Millions mobilise to support Palestine: pictures and videos

Around the world, workers and youth have been mobilising in solidarity with the Palestinian masses, who are facing a brutal onslaught from the Israeli military. Comrades of the International Marxist Tendency (IMT) have joined these demonstrations, advancing communist slogans in support of the struggle of the oppressed people of Palestine.

We publish below some images and videos of comrades of the IMT attending demonstrations in a few of the countries where we are active. Everywhere, we have been raising the same revolutionary slogans: for an Intifada to kick out capitalism and establish a socialist federation of the Middle East!

From Washington to Sydney, from Berlin to Cape Town, millions have taken to the streets in defiance of the disgraceful imperialist propaganda of the ruling classes internationally. 

In London on Saturday, up to 300,000 people marched through the city in solidarity with Palestine, following a mobilisation of at least 150,000 the week before. This was a smack in the face of the ruling class, who mobilised over 1,000 police officers and have encouraged legal repression against demonstrators who fly the Palestinian flag or chant certain pro-Palestine slogans. These attacks have not quelled support for the Palestinian cause, however, which is backed by 39 percent of people under 34, compared to just 11 percent support for Israel among the same age group.

In the United States – the main imperialist backer of the Israeli ruling class – mass pro-Palestine demonstrations have taken place in a number of cities. Thousands of predominantly young people took to the streets in New York, and protests have taken place at a number of universities across the country, often involving hundreds of students.

In the belly of the imperialist beast, support for Palestine among young Americans reached a new peak earlier this year. 31 percent of US adults now sympathise more with Palestine than Israel, compared to just 12 percent a decade ago. This is yet another sign of the radical, anti-imperialist conclusions being drawn by a growing layer of workers and youth, even in the powerful imperialist countries.

In France, the state initially resorted to extensive repressive measures, with Macron banning all demonstrations in support of Palestine. Despite this disgusting clampdown on free speech and democratic rights, on 14 October hundreds took to the streets to attend an illegal rally in Paris, braving water cannons and tear gas attacks from the police in order to express their solidarity with the Palestinian masses. 

Now, sensing the anger among workers and youth, the French state has backtracked and allowed some pro-Palestine demonstrations to take place. 15,000 people mobilised in the streets of Paris at the weekend, calling for an end to Israel’s war on Gaza.

Various local governments in Germany likewise banned pro-Palestine demonstrations, with police forcibly dispersing a protest of 1,000 people in Berlin. Politicians have attempted to demonise protestors, with Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck disgustingly accusing pro-Palestinian demonstrators of “celebrating terror, rejoicing in the murder of Jews.”

Yet despite the numerous and widespread attacks by the ruling class, the movement in support of the Palestinian struggle is growing and gaining momentum. Workers and youth internationally are mobilising in solidarity, bravely facing the repression head on and giving a clear signal that the crimes of the Israeli ruling class will not be ignored.

Below we include a selection of photos and videos from comrades of the IMT around the world.

Britain

In Britain, the comrades of Socialist Appeal took part in a number of huge demonstrations across the country. In London, over 100 comrades mobilised for two consecutive weeks, joining hundreds of thousands in the capital to show their solidarity with the Palestinian masses. Our comrades have also been mobilising across other towns and cities, including across university campuses, where our comrades have also been subject to censorship by university and student union authorities (click here to read more).

USA

In the United States, comrades of Socialist Revolution marched side-by-side with the thousands that came out onto the streets to show their solidarity with Palestine. Comrades joined rallies in many cities, notably including the massive mobilisation in New York, with slogans calling for an end to US imperialism and denouncing its complicity with Israel’s war on the people of Gaza.

Sweden

In Sweden, IMT comrades came out in force, with communist banners and placards being seen in Stockholm, Karlstad, Gothenburg and elsewhere. Comrades’ speeches demanded an end to the brutal war on Gaza and expressed no confidence in the hypocritical ruling class in Sweden and the West.