Thousands march in Liverpool for total halt of arms sales to Israel
More than 15,000 people marched in Liverpool to call on the UK government to stop all arms shipments to Israel.
“I keep coming because I see a genocide livestreamed to my phone every day with women and children killed, and seeing our government do nothing in response,” protester Sue Houseman told Al Jazeera at the rally.
“I find frustration that we can’t stand up and be humane and look after people who are just being punished and killed and slaughtered, having their water cut off and their food cut off. And our government just doesn’t act. I feel like I’ve got to hold them to account.”
Protesters in the British city of Liverpool are marching to express their frustration with the government of Keir Starmer, which has so far been 77 days in office.
Many on the left of the Labour movement feel let down by Starmer, as they say it has failed to condemn Israel and call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. They are calling now for an arms embargo and for a total ban on arms production to and for Israel.
A protester wears a mask depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a demonstration in support of Palestinians in Gaza in Liverpool
US Muslim group denounces Biden for ‘enabling and excusing genocide’
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has condemned US President Joe Biden for failing to stop Israel in its bloody war on Gaza that now threatens to ignite in Lebanon against Hezbollah.
“Instead of enabling and excusing genocide, President Biden must take concrete action – including an arms embargo on Israel and a forced ceasefire – to rein in the out-of-control Netanyahu government that carries out daily massacres of women and children in Gaza and the West Bank,” said Nihad Awad, CAIR’s national executive director, in a statement.
“The slaughter, ethnic cleansing and forced starvation of the Palestinian people – and the denial of their humanity – must end.”
Thousands march in Rome to protest ‘genocide’ in Palestine
Thousands of demonstrators marched through central Rome, calling for an end to the war on Gaza. The crowd protested Israel’s actions in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and Lebanon.
The protest saw participants carrying Palestinian flags and banners reading, “Stop the genocide” while chanting slogans such as “Free Palestine” and “Murderer Netanyahu”.
Demonstrators also criticised Italy’s government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, accusing Rome of complicity in Israel’s actions.
“It’s been nearly a year of this genocide, and now it seems they want to destroy not just Gaza but the entire [occupied] West Bank, all of Palestine, and even Lebanon,” Michela, a participant at the demonstration, told the Anadolu news agency.
Another participant, Sara, emphasised the need to continue protesting, pledging to do so as long as necessary as she asserted that a “free Palestine is a right”.
