Weekly protests in Cardiff have seen thousands mobilise in solidarity with Palestine, with another planned this Saturday.
Demonstrations have taken place across the whole of Wales, particularly targeting MPs who this week voted against a ceasefire in Gaza.
Out of 35 hospitals in Gaza, only nine are partially functioning, with the rest out of service.
The Palestinian death toll as of November 15 was 11,470, including 4,407 children. More than 29,000 people are injured.
By Ka Long Tung. Images by Ka Long Tung
For the fourth week in a row, thousands of people protested throughout Wales last week demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Coaches and car loads of protesters also travelled to London to join 800,000 others in what is believed to be the second biggest ever protest in British history.
And this week, MPs who have refused to back calls for a ceasefire have faced angry constituents contacting them in unprecedented numbers and even holding vigils and demonstrations outside their local offices.
In Cardiff on Saturday, crowds gathered at the Nye Bevan statue and marched to the BBC Wales building in Central Square. On the way, they sat in the road outside Cardiff Castle chanting “stop killing kids.” The Palestinian death toll now stands at 11,470, including 4,407 children, after almost 6 weeks of indiscriminate Israeli bombing. Some protesters carried bound up sheets depicting the bodies of dead children, replicating scenes witnessed outside the Al-Shifa hospital, where medics have reported Israeli soldiers deliberately shooting patients and staff.
In Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, over 200 people rallied and marched through the town to the office of Stephen Crabb MP, calling on him to back a ceasefire and chanting ‘Free, Free, Palestine.”
One young girl addressed the crowd, saying, “I urge our MPs and our government to hear our collective plea, how many children must lose their lives before we say it’s enough?”
The protests came after the UK Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, accused pro-Palestinian marches of being “hate marches” and that police were “playing favourites” with the demonstrations compared to how they treated far right gatherings.
After failing to ban the protest in London, she was sacked less than 48 hours later.
“A ceasefire now is an absolute must. Otherwise, we’re just saying it’s okay to keep on killing,” said Betty Hunter from the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, who has been an activist for Palestine for 25 years. “… we can see in front of our eyes, Gaza being razed to the ground and the people slaughtered.”
Shavanah Taj, General Secretary of the Wales TUC, was among the speakers in Cardiff as she stressed that trade unions should stand in solidarity with Palestinians.
Near the end of the march, protesters occupied part of the entrance of Cardiff Central Station, a tactic being used increasingly by pro-Palestine campaigners.
Hussein Said, one of the organisers of the march, said he was “more than happy” with the turnout.
“You’ve got the whole of Westgate Street filled, you’ve got the whole Castle Street filled. It just shows that people are disgusted by what’s happened,” he said.
“These are some of the biggest demos Cardiff has seen in its history.”
The demonstrations came ahead of a vote this week in the House of Commons on a Scottish National Party motion calling for an immediate ceasefire. The vote saw an almost unprecedented amount of activity and campaigning directed towards MPs, with those who have refused to back the demand facing demonstrations outside their constituency offices.
On Tuesday, a small crowd gathered outside the constituency office of Jo Stevens in Cardiff Central, hoping to speak to her directly but the office was closed.
Constituents of the Cardiff South and Penarth MP, Stephen Doughty, also held a vigil outside his office on Wednesday night, with some claiming that he hadn’t even responded to their emails. Doughty himself marched in support of Palestine in 2014, but is now refusing calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Campaigners also tried to speak to Alex Davies-Jones, Labour MP for Pontypridd, on Wednesday morning, and the Newport Coalition of Mosques has written to local Labour MPs Jessica Morden & Ruth Jones urging them to call for ‘an immediate ceasefire’ in Gaza.
Despite this, the SNP motion failed as Tory MPs voted against it and the majority Labour MPs abstained. Every Labour MP in Wales bar Beth Winter declined to vote for a ceasefire.
But popular pressure forced the biggest rebellion ever faced by Keir Starmer as leader, with 56 MPs defying the party whip. Even some of those who abstained have abandoned the argument against a ceasefire.
The Labour leader has repeatedly refused calls for a ceasefire and instead said that a ‘humanitarian pause’ is needed.
“The issue of a humanitarian pause is really rather a sick joke. You want to feed them up before you kill them?” said Betty Hunter of the PSC.
Following a meeting with Muslim groups in Cardiff in late October that was heavily criticised as a PR stunt, South Wales Islamic Centre released a statement distancing itself from Keir Starmer and apologising for the “hurt and confusion” caused by hosting him.
The protests are having an effect, with French President Emmanuel Macron breaking from Washington and calling for a ceasefire over the weekend.
The Senedd, where Welsh Labour is the largest party, called for an immediate ceasefire last Wednesday, despite the party instructing its ministers to abstain. Plaid Cymru tabled the motion which saw a total of 24 members voted in favour, with 19 against and 13 abstained.
“I’m glad The Senedd called for a ceasefire, but look at how many people abstained – 19 refused it and 13 abstained,” said Said.
“Our own Mark Drakeford abstained. He refused to actually even make a point on it, he didn’t even speak. This shows cowardice, this shows a pathetic excuse for a leader. And it just shows that he’s just in the pockets of the establishment. He’s not on our side, he’s on their side.”
The vote in the UK parliament this week could well have the effect of drawing more people into the movement on the streets as the argument for a ceasefire gains momentum with each passing day.
The Cardiff protest will take place on Saturday 18th Nov at 12noon, Nye Bevan Statue, Queen St, Cardiff.
