London News: Over 100,000 people march through Hyde Park towards the Israeli embassy in Kensington,

[DogPoundPup]

Source: The London Paper

BRITAIN’S biggest pro-Palestine demonstration took place as fighting continued in Gaza in defiance of a United Nations resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.

Organisers believed more than 100,000 people joined the massive march through central London in protest at Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip.

Celebrities including musician Brian Eno and Eurythmics star Annie Lennox joined the procession from Hyde Park to the Israeli embassy in Kensington.

The march included rallies at the start and end addressed by speakers including Eno, Stevenson, former London mayor Ken Livingstone and Cherie Blair's half-sister Lauren Booth.

Read more: http://www.thelondonpaper.com/cs/Satellite/london/news/article/1157158952461?packedargs=suffix%3DArticleController

[ensho]

1. wow, that's a lot of people

and this seems to be happening all over the world.

[babylonsister]

2. Holy mackeral. I'm impressed. nt

[Bigmack]

3. Even a shred of "good" news

is WELCOME. And where are folks in THIS strange land? Either indifferent and silent or supporting Israeli atrocities. Hamas is not, of course, totally innocent in all of this, but the VAST bulk of the blood is on Israeli hands. Shame on them. Ms Bigmack

[peacetalksforall]

4. Israel played an eye for an eye for decades. Then out of the blue, they

conducted a massacre, then twice dropped leaflets to tell them more was coming and the, the Palestinian refugees, are penned in like a pig pen. The Gaza Strip is a Refugee Camp, some say an open prison and Israel is massacring them and telling them they are going to massacre them by leaflets. That is the official form of communication from their leaders.

My sympathies to Israelis who are for peace, not take over of the land, the prison grounds. THe prison grounds of the prisoners who tried to set up a Democracy.

So much for the way of Democracy.

The LEADERS of the U.S. and Israel are partners in this and the UK leaders are complicit.

The demonstrators should march to Downing Street as well.

What are the leaflets for - fair warning so that their sentence will be lighter if they can't buy out the World Court?

The defense and excuse is missiles. Missiles are to Israel as wmds were to the US = an EXCUSE.

[DogPoundPup]

7. "Israel played an eye for an eye for decades" now their govt. has become blind

n/t

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. Mind you, it looks a bit like a rewrite of the '100,000 expected' before the march happened

Organisers predict more than 100,000 people will join a massive march through central London on Saturday in protest at Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip.

Celebrities including musician Brian Eno and film star Juliet Stevenson are expected to join in the procession from Hyde Park to the Israeli embassy in Kensington.
...
Saturday's march will include rallies at the start and end addressed by speakers including Eno, Stevenson, former London mayor Ken Livingstone and Cherie Blair's half-sister Lauren Booth.

http://www.thelondonpaper.com/cs/Satellite/london/breakingnews/article/1157336306777?packedargs=suffix%3DBreakingNews

Note that earlier article explains who 'Stevenson' is, while the article supposedly written after the march just drops her surname in there without any previous mention.

The BBC says:

The Metropolitan Police says 12,000 people marched but the BBC estimates the figure could be as high as 50,000.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7821928.stm

[DogPoundPup]

6. What's your beef? BBC has article today...(downplaying the numbers of course)

Thousands of demonstrators have marched through London to call for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict in Gaza.

The Metropolitan Police says 12,000 people marched but the BBC estimates the figure could be as high as 50,000.

The march has been organised by groups including Stop the War Coalition, the British Muslim Initiative and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

A peace rally organised by the Board of Deputies of British Jews is due to take place in the capital on Sunday.

Saturday's march started at Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park and is now passing the Israeli embassy in Kensington.

BBC correspondent Robert Hall said there was "very careful" stewarding and people were being channelled to the end point at the Royal Albert Hall.

"A few objects have been thrown at the gates to the embassy, pieces of wood and shoes, but this is a small number of people.

"But the majority of people are making a peaceful protest."

Protests are also taking place in Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Belfast, Newcastle and Southampton.

In Edinburgh around 300 shoes were thrown towards the US consulate by protesters.
Read MORE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7821928.stm

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. 'Beef'? I linked to the same BBC article you just did

I'm pointing out the London Paper's article (a Murdoch-owned freesheet, run on a shoestring, so not the greatest source for accurate reporting) seems to have sloppily rewritten the story it ran before the march started, so the '100,000', which happens to match the predicted number, may not be correct.

