Pro-Palestinian Protesters clash with police in London

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Uploaded by on Jan 10, 2009

People protesting Israel's assault on Gaza throw bottles and metal at mounted police in London.

Thousands of demonstrators marched through London, England Saturday calling for an immediate end to the violence in Gaza.

The demonstration was organized by groups including the Stop the War Coalition and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, with more than 100,000 people expected to join the march through the capital in protest at Israel's ongoing attacks on the Gaza Strip.

Fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas has entered its third week and goes on in defiance of Thursday's United Nations resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

The Guardian newspaper said celebrities -- including musicians Brian Eno and Annie Lennox -- spoke at a rally before the procession, which went from Hyde Park to the Israeli embassy in Kensington, West London.

The Times newspaper reported that Lauren Booth, the sister-in-law of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, also spoke at the rally.

During her speech, she criticized Blair over his attempts to bring about a successful resolution to the conflict.

"Tony Blair's only comment regarding the ceasefire has been to say that it can only take place after the tunnels in Gaza are destroyed," The Times quoted her as saying.

"What he is suggesting means that after the massacre people will have no access to food, kerosene and medicines that came through those tunnels. That is not a ceasefire that is a slow agonizing death."

Former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone issued a statement backing the demonstration in London.

He said: "Every day we see appalling pictures of children slaughtered by Israeli bombs, missiles and other sophisticated weapons. Yet with more than 700 dead and thousands more seriously wounded, the international community is allowing Israel to continue its completely

disproportionate onslaught accompanied by an Orwellian litany of lies."
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Meanwhile, The British Press Association reported that similar demonstrations took place in other British cities, including Newcastle and Edinburgh.

Thousands took part in a rally through the center of the Scottish capital calling for an end to the military onslaught. About 300 shoes and red paint were thrown towards the US consulate in the Scottish capital, PA

Protesters have staged rallies around the world to voice their anger as the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip entered a third week.

Thousands of protesters marched on the Israeli embassy in Britain, while others took to the streets of Germany, France, Lebanon, Australia and the West Bank.

Al Jazeera's Jonah Hull, reporting from London, said that the number of protesters in London was far bigger than at previous demonstrations in the UK capital.

"That is an indication of how far things have moved on in the last week, deteriorating quite rapidly in the Gaza Strip with the Israeli ground offensive," he said.

"That has filtered through to public opinion with far more people coming out onto the streets in London and capital cities across Europe.

"There have been calls for the Israeli embassy to be closed down, for diplomatic ties between the United Kingdom and Israel to be broken."

One of the protesters told Al Jazeera that she had not been able to contact her family in the Gaza Strip for five days.

"I don't what has happened to them, are they alive, are they not alive?" she said.

"That crowd of 100,000 people, probably more, has come out today to show their support to the Palestinian people despite the fact that all the leaders are not supporting the Palestinian cause and are supporting Israel.

"We will outnumber the leaders ... and we will do whatever we can. We will boycott Israeli goods, we will demand, we will protest and protest and protest as much as we can until we free the Palestinian people."

The rally was backed by Ken Livingstone, the former mayor of London, who has called on European nations to withdraw their ambassadors from Israel and suspend trade agreements with the Jewish state.

Tens of thousands of people chanting "We are all Palestinians" joined a protest in the French capital Paris.

"We want to point to the hypocrisy of an international community which votes for tons of resolutions that it never enforces," Olivier Besancenot, leader of France's Revolutionary Communist League, said.

Elsewhere in France, pro-Palestinian rallies were held in Lille, Grenoble, Nice and Toulouse.

Engin Karahan, one of the organisers of a march in the German city of Duisburg, said the protesters wanted to show "our solidarity with the victims in the Gaza Strip, and signal our opposition to the oppression and violence in Gaza".

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  • Stink muslims,you really animals

  • @Fltsrgn iran

  • the uaf and the islamic ss at work

  • @marujazzz, hahaha! you still living in the fuckin middle ages ya silly prick?

  • RESPECT FOR THE POLICEMEN!!

    FUCK PRO-PALESTINIAN!!

  • @PlebScrubber Oh maybe 8 Israelis compared to thousands of Palestinians killed in cold blood, not to mention those maimed.

  • @goblue122394 Oh no, what about those stupid hats and long dresses.  No class

  • @terroneonline223 Rogue nation, welfare nation, gets 40 billion $'s in aid from the US. Pretty good isn't it, considering most are rich.

  • @MrFabienc1 I know about the Palestinian history and I support them fully. I am glad people are finally protesting against Israel. It has been long overdue and yes I will read what you commented on. Thanks

  • @Fltsrgn Iran most definitely.  Why wd I want to be around human waste.

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