Opinion: Why the UK is demonising pro-Palestine protesters
When I heard Home Secretary James Cleverly recently urging the UK’s pro-Palestine protests to stop, saying they had “made their point”, I half-expected the government to follow by announcing its support for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
After all, if the government had truly “gotten the point” of these regular marches - which is to stop Israel’s relentless killing of Palestinian men, women and children in Gaza, with the death toll already exceeding 30,000 - then that would be the inevitable result.
Cleverly’s dismissal of the millions of people who have marched in a bid to save a shred of the world’s humanity was evident when he questioned their “value” or what they were “seeking to achieve”. These comments are tone deaf, as if British residents were giving up their weekends for foolhardy antics, rather than calling to protect newborn babies who are starving in Gaza.
For those attending the marches, the value is clear. The protests are a way to demand change and hold power to account, with more than two-thirds of the British public supporting a ceasefire that their government refuses to back.
The value also comes from raising awareness and building solidarity among diverse, disparate and previously disconnected communities. Such connections are priceless in the long-term struggle for Palestinian human rights and freedoms. Is that why our government is trying to suppress them?
Not only are the pro-Palestine protests continuing, they are increasingly mobilising efforts to shift government policy in the UK. Just last week, anti-establishment politician George Galloway won a Rochdale by-election that was dominated by the issue of Gaza.
The government, clearly rattled, is now resorting to the classic defence of demonising its opposition as hateful and violent. Islamophobia in the UK government is nothing new, with politicians exploiting the “Muslim menace” card whenever it suits them electorally.
Read more: Why the UK is demonising pro-Palestine protesters - By Layla Maghribi
