western world.
Mark Etkind expressed a similar viewpoint, stating that the actions of the UK government went against the desires of the majority of British citizens by not advocating for a ceasefire. “Most British people desire a ceasefire, but for some reason, the politicians are choosing not to address that issue and instead focus on other matters.”
He stated that they fabricated a ludicrous narrative regarding the Palestine protests in reference to Sunak’s speech.
Over the course of numerous years, I have attended numerous demonstrations. I have rarely witnessed demonstrations that were as peaceful, respectful, and decent as the ones I have seen week after week, according to Etkind.
Barclays has been contacted for comment.
The report was aided by contributions from PA Media.
Source: theguardian.com
