Al Quds Day march for Jerusalem: In 2014 the annual Al Quds Day march was held on Friday twenty fifth July and got here the day earlier than a significant protest near the Israeli Embassy over assaults by Israeli forces on Gaza which had killed over a thousand Palestinians, primarily civilians.
I’ve written many instances earlier than about these marches which started in Iran in 1979 and is a anti-Zionist protest in solidarity with the Palestinian folks and in assist of their rights and particularly involved with the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem (Al Quds) and the West Financial institution which adopted the 1967 Six-Day Struggle. Israel celebrates this with a nationwide vacation on Jerusalem Day.
Public occasions happen throughout the Arab world, significantly in international locations with giant Shia Muslim communities and likewise in London and a few cities in Europe and America. Many of those occasions are organised by teams funded by Iran.
Critics have typically accused the occasion of being anti-Semitic, however on the assorted events I’ve photographed them there was little proof of this. I’ve seenboyco a number of individuals who have turned up with anti-Semitic slogans on placards being compelled to discard them or go away the march by the stewards.
Though the overwhelming majority of marchers are Muslims there may be additionally a big variety of Jews on the march, most clearly with the ultra-orthodox Neturei Karta Jews carried their traditional placards and banners towards the Zionist state and condemning the atrocities carried out in its title. They are saying that Judaism just isn’t a nationalist faith and reject any concept of a Jewish State. However most of the the non-Muslims from varied left teams that assist the march are additionally Jewish.
The march in London was pretty giant with maybe 5-10,000 folks, together with many who had are available coaches from mosques across the nation. Many had include households and a few marched collectively, however principally women and men marched in separate teams as you possibly can see from my photos. The ladies had been significantly extra colourfully dressed and together with the Neturei Karta – all male – are over-represented in my protection of the occasion.
The march requires Freedom for Palestine and for all oppressed folks the world over, and it additionally requires a boycott of Israel and an finish to Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and Israeli apartheid. And clearly that is an anti-Zionist occasion, however not anti-Jewish, as one of many chants utilized by the marchers made clear: ‘Judaism Sure, Zionism No!’.
I left the march because it turned off of Regent Avenue to make its approach to a rally on the US Embassy. By that time there had been no signal of the opposition to the march I had seen in some earlier years from Zionist, Iranian freedom, communist and royalist actions and UK proper wing fringe teams, however I feel there many have been some Zionists ready to protest towards it on the US Embassy.
Many extra photos at Al Quds Day march for Jerusalem.
Tags: Al Quds, Al Quds Day, boycott, Boycott Israel, Divestment, Free Palestine, Iran, Israeli apartheid, Jerusalem, London, march, Neturei Karta, Neturei Karta Jews, Palestine, peter Marshall, protest, sanctions, Shia, State of Israel, Zionism, Zionist state
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