Protest & People Power on Palestine. Being built from the bottom up
The focus for Palestine solidarity marches has been central London. The next is on Saturday December 9th. Hundreds of thousands have marched and in the process got rid of a Tory Home Secretary, Braverman. The aim of the marches though is to get a ceasefire in Gaza and political rights for Palestinians, an outstanding question since at least 1948.
The national protests are important in terms of strength in numbers and publicity.
However in recent times things have changed. Not just a crumbling transport infrastructure which might make some think about a day trip to London (lest it last more than a day..)but also and perhaps particularly since the pandemic the UK is an entity is fracturing.
On 2nd December a day of local action there were protests across London including a very well attended meeting in Tower Hamlets and marches in Enfield, Islington, Tottenham and many other areas of London.
There were marches in Cardiff and Glasgow and protests in many other area
Roots of a movement calling for peace in Palestine are being built in communities and workplaces far away from Westminster. Official politics and the media understands little about it.
A movement being built not in London Head Offices (though they have a part) but from the bottom up. As E P Thompson wrote in Homage to Tom Maguire the labour movement in the 1890s was built not in those London HQs but in those ‘shadowy parts’ known as the provinces. It put down deep roots and solidarity with Palestinians is doing the same 140 years on.
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