British Jews Against Occupation protest to demand ceasefire in Gaza
3 Min Read
Green Party Deputy Leader Zack Polanski is seen at the demonstration in London as he expresses that "Violence begets more violence. We are here to say stop the violence".
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Protesters wave flags during a pro-Palestinian protest in front of the Houses of Parliament in London on Nov. 15, 2023. (AP)
London's Victoria Embankment Park witnessed hundreds of Jews gathered after a call from British Jews Against Occupation to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, a captive-hostage exchange, and the end of the siege on Gaza.
Banners carried read slogans like "Jews are against genocide," "End the occupation" and "This Jew is for a cease-fire," both in Hebrew and English.
Jeffrey Newman, a rabbi from the Finchley Reform Synagogue, told protesters, "I'm not here to call for a cease-fire. Whenever it comes, it will be too late".
He added that he is not "making a political speech at all. It is an outrage, a desecration of God's name, that we should have to voice the need for humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza, and as a fierce critic myself since 1967 of Israel's governments and especially of the occupation".
Read next: Waving Palestine flag, chanting from 'river to sea' an offense in UK
"What God demands of us is to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk in humility with God".
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 18, 2023: This is now the policing response for a small, peaceful sit down pro-#Palestine protest in Waterloo train station, a protest police themselves stated did not disrupt any transport.
— Jason N. Parkinson (@JasonNParkinson) November 18, 2023
(Footage by @JasonNParkinson)#Gaza #IsraelHamasWar #Ceasefire pic.twitter.com/AESaOgsa7h
'Palestine is the grammar of our liberation'
Green Party Deputy Leader Zack Polanski was also present at the demonstration, as he expressed, "Violence begets more violence. We are here to say stop the violence".
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, a protester said, "Zionism is harmful to all Jews. Zionism is built around the misconstruction of what safety means. No Jew is safe in Israel when there is apartheid. No Jew is safe anywhere in the world when there is a separatist state that claims that they are there for our safety. Zionism is harmful to all Jews".
According to another protester, "Palestine is the grammar of our liberation and that what's happening in Palestine is not separate from what's happening in other places around the world."
"And it's emblematic of the kind of false compromises that colonialism has made throughout history, which has tried to make the value of life a zero-sum game," he continued.
London was not the only city speaking loudly on the atrocities in the face of its government.
Washington DC witnessed a clash between US Capitol police officers and pro-Palestinian protesters outside the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters calling on lawmakers to back a ceasefire in Gaza and end the genocide by "Israel" on Gaza.
Three advocacy groups organized the protest, including IfNotNow and Jewish Voice for Peace Action, who took to X to say they were "assaulted" even though they stated their protest was "nonviolent".
This is dangerous & reckless disinformation, Congressman.
— IfNotNow🔥 (@IfNotNowOrg) November 16, 2023
We were peacefully linking arms, singing, and calling for a ceasefire.
As you can see with your own eyes in this video.
Then Capitol Police rushed in, threw us down the stairs, and pepper sprayed us.
Retract this now. https://t.co/FqOc8ZfCd4 pic.twitter.com/Xerx1cSDXy
"We were peacefully linking arms, singing, and calling for a ceasefire," IfNotNow posted, adding, "Then Capitol Police rushed in, threw us down the stairs, and pepper sprayed us."
