“Let’s continue to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, in our workplaces and on the streets to show the far right we will not be silenced.”
In our Red Weekly Column, Ben Liao discusses the importance of the May 16 Palestine demo and the far-right’s idolisation of Israel.
In the 1948 Nakba (meaning catastrophe in Arabic), over 700,000 Palestinians were forcibly removed from their land or killed, and over 50 Palestinian towns, cities and villages were destroyed. This ethnic cleansing led to the establishment of the apartheid state of Israel.
To this day, almost 78 years on, the heroic resistance of Palestinians to the ongoing Nakba continues to inspire us all around the world.
As Israel’s apartheid and ethnic cleansing of Palestine intensifies, and a brutal genocide is carried out on the people of Gaza, we must continue to stand in unwavering solidarity and step up our actions to end British complicity.
The Palestine Coalition have called for a week of actions to mark the ongoing Nakba, from coordinated actions to boycott Barclays, to calling on workers to launch solidarity campaigns in their workplaces on Thursday, 14th May.
Crucially, this coming Saturday, we will march again to commemorate the 78th year of the Nakba.
And, this is not just any demonstration. This Saturday, May 16, is one of the most important demonstrations in modern British history.
That is because on the same day, Tommy Robinson will hold his ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally, bringing fascist and far-right forces to London.
This should come as no surprise. The apartheid state of Israel is idolised by the far right. They see Israel’s brutal racism as something to celebrate, hence why every one of Robinson’s hate marches has been flooded with Israeli flags. It should also be noted that the regular pro-Israel counter demonstrations, ironically named “Stop the Hate”, have confirmed they will be joining the ranks of Tommy Robinson this Saturday.
We must rise to this challenge in huge numbers. After the Together Alliance brought together the largest anti-racist demonstration in British history on March 28, dwarfing the previous Unite the Kingdom hate march, we must again show the far right that we are the majority.
The demonstration, called jointly by the Palestine Coalition and Stand Up To Racism, aims to do just that. We will march for Palestine, united against Tommy Robinson and the far right.
We must draw inspiration from the resilience of the heroic Palestinian people.
The Starmer government have relentlessly manoeuvred to secure a total ban on the Nakba demonstration, gifting London to the far right. They have failed.
Tommy Robinson thinks he can outnumber us, and together, we can prove him wrong.
So get your friends, family, neighbours and colleagues to London on Saturday.
Let’s continue to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, in our workplaces and on the streets, to show the far right we will not be silenced.
- The Red Weekly Column will appear each Thursday on Labour Outlook from one of our regular socialist contributors.
- Ben Liao is a socialist and anti-racist activist. You can follow him on Twitter/X.
- If you support Labour Outlook’s work amplifying the voices of left movements and struggles here and internationally, please consider becoming a supporter on Patreon.
