• ‘ICC arrest Rishi Sunak’ paraded on flags throughout Tower Hamlets
• 500 flags went up in one night as general election itches closer.
After more than 36,000 killed in Gaza with the lack of acquittance to the ICJ order for Israel to stop the Rafah onslaught, it is not surprising to see or hear outrage over the ongoing genocide. Only two weeks ago, the 14th Palestinian march in London took place, which, in total, has cost the Metropolitan Police more than £40 million to cater for.
Tower Hamlets has once again paved the way for being, if not the most, one of the most Palestinian constituents in the entirety of the United Kingdom. From early on in the genocide, Tower Hamlets had Palestinian flags raised on lampposts, with bus stop ads across the borough related to the Palestinian suffering. It is not ambiguous or surprising to know Tower Hamlets is a hugely pro-Palestinian borough, as the streets are vibrant with sentiment everywhere.
The council had taken down flags beforehand
After the Palestinian flags all went up across the borough back in November, the council, which is an independent council not bound to any mainstream political parties, had chosen not to take them down initially out of sympathy of the Palestinian plight. However after a lot of pressure and backlash from certain minority segments of the community and exterior voices the council had in March decided to take them down.
The new flags that have a message
The video circulating on social media shows that 550 flags went up in one night, with 100 people taking part in putting the flags up. There is also a clear message on many of the flags that says, ‘ICC arrest Rishi Sunak’. This message is likely in relation to the ICC’s arrest warrant for Israeli prime minister Netanyahu and defence minister Benny Gantz. It is not surprising that the people who have raised these flags have mentioned Rishi Sunak when speaking of the ICC. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been enabling weapon sales to Israel, even with the war crimes that Israel has committed. Rishi Sunak has supported Israel throughout this genocide and continues to do so by enabling weapon sales and defending Israel on the international stage. It’s likely because the UK general election is very soon that the team who put up this flag up put this message specifically to address the harm the current government has done along with the hypocrisy of the ICC.
What’s important to remember is that Tower Hamlets has been a full Labour stronghold since 2010 and that the Labour party is so far expected to win the upcoming parliamentary election in the two constituencies. However, Labour’s crime of complicity through the inaction of the Gaza genocide and even the crime of blocking a vote to go through calling for a ceasefire in parliament will be met with harsh retaliation from a large proportion of Tower Hamlets residents, and it’s possible that there may be more flags and messages in the future to do with Labour and its leadership too.
