UK healthcare workers, journalists hold vigil for Gaza colleagues
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Prominent figures, including health workers and journalists, gathered at 10 Downing Street, demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and paying tribute to colleagues killed by "Israel".
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Protesters march during a pro Palestinian demonstration in London, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (AP)
Healthcare professionals and journalists gathered in front of 10 Downing Street to honor colleagues lost in the Israeli-led genocide on Gaza, and to call for an immediate ceasefire in the embattled Strip.
Key participants, such as pediatric neurologist Omar Adel-Mannan and Palestinian journalist Lemis Andoni, not only paid tribute but also appealed to the British government for active efforts in securing lasting peace.
Adel-Mannan, who had prior experience working in Gaza, delivered a compelling message to the "silent majority," encouraging them to "break their silence and take action in response to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza."
"Shame on every single one of you. Because you have seen children being decimated. You have seen mutilated bodies. What more do you need? Stand up, have some courage, some humanity," he said.
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'Sunak personally responsible'
Expressing frustration with the absence of a collective response, Adel-Mannan stressed the urgency of the situation. "This is a basic humanitarian crisis. This is a genocide. This is a holocaust of 2023 because that is the reality," he said, highlighting the gravity of the atrocities taking place in Gaza.
He urged the silent majority to overcome hesitations and actively contribute to addressing the crisis. "There are many of us, there are large numbers of us. We are safe in our numbers. When we have been attacked or threatened at work, in our homes, or in our places of worship, there are plenty of us to understand that this is a basic humanitarian crisis," he said.
Andoni held the British government responsible for the ongoing violence.
"We hold Mr. Rishi Sunak personally and the government of Britain to be responsible for the killing of everybody. We find them as guilty as Israel. They're all guilty of these murders, murders of the children," she said.
The experienced journalist criticized Western media, calling for a dedication to justice. She emphasized that journalism requires a commitment to justice and denounced the distortion of facts, while commending those in the Western media who challenge the official narrative.
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Violence absolutely incomprehensible
Risa, a physiotherapist representing colleagues in Gaza, expressed the heavy toll on healthcare workers. "Physiotherapists have been killed since the seventh of October, some along with their whole families. They are not numbered; they are like you and I, going to work to provide the best patient care, knowing that they might not have a home to return to," she said.
"I feel like I said this every single time I have spoken, every event, every rally, but the violence that we see unfolding in front of us is absolutely incomprehensible," said Risa.
The sincere appeals from health workers and journalists resonated as the rally came to an end, stressing the pressing requirement for an immediate ceasefire and an enduring resolution to the war on Gaza.
