On Oct. 5 tens of thousands marched in London, England and at least thousands marched in Edinburgh, Scotland to protest the genocide in Gaza. In Australia on Oct. 6 there were about 10,000 people in the streets of Sydney, and thousands more in Melbourne, and Brisbane. The London event was so big that it was actually two marches, one starting at Russell Square and marching to Whitehall, where speeches would be made, including by Scottish National Party MP and former Scottish First Minister Humza Haroon Yousaf. The second London march started at Bedford Square, which organizers said would “target” institutions that were “complicit in Israel’s crimes,” including the British Museum, the British Library, and Barclays Bank. Near Barclays Bank, protesters hung out a large banner reading, “Shame on those who looked away from the sadistic genocide of mainly children in Gaza and the West Bank,” according to The Guardian. At the British Library one of the chants included, “Yemen, Yemen make us proud. Turn another ship around.” At Bedford Square, the main chant was, “Free, Free, Palestine.” In London, 17 people were arrested, mostly for violations of “public order” laws. One person was arrested wearing a parachute which symbolized the Hamas militants, who had used parachutes and paragliders in the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. Organizers of the London events were in regular contact with local police to minimize problems.
In Sydney, about 10,000 listened to speakers who targeted Australia’s leaders, starting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Foreign Minister Penny Wong. Another popular target in Sydney was the media and its complicity in the genocide in Gaza. One woman attending the Sydney event, said that she came “for the children, the women and the men who cannot get treatment because the hospitals are all blown up.” A Palestinian woman said, “I’m sick and tired of the complicity of this government … we just want peace and we want Australia to put pressure on Israel … any small gesture would go a long way to improving the wellbeing of our community.” Another woman said, “As a collective humanity, I think we have failed, and that is why I am here today.” Originally, New South Wales police tried to prevent the Sydney event from taking place, but eventually agreed to an altered march route. When the event was over, police praised the protesters for their civility, saying that there were no reported problems.
In Melbourne, Australia thousands came to march from the state library to Flinders Street Station. In Edinburgh, Scotland, on Oct. 5, thousands came out for a silent march to mourn all those who have died in the Gaza war.