Why you think a Murdoch paper is going to report numbers more reliably than the BBC, I don't know.

[ooglymoogly]

26. 300 shoes in lieu of walking papers. nt

[DogPoundPup]

8. The GUARDIAN for today: Tens of thousands join London Gaza protest

Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through the streets of London today in the biggest public protest yet in Britain against the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

The march began in Hyde Park, where Speakers' Corner was turned into a sea of Palestinian flags and banners condemning Israel, before making its way to Kensington Gardens. There were scuffles outside the Israeli embassy as the march passed by the gates leading to its entrance.

Missiles were thrown at police guarding the way and a number of loud bangs – believed to be firecrackers – were heard as riot police drew batons and attempted to push the crowd back from the gates.

A number of younger masked demonstrators attempted to climb on to the gates, near Kensingon High Street, and hurled pieces of placards and other items at police lines.

Panic rippled through the crowd, which included young children, and a number of people fell to the ground amid the scuffles.
Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/10/gaza-london-protest-march

[democrank]

10. What a wonderful example they have set for

the United States of America. ~PEACE~

[Turborama]

11. Protesters clash with police as 10,000 strong London Gaza demo descends into violence (inc. pics)

Source: Daily Mail (UK)

Protesters and police clashed this afternoon as a London demonstration against Israel's attack on Gaza descended into violence.

In ugly scenes, barriers and shoes were hurled at officers as they battled to contain the protest on High Street Kensington.

There were reports that one policeman had been knocked unconscious as the situation threatened to spiral out of control.

There were reports that some protesters had tried to set fire to police vans.

The violence, which broke out in front of the Israeli Embassy, appeared to be led by a hard-core of masked and hooded youths.

A national demonstration against Israel's attack marched from Speakers' Corner at Hyde Park today to the Israeli embassy in High Street Kensington.

There was a heavy police presence lining the route taken by the protesters.

Chanting 'free, free Palestine', the crowd was led through the streets of London by a vocal group of largely young men.

At one point, the protesters were seen to throw shoes at mounted police posted in the Notting Hill area.

The march ground to a halt outside the Israeli embassy as tens of thousands of people surged past carrying placards.

At a number of points, officers asked some of the noisier and more enthusiastic protesters to 'calm down'.

Demonstrators chanted noisily and tossed shoes over the heads of the police ranks towards the embassy.

A series of heavily policed demonstrations with up to 2,000 pro-Palestinian supporters have already been held outside the Israeli embassy in London.

In Edinburgh, protesters hurled about 300 shoes and red paint at the U.S. consulate in the Scottish capital.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1111203/Protesters-clash-police-10-000-strong-London-Gaza-demo-descends-violence.html

---

Demonstrators let off fireworks outside the
Israeli Embassy in London as they call for
the fighting in the Gaza region to stop



Demonstrators and the media scramble around
each other soon after fireworks were let off
in a packed High Street Kensington



Protestors burn placards in High Street Kensington



A placard bearing a portrait of U.S. President
George Bush is set alight in London



Thousands of mostly young male protesters marched
from Hyde Park to High Street Kensington



A Thai Muslim steps on burning Israeli flags
during a protest in Muslim province of Yala,
in southern Thailand



A South Korean protester shouts a slogan during
a rally in Seoul, South Korea


Edit: to fix typo

[ooglymoogly]

27. the picture of the burning bush is priceless.

thanx for the pics.

[Scurrilous]

12. Belfast hears of Gaza suffering

<snip>

"Belfast is pretty far away from Gaza, but a rally in the city on Saturday saw thousands calling for an end to the bloodshed in the strife-torn region of the Middle East.

A march through the city centre, organised by the Irish Congress of Trades Unions saw a variety of groups call for a ceasefire.

Those who addressed the crowd from a platform said they were not anti-Jewish.

One of them Sue Pentel, from the Jews for Justice for Palestine and the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said they wanted to change the policy of the Israeli government.

She said that it was not anti-Jewish to oppose what was happening in Gaza.

"I was brought up to stand up for the oppressed and to distinguish right from wrong," she said.

Some of those marching under a Socialist Worker placard used a megaphone to yell 'Victory to the intifada'.

At the city hall a group of four youths burnt an Israeli flag after a plea by a marshal that this would "only hurt the Palestinian cause" fell on deaf ears.

