What are the people "Marching" in London every Saturday realistically hoping to achieve?

[Flapjacker48]

It won't change UK government policy. It won't result in a ceasefire in Gaza. It won't magically resolve the situation in Palestine.

Same as all the other big marches - War in Iraq etc. Changed nothing.

Clarify "genocide"? The only genocide i see supported is against Israel. Its the stated aim of Hamas and its supporters. The Palestinians could have had their own state years ago but they refused a 2 state solution because they want to destroy Israel. That's genocide. Israel supplied water and energy free to Gaza. Hardly "genocide".

Why don't you march 'against' hammas? They put the Palestinians in the firing line and are hiding behind them.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

A fair part of it appears to be aggressive Islamo-fascism.

What was the motivation for doing a "call to prayer" by the Cenotaph?

Performative Islamo-fascism specifically to intimidate.

Just Imagine for a minute .. a society where you weren't allowed to demonstrate 🧐

Clarify "genocide"? The only genocide i see supported is against Israel. Its the stated aim of Hamas and its supporters. The Palestinians could have had their own state years ago but they refused a 2 state solution because they want to destroy Israel.

I think the maybe just wanted the settlement building to stop. I understand the settlements in the West Bank were continuing even while the Oslo accord negotiations were going on (that would have been a good time to stop IMAO). Obviously it’s more difficult now Hamas are on board as they have certainly proved themselves to be genuinely dangerous.

The word genocide is bandied about with no care for its actual meaning ill admit but that doesn’t mean Israel is in no way at fault.

Israel is not at war with Palestinians as such, they are at war with Hamas. I know Palestinians are suffering as a result, but its Hamas that are the main target, not Palestinians. So the marches are basically calling for Israel to stop defending themselves against Hamas - because I haven't heard any other solutions being voiced (like for Hamas to lay down arms, give up people responsible for the massacre and release hostages). There is nothing in the mainstream press about Hamas still firing rockets into Israel or saying they want to repeat 7th October over and over until Israel is no more. There is nothing against Hamas at the marches, and there were plenty of antisemitic posters being photographed in the marching crowd all over the world. Also, a lot of anger and screaming. Not peaceful at all. I have seen people going to/ from the protests on the tube and felt a bit uncomfortable, they seemed to radiate anger.

Yeah I think this is it. It’s that people are shocked that the UK government is openly backing this as the civilian death toll in Palestine rises ever higher. And as someone else said palestinians have been very effective in getting the message out. I know In the States they are marching to show they are against billions of their tax money being sent to fund these acts of aggression.

And btw to the pp “Africa” is a continent, perhaps be more specific about what issue/country you’re referring to.

People feel very helpless and I have friends who are losing sleep, feeling very overwhelmed, so want to take the opportunity to be around like minded people all raising their voice in protest at what’s happening. It’s probably as much for them as it is for Palestine.

There is nothing against Hamas at the marches

Here's a video of a guy at Trafalgar Square protesting with a 'Hamas are Terrorists' placard being attacked and his sign ripped up.

https://x.com/visegrad24/status/1720887237124985027?s=61&t=U9XrcF693-JpMxeIueYG7g

Jews cannot avoid antisemitic actions if they live in the general population of other countries because they are an ethnic and cultural group, NOT just a religion.

If antisemitism was simply about religion, Jews would have been able to renounce their faith to save their lives, thus avoiding the numerous massacres, expulsions and the holocaust.

I wish they'd go away quite frankly. Going to visit my terminally ill mother in her nursing home was hell yesterday due to the crowding on transport.

It's not our fight. There is fuck all I can do about it and I have bigger things to worry me.

This country has its own problems.

It is worth doing some research into the Saudi Yemen conflict yourself. Saudis are doing the work of the west here quashing the exact kinds of rebels (funded by Iran) that threaten western interests/values. Hence not really against the value system of the average British person. It is also not widely played in the media for exactly this reason.

What Israel is doing is uniquely grotesque and rightly upsets most informed British people who have an ounce of humanity/compassion and aren’t driven by revenge. The only voices speaking up for the death of children and innocent civilians here are the biased ones either driven by revenge or politically/capitalist motivated. Occasionally it’s also the few uninformed people who have been overly exposed to Israeli propaganda but that’s becoming increasingly countered by the truth which is becoming harder to hide.

An example - what happening in Pakistan now. What do you know about it? Anyone asked any UK politician what they thinking about it, who's "side" they are on? Why no one is taking about it? Almost 2 million people, families with kids, deported into the country they have escaped from, with almost nothing to their name, their homes bulldozed. Where are the protests against this?

Saudis are doing the work of the west here quashing the exact kinds of rebels (funded by Iran) that threaten western interests/values.

Who do you think are funding Hamas?

Did Sunak or whoever was in power say we hope you win to any of those countries?

Where do you think a lot of aid money goes?

@Spinet

" It got Poll tax scrapped"

+++

What got the poll tax scrapped was that large numbers didn't pay it, it was seen as unfair and it cost more to collect than it raised.

No one said nothing because it was not a political issue. General public could not care less.

Why do some people think there were never protests about Syria?
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/dec/08/forces-veterans-protest-downing-street-against-british-airstrikes-syria

BRITISH airstrikes?.... what about Russia and Assad?

Not sure what your point is here.

I was querying that another poster was explaining that the situation with Saudi Arabia was different because Saudi Arabia was tackling Iran-funded terrorists. But as far as I'm aware, Hamas are also Iran-funded terrorists.

(not that I am justifying what is going on with the bombing and killing of innocent civilians in Gaza at all, just wanting clarification on the Iran funding terrorism bit)

Its supposed to go to the Palestinian people, but is stolen by Hamas to be used to build tunnels, bomb shelters for them and their families and rockets. The Hamas leader said that the blood of the Palestinian people was a worthwhile result to them because they were used as martyrs to the Hamas cause ( the destruction of Israel). No protests about the murder and starvation of the Palestinian people by Hamas. Hamas are being rebranded every time someone questions the Pro Palestinian protesters, their crimes covered up, their murderous regime excused.

BRITISH airstrikes?.... what about Russia and Assad

The UK wasn’t backing Russia and Assad

There were plenty of protests about Syria!

Personally, I did not attend all of them - that would be because I would have been volunteering several months my time in the Mediterranean as huge waves of desperate, traumatised people risked everything to try and reach the safety of Europe, crossing the sea in, sometimes, literal rubber boats!

You know, some of us are just ... generally opposed to war and imperialism and generally "pro-humanity".

Putin and Assad are not going to change their minds because someone in the UK protests.
Netanyahu and Hamas are not going to change their minds because of protests in the UK.

Most British protests are about what our Government do. Most people are protesting because they would like our Government to follow, and to encourage other democracies to follow, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.