“The war has made the cause of Palestine the moral compass of the 21st century.”
The Black Liberation Alliance stands with Palestine and over a year later – and continues to march for justice, writes Myriam Kane, Co-Founder, Black Liberation Alliance
The Palestine demonstration this Saturday will be the 21st in just over a year since Israel’s war on Gaza, which has seen the International Court for Justice consider a plausible case for genocide. We call on all those who stand with Palestine and against injustice to join this important march.
It is beyond comprehension that we have been marching for over a year for the most basics of demands including for a ceasefire and for an arms embargo on Israel. It is clear that the war has made the cause of Palestine the moral compass of the 21st century. It is the cutting edge of a global struggle against colonialism and racism, the impact of which is felt on the streets around the world, and in politics. In the general election in Britain this year, Green and independent MPs made unprecedented gains returning candidates to Parliament who made clear their strong stance for Palestine. This needs to be a wake up call for politicians who have not spoken out. The issue of Palestine is mainstream and is shot through politics in a way that is unprecedented and historic, as is demonstrated in the US Presidential elections. Black communities are more organised than ever before and whilst Palestine remains in peril, our communities will continue to mobilise and organise for justice.
The Black Liberation Alliance (BLA) has mobilised to many of the demonstrations since Israel’s latest offensive began last year. We have marched with young Black people under the slogan ‘Black Liberation – Free Palestine’ tirelessly and relentlessly, because we believe in standing with the Palestinians who have struggled not only in the last year, but since the Nakba. Prominent members of the BLA took part in the longest student occupation in decades, at Goldsmiths College in 2019. This was an anti-racism occupation that lasted three months and was led by Black students, with Black women firmly in the lead. Core to our demands were scholarships for Palestinian students, to be able to study in Britain. Israel has bombed and wholly or partly destroyed all universities and destroyed or damaged 80% of schools in Gaza. Despite the impossible conditions they have faced for decades, Palestinians are one of the most highly educated peoples in the world. The Goldsmiths Anti-Racist Occupation was united in wanting to recognise and enable this. The Black Liberation Alliance stands for the unity of peoples of African, Arab, Asian and Caribbean, Indigenous and mixed heritage in opposition to racism and imperialism which impacts all our communities. We see this unity reflected in the rallying of the global south nations for Palestine, from Africa to Asia and Latin America, a reflection of the politics of Black unity that was the mainstay of the US civil rights movement.
The need to continue growing this global movement could not be clearer. In July, a Lancet study found the true death toll in Gaza could be as high as 186,000 due to unaccounted bodies buried under rubble, and indirect deaths due to the destruction of health facilities, food distribution systems and other public infrastructure. The BLA will continue to stand with the Palestinian people until this horrific injustice ends. The military assaults by Israel on Lebanon, Iran and Syria risk spiraling into a regional war, so being a part of the Palestine solidarity movement has become even more critical, as the likelihood of a military escalation increases.
And we are clear that amongst those with mainstream political power, many do not agree with us. Palestine is vilified. Former Conservative Home Secretary Suella Braverman branded the Palestine demonstrations ‘hate marches’ last year and suggested the police were being too lenient on pro-Palestinian demonstrators. Braverman was sacked following these unfounded and incendiary accusations. The far right mobilisations led by Tommy Robinson grew exponentially following her comments and targeted Palestinian demonstrations. The continuous climate of Islamophobia and anti migrant racism combined with hostility towards the Palestinian movement, which our communities are active and vocal in, has emboldended the far-right. In recent months we have witnessed their unprecedented attacks on Mosques, asylum seeker hotels and Black communities.
It is essential that we stand up to the far right, and to the hostile climate that emboldened them. The concept of ‘two tier policing’ expressed by Braverman, and repeated by Farage, has now become a mainstay of the far right, even though it turns reality on its head. The disproportionate policing of the Black communities, from stop and search to deaths in custody, has been forensically documented. We have seen an outcry over the acquittal of the police officer who fatally shot unarmed Black man Chris Kaba.
In 2016, Palestinians showed their solidarity with Black communities facing police brutality in America. Protestors had tear gas fired at them following the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown by a police officer. From Palestine, people including university students tweeted advice to activists in Ferguson on how to cope with tear gas. The Palestinians have stood with us when our communities face injustice. We must and will continue to stand in solidarity with Palestine until justice is served.
- Follow the Black Liberation Alliance on instagram and twitter
- The National Demonstration ‘End the Genocide in Gaza – Hands off Lebanon – Don’t Attack Iran‘ takes place from 12PM Saturday, 2 November. Marching from Whitehall to the US Embassy.
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