Cornish residents will take part in a second ‘national’ demonstration in solidarity with Palestine on 9th November in Truro. The protest, organised by Palestine Solidarity Cornwall (PSC), will meet outside the cathedral at 1pm, to highlight the ongoing genocide the Israeli government is perpetrating against Palestinian people. The protest will demand accountability from Cornish MPs who voted against a ceasefire, and highlight the complicity of the UK arms trade in war crimes committed by the Israeli government.
The protest follows hundreds gathering in Truro on 18th November for the first Cornish national protest and two months of regular demonstrations, stalls and awareness raising events in Falmouth, Truro, Newquay and Penzance. Campaigners have raised £2270 for medical aid for Palestinians during these events.
To date, over 21,000 people have been killed in Israel’s attacks on Gaza, including 8,697 children. At least 1.7 million more have been displaced, and people are running out of places to flee as Israel continues its invasion in the south of Gaza. On 7th November, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, “Gaza is becoming a graveyard for children.” Despite a temporary pause in the onslaught, things have only deteriorated since then.
Since 2015, the Conservative government has licensed £474 million worth of arms to Israel through single issue licenses. The real figure, however, is much higher, as this does not include open licenses where there is no transparency over how much military equipment is sold. The F35 combat aircraft that Israel is currently using to bombard Gaza are covered by one of these open licenses. 15% of each F35 is made by UK industry. According to research by Campaign Against Arms Trade, UK companies have made £336 million since 2016 from these sales. BAE Systems, the lead partner in the F35s, saw its share prices reach record heights following the escalation of the conflict.
A spokesperson for Palestine Solidarity Cornwall said:
“We wish it wasn’t necessary for us to be taking to the streets again, but while the UK government and the UK arms trade is complicit in genocide, we will keep protesting. It is easy to feel powerless, but we know from our members who are in contact with Palestinian people that our solidarity and the solidarity of people across the UK do make a difference. We must keep up the pressure, both on this government and on the UK arms trade.
“Companies such as BAE Systems and Elbit Systems are drenched in the blood of Palestinian children. During the Christmas period, there are always platitudes about peace on earth. But there can never be peace while arms companies make millions from death and destruction.
“All of our MPs in Cornwall voted against a ceasefire. All of our MPs voted to allow Israel to continue killing, maiming, and displacing Palestinian people. We must show that the public does not support them and that we will hold them to account for their actions.”
- Figures for numbers killed in Gaza – https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/gaza-death-toll-has-increased-40-percent-compared-temporary-humanitarian-truce#:~:text=This%20brings%20the%20total%20number,who%20are%20now%20presumed%20dead.
- .UN Secretary-General António Guterres quote https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/11/1143497
- For more information on arms sales to Israel see https://www.declassifieduk.org/uk-arms-israel-as-it-bombards-gaza/ and https://caat.org.uk/app/uploads/2023/11/Fact-sheet-re-Gaza-2023-11-14.pdf
- For more information, interview requests, photos from previous protests, please contact [email protected]
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