Crowd holds 'Free Palestine' protest in southern UK

By Burak Bir

BRIGHTON, England (AA) - Dozens of people held a demonstration Sunday in the British seaside resort city of Brighton to show support for Palestine amid the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Some 100 people gathered in the city center around 2 p.m. local time (1300GMT).

Carrying Palestinian flags and signs, they chanted “Free Palestine” during the demonstration, which was held by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

"Boycott, sanction Israel," "Stop the massacre" and "End the siege" were among the messages on the signs carried by the group in front of the Clock Tower.

Along with the organizers, some Palestinians also made brief speeches expressing their thoughts and experiences.

They included a young Palestinian woman who preferred not to mention her name who said she was speaking on behalf of Palestinians who don’t have that privilege.

She said her grandparents had to flee Palestine in 1948 by foot to first Jordan and then Lebanon.

"My family has not ever been allowed to speak up for generations, and every time I come to these protests, my grandmother cries and says one of us can speak up."

She said that she hopes they can see a free Palestine in their lifetime.

The gathering, which lasted about an hour, ended with more chants of "Free Palestine.”

- 'Time to stand up for Palestinian rights'

Speaking to Anadolu following the protest, Russell Johns, 63, said there is a need for people to take to the streets to express their support for Palestinians.

Saying they are trying to make people learn what has been happening in Gaza and the West Bank for years, he criticized the misrepresentation by some media outlets regarding Palestinians.

"What makes Palestinians 'terrorists'...(is) that resistance happens because of the decades-long pressure that they have suffered," Johns noted.

Accusing Western governments of being "complicit" over their expression that "Israel has the right to defend itself," he asked why people have never heard from those politicians about Palestinians' rights for equality and freedom.

"Palestinians...never get the real support and solidarity that they deserve, and that's why we are in the situation," he said.

He also expressed concern over possible land attacks by Israeli forces against Gaza, saying the death toll would be "horrendous."

Citing a recent opinion poll, Johns said that support for Palestine among the British public is 50% while 25% view Israel unfavorably.

It is time for the British government and politicians to stand up for Palestinian rights "for just once," he added.

- 'Israel's democracy teetering'

Also speaking to Anadolu, Carolyn O'Reilly, an English teacher, said that more people should take to the streets and talk about the Palestinian issue as most people do not know exactly what has been happening there.

Criticizing the idea that "Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East," she said that "democracy is teetering" because "it is going to the right to far right."

"The problem is we need to educate people, and I think demonstrations like this are important," she added.

Touching on media reports about the Israel-Palestine issue, she said that people cannot rely on most international media organizations for their news.

The Palestinian group Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on Saturday, saying the unprecedented attack was in response to the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and increased settler violence. It said it fired rockets and captured many Israelis.

In retaliation, the Israeli army initiated Operation Swords of Iron, launching air strikes on the Gaza Strip.

Fighting continued into its second day on Sunday, and Israel declared a state of war.