• Palestinian sentiment continues to strengthen in London
• London Palestine protests reach a new phase the UK
After a protest of 250,000 people last week and the consistent genocidal endorsement that was demonstrated in parliament on Wednesday, along with the British abstention vote in calling for a ceasefire in the UN Security Council on Tuesday, it becomes evident that the UK continues to play a big role in the ongoing alleged genocide in Gaza, but just as the genocide reaches a new phase, so does Palestinian sentiment.
Tower Bridge, a landmark bridge in London that tourists snap pictures of every day, has for a good hour been shut down because of pro-Palestinian protests. The City of London police closed the bridge at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday and reopened it at 6:25 p.m. They said on X during the protest, “Tower Bridge is currently closed due to protest activity. Officers are in attendance at the scene.”
The force later tweeted, “Tower Bridge reopened at around 6:25pm following an earlier protest. Thanks to @metpoliceuk for their assistance.”
During the protest, Palestinian flags could be seen waving in the smoke, with cars having flags draped on top of them. But the most jaw-dropping part that the protesters themselves showed astonishment at was the banner attached to the bridge.
After more than 4 months of alleged genocide with UK politicians rowing over the basic decision to support the end of a genocide in Parliament on top of the already given UK’s recent decision to abstain from a vote in the UN Security Council to call for a ceasefire, it becomes apparent that neither the UK government nor its oppositions are truly willing to call for an end to the genocide. More than 30,000 people have been massacred in Gaza since October 7, with the entirety of the Gaza Strip in a state of starvation. The bloodiest phase of the genocide is looming with the incoming offensive in Rafah, and although a recent YouGov poll has shown that the vast majority of Britons want an immediate permanent ceasefire, neither the UK government nor its ally over the Atlantic is ready to allow one to happen. This pro-Palestinian protest at Tower Bridge has changed the dynamics of protests overall. Instead of just sit-ins and marches that seem to be coordinated and managed, this current protest is one of the few that has caused real disruption on a much larger level. Tower Bridge, one of the landmarks in London where tourists visit every day, has been subject to closure, and not just that, but the banner attached by protesters to the bridge itself shows the immense anger the protesters feel. This exhibits the anger and determination of the British people against the UK government. For the first time in UK history, a pro-Palestinian banner has been attached to Tower Bridge, and for the first time in history, Tower Bridge has had to close due to pro-Palestinian protests
This, along with all the other elements of disruption perpetuated by protesters, will add to the already-built disruptions that Rishi Sunak and the UK government have to deal with.
Banner reads: ‘Palestine has a right to armed resistance’. Also, the entire bridge had been shut down by protesters.
It’s possible that Saturday’s protest is not just a testament to the growing anger against the UK government but also a sign that protests are starting to get more disruptive because of the buildup of agitation the people have felt for the past few months.
Here’s what one protestor by the name of Javed had to say:
‘Just as the genocide is taking a new, more bloody phase, pro-Palestinian protests in London have also taken a new, more disruptive phase’.
