Outcry in Coventry as Protesters March in Defence of Palestine
by Ray Folarin
- Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters have taken to the streets in Coventry.
- Activist demonstration in front of Godiva statue in city centre
Palestine Flag waving in front of Godiva Statue - Ray Folarin
On Saturday 14th of October, Protesters massed in the streets of Coventry’s city centre in a march against the events unfolding in Palestine as its conflict with Israel rages on.
This followed a series of similar protests seen across the UK, such as in Birmingham, London and Bristol in the past weeks.
Protesters could be seen walking from Little Park Street, making their way to their way down to Godiva Square, before settling in front of the statue for a peaceful demonstration in front of the Lady Godiva statue.
The march lasted almost three hours and there was little to no police presence. However, West Midlands Police say that they will "balance the right to protest against any disruption to communities".
Despite the noise, the protest was peaceful, with people from an array of different ethnic backgrounds and religious beliefs in the crowd, as well as families with small children carrying signs.
The protesters made their presence known, with megaphones and chants such as “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.
Street marchers carrying Palestinian flags - Ray Folarin
The aim was to protest injustices towards and basic human rights for the Palestinian people, following recent Israeli attacks and the subsequent blockade.
Last week alone, Israeli air strikes left Palestinian families buried under rubble with over 1,500 civilians killed in the attacks.
Whilst this was happening, a complete blockade of Gaza was issued by Israel, leaving the region starved of basic resources and on the verge of a humanitarian crisis. Essentials such as water, food, medicine and fuel have been restricted forcing the UN calling for a humanitarian ceasefire two days ago.
Protesters also expressed their frustration with mainstream media’s portrayal of Palestine as a terrorist state.
Others expressed frustration with the lack of aid being given to Palestine from Wester countries, even standing against them in some cases, as a student protester (who requested to remain unnamed) expressed.
The protester followed his comments by adding that the Palestinian militant group Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7th is being used as “a means to justify genocide”.
One unnamed megaphone wielding protester stated “don’t let Suella Braverman and the media tell us we’re doing the wrong thing, that we’re terrorist sympathisers”, as shown in the clip below.
Activists such as Ricky Singh-Jutnah, who was front an centre at the protest, claim that “its not just an Arab issue, it's not just a Muslim issue, it’s just a human rights issue.”
According to Jutnah the protests against the conflict, shouldn’t be seen as “anti-israel”, but pro-human rights.
Just a week later, on the 21st, another protest took place in the city centre. Activists are determined to shake the public stance on the conflict. Results are yet to be seen.
For more information on the Israel and Palestine conflict click here.
