OVER 100,000 people took to the streets of London on Saturday to demand an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon.
Having assembled at Speakers’ Corner under the midday summer sun, the colourful protesters, holding placards saying “Hands off Lebanon” and “We are all Hezbollah,” marched down Park Lane waving Lebanese flags and chanting “ceasefire now” before turning towards the US embassy, where there were minor scuffles with riot police.
After passing Piccadilly and Trafalgar Square, an angry, passionate but entirely peaceful crowd concentrated around Downing Street, where Prime Minister Tony Blair was allegedly working on a UN resolution after postponing his holiday to the Bahamas.
Samba band Rhythms of Resistance and direct action peace group Justice Not Vengeance staged a dramatic die-in and campaigners delivered a letter to the Prime Minister’s residence signed by 40,000 people demanding an immediate unconditional ceasefire.
Hundreds of children’s shoes were also tossed into a heap in front of the gates leading to Number 10, symbolising the hundreds of children killed in Israel’s latest onslaught. The shoes were moved to the Cenotaph after being swept up by police.
Parliament Square was then packed with thousands of protesters listening to lively speeches from a variety of MPs, activists and trade unionists. Labour left leadership contender John McDonnell summed up the mood of the march when he said: “I bring a message for Tony Blair — you bring shame upon this country.”
Mr McDonnell then repeated his demand for a recall of Parliament.
Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn said that the demonstration showed the unity of any normal thinking person in Britain “that there should be an immediate ceasefire and that the government’s line is incomprehensibly wrong.”
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament vice-chairman Walter Wolfgang, who was recently elected to the Labour Party NEC, agreed, declaring it “absolutely vital that, in this condition of crisis, the House of Commons should be recalled and should make its voice heard.”
Industry union T&G deputy general secretary Barry Camfield said: “What a shock that a Labour Prime Minister is supporting murderous policies across the Middle East.
“On the anniversary of his death, where now is Robin Cook’s ‘ethical’ foreign policy?” he asked.
