LONDON (AP) — Tens of thousands of people turned out on central London’s streets Saturday for a pro-Palestinian march calling for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza.
Police said that while the majority of people protested peacefully, 18 people were arrested including at least five people who were detained on suspicion of inciting racial hatred.
This is unfortunately a nonstarter for the ultra conservative government. It’s just like Bush being in power on 9/11: atrocities give the government leeway to do whatever they want in response.
I’m glad marches like this happen but they are ultimately futile. The ultra conservatives are hell bent on an ethnic cleaning. I feel like there’s a word for this type of government… It’s in the tip of my tongue… I just know this type of government can’t be reasoned with or appeased.
I would agree with this but:
When I was a kid New Zealand had a right wing government which supported Apartheid South Africa and arranged sports matches between the two nations.
New Zealanders who were opposed to Apartheid protested (even me in my own way). In some cases they were met with police violence.
Sounds “ultimately futile”, right?
Years later I found out that some Black South Africans had found out about our protests at that time and felt heartened because it let them know that actually the whole world did not support the oppressive regime. It was important and meaningful for them.
That’s a fair point: international solidarity is still solidarity.
I mean on a more policy level it doesn’t do anything but it might make the suffering masses in Gaza slightly less despairing. Which isn’t nothing.