Pro-Palestine protesters gather outside the UK Parliament in Westminster, London, for the rally for Palestine on December 14, 2024. (X)
London (Quds News Network)- Over 3,000 pro-Palestine protesters gathered in central London on Saturday, urging the UK government to end its complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
The vigil and rally, organized by a group of pro-Palestine organizations including Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Friends of Al Aqsa, featured speeches, candlelight tributes, and a reading of the names of Palestinian children killed in the assault.
British-Palestinian children, standing at the gates of Downing Street, read aloud the names of the children who have lost their lives in Gaza.
The event also saw attendees singing carols, leaving flowers, toys, and candles to commemorate the thousands of lives lost.
Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, addressed the crowd, criticizing the UK government’s refusal to acknowledge the assault in Gaza as genocide.
“The prime minister refuses to accept that this is a genocide. He has made the decision that the interests of Western imperialism are more important than the lives of the Palestinians,” Jamal said.
He cited a report by Save the Children, which revealed that 40% of those killed in Gaza are children.
“They should be learning how to ride bicycles and how to read, not ending up in the mortuary or with their body parts scattered across the ground,” Jamal added.
He also highlighted the mental health crisis among Gaza’s youth, citing a recent report that found that half of the enclave’s children express a wish to die, while 96% believe their deaths to be imminent.
Palestinian activist Leanne Mohamad also spoke about the plight of her people, drawing parallels to the freedom achieved by Syrian detainees in recent weeks.
“It is only human for our hearts to be lifted at the sight of detainees being released, families reuniting, and refugees returning home,” Mohamad said.
“We yearn for the same. Freedom from tyranny is not only a shared dream — it is the unshakable right of every oppressed people.”
Mohamad also condemned the Labour Party for its complicity in what she described as genocide. “We will never forgive this Labour government for its betrayal. Not only aiding and abetting Israel’s crimes but being complicit in genocide,” she said.
“They are claiming they want a cease-fire while hypocritically providing military support, intelligence, and diplomatic cover to Israel.”
Musician and record producer Brian Eno told the crowd, “The government is full of people who say Israel has the right to defend itself. But what about Palestinian’s rights to defend themselves?”
“Everyone talks about Syrian prisons yet they say nothing about the Palestinians kept in prisons, which should really be called torture camps.”
Source: qudsnen
