Hundreds attend pro-Palestine rally
DEMONSTRATION AFTER VIOLENT CLASHES IN MIDDLE EAST
HUNDREDS of people attended a rally in Leicester city centre to show their support for the Palestinian cause after violent clashes erupted in the Middle East.
Local campaigners and politicians spoke at Monday evening’s event, held in Town Hall Square.
The demonstration, which lasted about an hour, was organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Friends of Al Aqsa.
It was planned to coincide with a national protest, held outside Downing Street, against the recent actions of the Israeli military.
The protest, which saw the square bedecked with Palestinian flags and was attended by placardcarrying supporters of the Socialist Workers Party, follows an escalation in violence in the past few days.
Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza have fired hundreds of rockets at Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities after hundreds of Palestinians were hurt in clashes with Israeli police at a flashpoint religious site in the contested holy city of Jerusalem.
Israel has responded with air strikes targeting police and security installations, although the Palestinian authorities said there had been civilian casualties.
The death toll in Gaza has risen to 48 Palestinians, including 14 children and three women, according to the health ministry, with some 300 people injured.
Five Israelis, including three women and a child, were killed by rocket fire on Tuesday and early on Wednesday, and dozens of other people were injured.
A focal point was the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, a site sacred to both Jews and Muslims, while there were also clashes over the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers in the Sheikh Jarrar neighbourhood of east Jerusalem.
Zahirul Haque, who helped organise the rally, said: “This is our local contribution to the national protest which was in Downing Street at the same time.
“We are protesting the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian families from their homes in Sheikh Jarrar, occupied East Jerusalem and the attacks on Palestinians at the Haram al Sharif (Dome of the Rock/al-Aqsa sanctuary).
A short video uploaded to social media by the Friends of Al Aqsa group showed prayers being said in Arabic for the victims of the latest violence.
The London rally was supported by groups including Stop the War and the Palestinian Forum in Britain.
A statement has been issued by the Leicester Council of Faiths following the recent troubles.
A spokesperson said: “The Leicester Council of Faiths is saddened to hear the news from Jerusalem of the injuries sustained by over 200 Palestinian worshippers and over 20 Israeli police during the protests, and confrontation which occurred on Friday evening (May 7) within the compound of the al-Aqsa Mosque.
“We are concerned about the excess use of metal-coated rubber bullets by the police which can cause severe injury.
They added: “This is a period of heightened tension, with the potential eviction of some Palestinians from part of the city.
“In a region that is holy to the three Abrahamic faiths, any unrest has the potential to cause further division and hatred. We pray that peace prevails in this volatile region. We urge all people in the region to exercise restraint and to work towards unity and mutual coexistence.
“As faith communities, we reiterate our joint commitment to peace and unity, and pray to Almighty God that His mercy descends on the region for the betterment of all.”
The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, below, meanwhile, has appealed for restraint from both sides of the divide in the most serious fighting since the 50-day war in 2014.
Mr Johnson said: “I am urging Israel and the Palestinians to step back from the brink and for both sides to show restraint.
“The UK is deeply concerned by the growing violence and civilian casualties and we want to see an urgent de-escalation of tensions.”
The latest upsurge in violence has been triggered by tensions in Jerusalem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab spoke to the Israeli foreign minister on Tuesday and was due to speak to the Palestinian prime minister this week.