THESE ARE THE INCREDIBLE IMAGES OF CARDIFF’S PROTEST IN SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINE, TAKEN BY PHOTOGRAPHER TOM DAVIES.
Photos by Tom Davies
Yesterday in Cardiff, over 1,000 people took to the streets in protest against the Israeli bombing of Gaza and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. After gathering at the Nye Bevan statue, Queen St, and hearing speeches and chants, the crowd began to march, blocking traffic as they went.
Cardiff’s Muslim community came out in numbers, and the mood was energetic and angry.
As well as rage at the bombing of Gaza, which has now claimed the lives of 139 people including 39 children, there was also chants of ‘shame on you BBC.’
The corporation has long come under attack from Palestinians and their supporters for regularly misleading its audience by inaccurately framing Israeli bombing campaigns – even when they kill children – as rational acts of self defence. Yesterday news also came through of the Israeli Defence Force bombing Al Jazeera offices in Gaza.
The protest was organised by the Cardiff Palestine Solidarity Campaign and was biggest for Palestine in Cardiff since 2014, when some 4,000 marched.
Meanwhile in London, over 100,000 protested, confounding expectations of the organisers, but also the police, who failed to close off roads.
People packed the streets, scaled buildings and statues, waving Palestinian flags in defiance of a British establishment that has worked hard over the past five years to break the movement and silence uncompromising criticism of Israel. But yesterday marked a turning point in British politics when it comes to the issue.
For years, the movement has been de-mobilised after the left Labour leadership retreated over the issue, under constant attack from the pro-imperialist right of the party and the British establishment at large.
Events of the past week have shattered this arrangement.
Protesters themselves have taken confidence from Palestinians in Gaza, those protesting within Israel / Palestine48 and those in Jordan and Lebanon, who have demonstrated against and in some cases broken down Israeli border posts.
Those taking to the streets in Britain are also in opposition to their own Tory government in Westminster and the British state, for its role in supporting Israel, including supplying it with arms and aid.
These are the incredible images of Cardiff’s protest in solidarity with Palestine, taken by photographer Tom Davies. For videos of the protest, see our Twitter live thread. All images copyright Tom Davies
All images copyright Tom Davies.
