Blockade of pavements and roads and presence of non-London police spark kettling and police violence fears
The state has brought in riot units and police from around the country to contain and attempt to intimidate peaceful anti-genocide marchers in London today after march organisers defied an attempt by the Met police to change the agreed route to please pro-Israel groups. Parts of Whitehall, where the march begins, were already blocked off:
Marchers remain buoyant and defiant:
But participants in the march have told Skwawkbox the police presence, which they described as ‘sinister’, ‘threatening’ and ‘ominous’, is markedly different from earlier marches – a reflection perhaps of the state’s intensified persecution and harassment of pro-Palestine journalism and activism as Israel continues its slaughter of Palestinians even during the supposed ‘conflict pause’ before tomorrow’s putative ceasefire.
More to follow.
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The irony is that the cenotaph is “protected” … it being the memorial to people who fought “for our freedoms” as politicians would pretend they believe. Just not the freedom to protest against the kind of things that were rife during WWII….
Oh, but the old bill will be itching for it, no doubt given a free hand, courtesy of some sort of directive handed down from the zionist without qualification, keef.
I also wonder how many ‘spotters’ the fanatical, shit-stirring Jewish group(s) have sent out, and what their ‘instructions’ are for today.
The only violence from these marches for peace have been from zionists, Tommy Robinson fascist supporters and the police themselves.
I passed a bunch of coppers hiding on the corner of Northumberland Ave and Great Scotland Yard, which is curved, thus out of sight of it’s end. They were peering round the curve at where GSY meets Whitehall. They didn’t have riot shields or anything, just dressed in baseball caps, but looked like they were ready to rush into Whitehall to link arms for kettling purposes or maybe as a snatch squad? Who knows?
It was a little bit of an anti-climax, to be honest, so I left at 2.30 or so and went back to my mate’s place. Without a march actually taking place it lost its focus, which then became just a stage with some speakers and a lot of people milling around, chanting all the predictable chants, overseen by a fairly ludicrous number of plod. No bad vibes, though, as of 2.30…