UK protesters ‘a whole kaleidoscope’ of different groups
May 1 is International Workers’ Day, and the demonstrators here outside the government Department of Business and Trade blockading the entrances are protesting against those workers who wish to continue sending weapons to Israel, according to the government’s contracts, but also in solidarity with those workers who don’t want to continue sending weapons to Israel.
There are trade unionists working within the department who’ve expressed extreme disquiet about the fact that they have to participate in this practice despite the uncertainty about the legal status of that.
The British government has refused to reveal what legal advice it is receiving from its lawyers about the legality of continuing to send weapons to Israel when there is a risk that they may be used in Gaza against civilians.
The protesters here are a whole kaleidoscope of different groups – there are trade unionists, there is the Black Jewish Alliance, anti-arms campaigners and others. They say they are going to continue their protest for as long as possible.
‘On May Day, we stood in solidarity with Palestine’: Corbyn
The former leader of the UK Labour Party and human rights advocate, Jeremy Corbyn, has been vocal in his condemnation of Israel’s actions in Gaza and calling for an end to the Israeli occupation.
He reiterated his solidarity with Palestine on May Day in a post on X:
On May Day, we stood in solidarity with Palestine, and with people all around the world protesting in the name of peace, justice and humanity. #StopArmingIsrael pic.twitter.com/yY1SyTJcDM
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) May 1, 2024
‘Free Gaza’ march in central London