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Palestine protesters chant in support of Houthi rebels
Thousands protested against Israel in London as part of a global day of action
January 14, 2024 14:21
ByFelix Pope, Felix Pope
1 min read
Thousands protested against Israel in London as part of a global day of action
January 14, 2024 14:21ByFelix Pope, Felix Pope
Anti-Israel protesters in central London chanted in support of Houthi militants on Saturday.
Marching in support of a Gaza ceasefire, thousands demonstrated in support of Palestine in the UK as part of a global ‘day of action’.
One day after Britain and America first struck Houthi targets in response to the group’s attacks on ships in the Red Sea, some protestors were seen shouting: “Yemen, Yemen make us proud, turn another ship around.”
Others held signs that read, “Hands off Yemen,” and “UK + US wants war. Yemen supports Palestine. Gaza wants to live.”
The Islamist movement, officially called Ansar Allah, controls much of Yemen and has the official slogan: "God Is Great, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews, Victory to Islam.”
The chanting for Yemen is all across the demonstration
— Harry's Place (@hurryupharry) January 13, 2024
"Yemen Yemen make us proud turn another ship around" pic.twitter.com/wQ296sUPif
Other London marchers accused Israel of genocide, condemned Sir Keir Starmer for his support of the Jewish state, and called for an end to the conflict.
Addressing a rally, Palestinian poet Mohammed el-Kurd demanded, “we must normalise the massacres as the status quo.”
He added: "Zionism is apartheid, it's genocide, it's murder. It's a racist ideology rooted in settler expansion and racial domination and we must root it out of the world. We must be de-Zionised because Zionism is a death cult. Zionism is indefensible.”
El-Kurd later claimed on X that his words had been “wilfully distorted” and that he did not believe massacres should be normalised.
Husam Zomlot, Palestine’s ambassador to the UK, hailed South Africa for bringing a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and said: “I stand before you with a broken heart but not a broken spirit.”
Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald said: “When I say this, standing in London, in common cause with you, [having] walked our own journey out of conflict, building peace for 25 years, this can happen. This must happen and we will ensure that it does.”
Organisers claim hundreds of thousands took part in the demonstration, which saw six people arrested.
The Metropolitan police said: "Two [were arrested] for offensive placards, one for being in possession of stickers to be used for criminal damage and the three arrested under the Terrorism Act.”