“What we saw last week, was the repression of the right to peaceful protest – and these arrests should be condemned as the illegitimate acts of harassment that they are.”
Fran Heathcote, PCS General Secretary
The coalition of organisers of the national demonstrations for Palestine held a rally on Saturday to address the arrests of protesters and the wider clampdown on the right to protest. PCS General Secretary Fran Heathcote addressed the rally calling for greater solidarity with Palestine despite the clear attempts to repress the protests.
We’re here today against police repression – and in solidarity with those arrested unjustly a week ago.
Ben Jamal and Chris Nineham charged with public order offences; MPs John McDonnell and Jeremy Corbyn interviewed under caution – and many more arrested – some charged, and some with the threat of charges hanging over them.
The demonstrations in solidarity with the Palestinian people have been going on for months and have been peaceful.
What we saw last week, was the repression of the right to peaceful protest – and these arrests should be condemned as the illegitimate acts of harassment that they are.
Is it shameful Labour is keeping the Tories’ Public Order Act which restricts the right to peaceful protest.
And it’s shameful too that – yet again – we see that the Met Police lying about the circumstances.
Is the Met seriously accusing a delegation – which included a 90 year old Holocaust survivor and two MPs in their 70s – of breaking through police lines?
So well done to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign for releasing the video footage, which clearly shows that delegation was allowed through the police lines to lay flowers – which they did.
It also shows that far from incitement, Ben Jamal called on the delegation to return to Whitehall after they had laid the flowers.
Chris Nineham has a distinguished record as chief steward at many of our protests for the last two decades.
But amid all the outrage about the arrest and trumped-up charges against our comrades – we must not be distracted from why we have been on the streets week after week – and that’s to show our solidarity with the Palestinian people, and that must continue to be our focus.
We welcome the ceasefire – the people of Gaza have been through hell in the last 16 months, and any respite (however partial or temporary it may be) is welcome.
And we welcome the release of Israeli and Palestinian hostages – few of us could imagine the feelings of those people being reunited with their families after months of anguish.
But for tens of thousands of people they will not be meeting their families again; thousands of children are orphaned; and many of those returning to their neighbourhoods have no home to return to.
A ceasefire is welcome, but it does not rebuild Gaza, it does not end the ethnic cleansing in the West Bank or dismantle the illegal settlements, and it does not bring war criminals to justice.
With President Trump now in the White House there will be no justice. His Government has already lifted the minimal restrictions on arms sales to Israel and removed the sanctions on terrorist settlers.
And that has encouraged Israel to intensify its killing and ethnic cleansing in the West Bank.
In recent weeks, Keir Starmer has signed a 100 year pact with Ukraine. That country has been illegally invaded and occupied by its neighbour. Its hospitals bombed, its people kidnapped and held hostage. Where is the 100 year pact with Palestine? Why the double standards?
That is why we must continue come together in solidarity – and fight for justice for Palestine; and fight for justice for those harassed by the British state for showing that solidarity.
- Fran Heathcote is the General Secretary of the PCS Union. You can follow Fran on Twitter/X; and follow the PCS on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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