Thousands protested outside parliament (Picture: Guy Smallman)
MPs bulldozed aside democracy on Wednesday evening and refused support for a ceasefire in Gaza. Those who did not back the motion are complicit in murder.
They have given succour to slaughter by the Israeli state, including the murderous assault the same day on the al-Shifa hospital.
MPs voted 293 to 125 to reject the Scottish National Party’s amendment to the King’s Speech calling for “all parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire”.
Yet a YouGov poll published on 19 October showed 76 percent of British people agreed with a ceasefire. Just 8 percent of respondents objected to the notion of a ceasefire, with 16 percent claiming that they were not sure.
And last Saturday 800,000 people marched for a ceasefire—and other more radical demands—in the second biggest demonstration in British history.
Labour leader Keir Starmer did not support the ceasefire motion. But he saw a major rebellion against his line of calling only for “humanitarian pauses” in the killing.
Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said, “The Labour amendment with its call for longer humanitarian pauses is grotesque and a profound moral failure. In short, what it is proposing is to delay bombing for a short time to bring in aid and then resume the killing. All Labour MPs who vote for it should be held accountable.”
Some 56 Labour MPs voted for a ceasefire. The scale of the rebellion is similar to that against Tony Blair in March 2003 in a vote on the Iraq war.
Then 121 Labour MPs out of 412—29 percent—rejected his war plans. Starmer on Wednesday had 28 percent defy the whip.
Eight Labour frontbenchers quit or were sacked for voting for a ceasefire. Jess Phillips, Afzal Khan, Yasmin Qureshi, Paula Barker, Rachel Hopkins, Sarah Owen, Naz Shah, and Andy Slaughter went.
Mary Foy, Angela Rayner’s parliamentary private secretary (PPS), and Dan Carden, another PPS, have also left the frontbench.
It’s good to see this rebellion. But it’s shameful that any Labour MP, and the party leadership in particular, refused to back a ceasefire. They have put loyalty to imperialism, the United States and Israel before the lives of Palestinians.
Outside parliament, up to 15,000 pro-Palestine demonstrators gathered as MPs voted. Lindsey German from Stop the War said, “Shame on the Labour leadership and MPs who couldn’t bring themselves to vote for a ceasefire today when Gaza’s parliament was blown up and Israeli soldiers raided al-Shifa hospital. How does any Labour MP who voted against wake up with a clear conscience tomorrow?”
Earlier in the day, in an excellent example of bringing different issues together, Extinction Rebellion (XR) supporters stood up in the gallery above the Commons chamber and unfurled banners saying “Ceasefire Now”.
Parliament has refused even the most basic call to end the killing. But the battle is far from over.
Everyone needs to join their local demonstrations this weekend, organise for a national march and also step up the sit-ins, blockades, protests outside MPs’ offices, student and workplace walkouts and other disruptive actions.
Workers and students protest outside City and Islington college in north London
Trade unionists took part in a workplace day of action called by the Stop The War Coalition (STW) on Wednesday.
Over 200 strikers, students and supporters held a rally for Palestine outside City and Islington College in north London.
UCU union members at the sixth form are on strike over pay, alongside several other further education colleges across England. Protesters waved Palestine flags and held signs reading, “Ceasefire now,” and, “No to war.”
Around 100 workers and students joined a walkout and protest at KCL university in central London, organised by the local UCU branch. Staff and students also rallied together outside Manchester and Liverpool universities.
And some 30 college workers in Tower Hamlets, east London, waved Palestine flags at a lunchtime protest.
UCU members at City of Bristol UCU joined a group photograph, with signs that demanded an end to the Israeli assault on Gaza.
The UCU Northumbria University branch committee also joined the call for a ceasefire. In Leeds, workers held an Educators and Medics for a Free Palestine vigil in the evening.
Educators at Chelwood nursery gathered outside the south London school in the morning to demand a ceasefire. They held up pieces of paper reading, “Ceasefire now,” and “5,000 children”—a reference to the number of Palestinian children murdered by Israeli forces.
Some 19 NEU union members at Leytonstone School in east London held pieces of paper demanding, “Ceasefire Now,” and, “End Apartheid!” And so did a group of workers at the Central Foundation Girls School in Bow in Tower Hamlets, east London.
Workers at Langdon Park school in Tower Hamlets held up signs demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.
At another Tower Hamlets school, workers have held a couple of actions this week. On the STW day of action, workers wore black with watermelons on them—a symbol of Palestinian solidarity and resistance—or the colours of Palestinian flag.
Earlier this week around 40 held papers saying, “Free Palestine,” “Stop bombing Gaza,” and, “Free Palestine.” NEU members plan to keep this up every week to demand a ceasefire.
Workers at Sunnyhill primary school in south London said, “Save Gaza! Ceasefire now!”
In Swansea, workers from the council’s Community Mental Health Team and the Eating Disorders Team raised £140 at work for Medical Aid for Palestine (MAP). And a group of them went outside one of the buildings and waved a Palestine flag.
Other workplaces that took action included Homerton hospital in east London, Unison local government union in Manchester and PCS civil service workers’ union members in Nottingham.
In Oxford, postal workers demanded an end to Israel’s onslaught. The CWU union south central branch’s political officer Keith Hamilton and rep Derek Luckett held up signs demanding, “Stop bombing Gaza.”
Hamilton had resigned from Labour, alongside a group of councillors and members in the city, earlier this month.
A couple of workers at the Royal Hospital in Stoke waved the Palestine flag and held placards that read, “NHS workers demand ceasefire.”
GMB union members who work for the PCS civil service workers union supported the ceasefire call at a Zoom meeting. NEU union staff at headquarters in London and NEU East Midlands staff demanded a ceasefire outside their offices
The Unite LE/128 branch, which represents people who work for unions and the community, youth work and non-profit sector, also joined the day of action. The TUC union federation’s northern regional executive took a group photograph supporting the day of action.
Many workers want to take action over Palestine. We can see that with the grassroots health workers’ group that sprung up after Israel’s first hospital massacre.
There is also the Workers For A Free Palestine group has twice blockaded arms factories. And grassroots trade unionists have pushed to bring delegations to the mass marches in London.
But the union leaders have been slow at best, an obstruction at worst, over Palestine. It’s a disgrace that the TUC hasn’t called even a day of action. The last time it did so for the global climate strike on 20 September 2019 it gave many workers confidence to take action—some beyond their leaders’ limited vision.
But rank-and-file workers can’t wait on them. Another day of action is set for Wednesday 29 November. Everyone should push for whatever action they can win in their workplaces, whether that’s holding up signs inside your school or a lunchtime protest. If you held up signs inside your workplace this time, can you go further next time? Start talking to people about it now.
And use what action you can get to build support for the more militant action we need—walkouts that defy the anti-union laws and take on Israel’s backers in Downing Street.
Strikers are demanding an unallocated €1.6 billion go towards workers' pay rise
London march on 27 October
Another day of mass resistance
Plus: 500 on Leeds unity march