As the rally ended, some protesters held a short protest in Marks and Spencer's food hall when they loaded shopping trolleys with Israeli products and then walked out."

more

[steaa]

14. More from NI

http://www4.u.tv/news/localNews/index.asp?sel=1&sel2=1&local=1&id=93264&pt=n

The demonstration was mounted as both Israel and Hamas continue to defy international efforts to end the conflict.

Saturday`s rally was organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and coincided with anti-war protests around the world calling for an end to hostilites in Gaza.

Demonstrators gathered at the art college and marched through Belfast City Centre to the City Hall, where a rally was held.

Leaders from the four main churches, trade union representatives, the lord mayor, and a co-founder of the Peace People were among the speakers.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/foyle_and_west/7819735.stm

A protest outside the Londonderry premises of US defence firm Raytheon has ended.

Up to 70 people from the Derry Anti-War Coalition blocked workers from entering the building in Springtown on Friday morning.

They were protesting against the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

Eamonn McCann from the DAWC said the protest was a peaceful one."We will attempt in a non-violent way to prevent Raytheon from operating here today.

SkyNews reported there were about 5,000 protesting in Belfast today.

[Phred42]

13. Israel is NOT doing themselves any favors in this

[Rosa Luxemburg]

17. Right!

[IndianaGreen]

15. CNN showed some of the video

Video shown very briefly, of course, CNN's presenter described the demonstrators as being in the thousands.

[PBS Poll-435]

18. Right

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

[Jefferson23]

19. "We the people" may be the only voice of reason left, certainly none coming from the

US government.End the occupation Israel, it is never too late.

[Name removed]

20. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[AzDar]

21. K & R

[IndianaGreen]

22. Here is The Independent's coverage

Officers hurt as Gaza protest ends in violence

By Laura May, PA
Saturday, 10 January 2009

The Metropolitan Police estimated 12,000 people joined in Britain's biggest pro-Palestine demonstration in London's Hyde Park today before marching through the capital to the embassy, chanting "free, free Palestine".

Shoes were thrown during the march in the capital, and were also hurled by demonstrators in Edinburgh protesting against the rising death toll and suffering of civilians in Gaza.

Actress Lauren Booth criticised her brother-in-law Tony Blair, saying his suggestions for a ceasefire in Gaza would condemn Palestinians "to a slow agonising death".

Cherie Blair's half-sister Ms Booth said: "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.

"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 agonising death."

Eurythmics star Annie Lennox said she was taking an "humanitarian stance".

"I do not believe in a militaristic approach," she said. "It's very important that people in society at large see that we can use our voices collectively."

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/officers-hurt-as-gaza-protest-ends-in-violence-1299276.html

[malaise]

23. Bravo Brits

You rock.

[ooglymoogly]

28. KR....Clear evidence many Brits still have a spine though are on the endangered species list;

While we have been lulled (conned) into trading ours, that used to be of steel and were the envy of the world, for state issue spines of rubber and jello.

[Sultana]

24. Go Britain

:applause:

[Broadslidin]

25. 100,000 People with a Conscience...

Who easily recognize the actions of a bully.

[Scurrilous]

29. Protesters clash with police at anti-Israel rallies

<snip>

"Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched in cities across Europe and the Middle East on Saturday to protest against Israel's offensive in Gaza, clashing with police when some rallies turned violent.

Police in riot gear confronted around 20,000 protesters brandishing banners and Palestinian flags outside the Israeli embassy in central London, while Oslo police used tear gas against rock-throwing activists in the Norwegian capital.

About 30,000 took to the streets of Paris, many demonstrators wearing Palestinian keffiyah headscarves and chanting "we are all Palestinians", "Israel murderer" and "peace". Some threw stones at police and burnt Israeli flags.

"We are here to demand the end to this unacceptable war. There are more than 800 victims including numerous children and civilians. We cannot accept that," said Communist Party leader Marie-George Buffet at the Paris march."

<snip>

"More than 40,000 people protested against the Gaza assault in towns across Germany, while demonstrators at the Israeli embassy in Dublin threw shoes and carried a mock coffin, covered with pictures of wounded or dead Palestinian children.

"The haunting images of homes wrecked, of terrified families existing among rubble in shock and despair, and of endless funerals, has rightly outraged people across the world," said Gerry Adams, president of nationalist party Sinn Fein.

"It is time all of this was brought to an end: The slaughter of people in Gaza must end," Adams told a Dublin rally."

more