Gaza - protests against Israel

faceless · admin Joined: 25 Apr 2006

Galloway injured in Gaza protest
Press TV
Sat, 03 Jan 2009 19:18

Outspoken British parliamentarian and Press TV presenter George Galloway has been injured while protesting the Israeli attacks on Gaza. Al-Aqsa TV reported on Saturday that Galloway, who was among the crowd gathered in front of Israel's embassy in London to protest the Gaza massacres, has sustained injury.

"We should treat Israel as we treated South Africa during apartheid. They should be shunned," Galloway said during the protest.

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Not many details there...

faceless · admin Joined: 25 Apr 2006

Thousands throw shoes at Downing Street in protest against Israel
Up to 12,000 demonstrators took to the streets of London in protest against the attacks on Gaza, throwing shoes through the gates of Downing Street and setting fire to the Israeli flag.
By Alastair Jamieson
03 Jan 2009

The main rally in Trafalgar Square passed off peacefully but later police wearing body armour and armed with gas canisters were involved in a standoff with 5,000 angry protesters who gathered outside the Israeli embassy in Kensington, throwing missiles at the building.

There were outbursts of violence outside the Israeli Embassy and in nearby Hyde Park when protesters clashed with riot police and glass bottles were thrown at officers. Car windows were smashed and the quiet streets of Kensington were disturbed as pockets of sporadic violence broke out.

Organisers of the demonstration said they will make an official complaint to Scotland Yard after claiming that riot police charged protestors, injuring many of them. Respect MP George Galloway was among the protesters who claimed they were surrounded by police in an underpass in Hyde Park as they made their way towards the embassy. He said he and his daughter were thrown to the floor as police attempted to move the protesters.

Mr Galloway said: "It was very frightening. The police trapped us in the tunnel and attacked us repeatedly."

Chris Nineham, an official of the Stop The War Coalition, added: "There was absolute pandemonium and people were falling over from the force of the police attacks. The police forced us to go down a tunnel where we were met by three or four ranks of riot officers who then charged at us at least three times using their riot sticks to attack people."

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police, however, said protesters had thrown missiles, attempted to push through police lines and drag officers back into the crowd. He said that police had made a 10 metre advance into the crowd to regain control of the protest using "recognised and proportionate tactics". He added that Mr Galloway was among a number of people who were escorted through police lines for their safety.

Organisers of the protest said they wanted to leave shoes at the gates of Downing Street as a Muslim symbol of disgust at the attacks. When they were prevented from doing so, protesters began throwing their footwear, mimicking Muntader al-Zeidi, the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at President Bush at a press conference last month.

During the march, led by singer Annie Lennox and campaigner Bianca Jagger, demonstrators chanted "Shame on you, have my shoe" and "Brown terrorist". Miss Lennox said she hoped the scale of the protests would force a diplomatic solution. "We are looking at a huge human rights tragedy in front of us," she said. "The idea of an air assault combined with a ground war in such a tightly-packed area as Gaza is unimaginable. It will be a bloodbath."

More than 5,000 others took part in protests outside the capital, including 2,000 in Manchester, 1,000 in Edinburgh, and hundreds more in Glasgow, Portsmouth, Bristol and elsewhere.

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So it wasn't that bad, but I'm sure there will be more said about it... though there were definitely more than 'hundreds' in Glasgow.

faceless · admin Joined: 25 Apr 2006

pictures from today

Colston · Joined: 23 Jan 2007

Ian Collins is doing his show it seems...

Focussing on the invasion by IDF... opening show with interviews/statements about the invasion.

Anyone know why George not on? Still protesting? Injured? Talksport decision due to his declared side in the matter? Not doing it tonight anyway?

faceless · admin Joined: 25 Apr 2006

I just noticed that - was there any mention at the beginning about why?

Brown Sauce · Joined: 07 Jan 2007

and no explanation as to why. Collins is a prat. imho Smile

Colston · Joined: 23 Jan 2007

Colston · Joined: 23 Jan 2007

"Change of programme for no other reason than enhanced news coverage of situation..." Ian Collins

faceless · admin Joined: 25 Apr 2006

He just said it was about 'no other reason' than to cover the news about Israel launching their ground attack and that it was a major news issue.

Bollocks.

Brown Sauce · Joined: 07 Jan 2007

but they'll have their "experts". If George ain't there ....

faceless · admin Joined: 25 Apr 2006

He's not mentioned Galloway directly at all - there's a reason for that I'm sure...

Colston · Joined: 23 Jan 2007

Keeps repeating reason...

Has asked for protestors to ring in though.

I have a mate who is a mate of Ash on the programme... I've sent him a text... might be able to find something out for us.

Colston · Joined: 23 Jan 2007

prpower · Joined: 05 Feb 2007

Maybe they really did decide to stop George's show because of the breaking news in Gaza. Things don't seem to be going too well between George and the talksport machine recently.

Colston · Joined: 23 Jan 2007

From Collins... "George is back next week... he has had a busy weekend... I can tell you."

There we go.