Huge turnout for pro-Palestinian demonstration
cy@tidewillturn.net | 13.04.2002 17:27
There were heartfelt scenes at London's Trafalgar Square today, the culmination of a pro-Palestinian march which set off from Hyde Park earlier in the day.
This is the third such rally in just over two months - following the recent Stop The War Coalition and CND demonstrations which have been staged to protest against the proposed war on Iraq. Today's demonstration outweighed the success of those earlier demos, not only in numbers, but also in the spirit with which the participants were prepared to call for justice.
For many, the last anti-war demo, organised by CND, was a mild disappointment - with little charisma in the speakers and pathetic heckling from protesters too lazy to even stand on their feet to hear and cheer.
Whether it be because of the urgency of the Palestinian situation, or the fact that the situation is so close to home for so many relatives of victims; or whether many have now become exasperated at Bush Imperialism - whatever the motivation, today made for a passionate, rallying cry for justice.
Many might say that today's event was "heated" and "angry" (and indeed the BBC have responded with one of the most cliched articles I've read from them in a long while). That is true - but one must remember that the subject this time is not a "proposed" war, it is an unjust war which is happening right now, causing death to innocent people who have had their homeland occupied by another people. For this reason, it is just that events like today's demonstration foster such high tensions. It was a vast improvement on last month's "sit-in". As "heated" or as "angry" as today was, at least it was "spirited".
The message which has been most clearly underlined by almost every speaker today (of which there were many strong voices) is that the occupiers in this situation are the Israelis. It is the Israelis who are the threat, it is the Israelis who are the terrorists.
I congratulate all that attended, and I urge every one of you who are reading this, to take up Tony Benn's recent call to "do more than we did in the past", tell people the truth behind the serialised media lies of war; tell them of the horror of the injustice - the genocide - taking place in Palestine. But most importantly of all, make the effort to tell those who have been elected to represent us that we will not accept these injustices - make them do something!
As was shouted from the platform today in response to a ritualistic burning of the American flag upon one of the Square's fountains, "by burning a flag, you are only burning a peice of cloth. You have done nothing".
cy@tidewillturn.net
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