Prominent British Palestinians and Arabs have told Prime Minister Keir Starmer “our marches in London are not spaces of hate”, as they call for “equal protection” ahead of events marking the 78th anniversary of the Nakba on Saturday.

The Nakba 78 march for Palestine will take place in London on Saturday, with a far-right “Unite the Kingdom” rally led by Tommy Robinson planned for the same time.

London’s Metropolitan Police has warned that it is preparing for violence and has drafted in more than 4,000 officers for the events.

In a letter, the group of British figures from Palestinian and wider Arab communities called on Starmer to provide “equal protection” during the demonstrations.

They warned of a “growing sense of fear and anxiety” among British Arabs and Palestinians, some of whom feel as though equal attention is not being provided to the safety and security of their communities.

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The letter’s signatories argue that while other communities have received visible government reassurance and security responses, concerns raised by British Arabs and Palestinians ahead of the Nakba commemorations have been met with “silence and neglect”.

"Our marches in London are not spaces of hate; they are spaces of shared humanity,” the letter to Starmer reads.

“We march alongside Jewish activists and blocks [sic] who stand with us in total safety. No places of worship have been targeted by our processions, and our message remains one of justice, an end to the genocide, and the lifting of the siege.”

Palestine marches smeared

Politicians, the media and public figures, including Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley, have falsely accused the pro-Palestine marches of targeting synagogues.

“I’m really troubled by what we have seen. Many of these marches set out with an intent to march near synagogues, and every single time we have put conditions on to prevent that,” Rowley said earlier this month.

'It is painful to feel that our fears are treated as secondary, or worse, that our peaceful commemoration is viewed only as a policing problem'

– Letter to Keir Starmer

Leading figures from the Palestine solidarity movement told Middle East Eye these claims were “dishonest and frankly dangerous”.

“Our marches for Palestine are about showing solidarity with the Palestinian people in their struggle against apartheid and genocide, and to protest against British government complicity in Israel’s crimes against them,” said Ryvka Barnard, deputy director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. “Our upcoming march on 16 May will be no different.”

The letter to Starmer, published by al-Arab in UK and signed by doctors, activists, lawyers, academics and others living in London, expressed a “profound sense of inequality regarding the protection of our people”.

“While we observe the government’s swift commitment to addressing the fears and safety of other communities – ensuring they feel secure in our capital – we are deeply distressed by the apparent silence and disregard concerning the safety of our own,” the signatories wrote.

“For British Palestinians, the Nakba is not a textbook chapter; it is a living wound. This year, we are joined by elderly survivors – refugees of 1948 – and their great-grandchildren.”

The Nakba, or “catastrophe”, refers to the expulsion of 750,000 Palestinians from their homes and land by Zionist militias to make way for the creation of the state of Israel.

Prior to the Nakba, Britain was the colonial power in Palestine. The Balfour declaration of 1917, the British Empire’s repression of Palestinians and its support for the Zionist movement all helped pave the way for the creation of Israel.

“It is painful to feel that our fears are treated as secondary, or worse, that our peaceful commemoration is viewed only as a policing problem,” the letter to Starmer reads.

It goes on to demand “parity of protection”, “protection from far-right escalation” and “recognition of our trauma”.

Starmer’s Labour government has cracked down on Palestinian solidarity ever since it came to power in the summer of 2024.

Direct action group Palestine Action has been banned, with its activists tried as terrorists.

Those protesting against Israel’s genocide in Gaza, which has killed over 73,000 Palestinians, have been regularly labelled antisemites by politicians and the media, despite a lack of evidence and the presence of large numbers of Jewish people on the marches.

middleeasteye.net

British Palestinians and Arabs call for equal protection from Starmer

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