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Islamic Human Rights Commission

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13 June 2017

Press release – UK: Annual pro-Palestine march to go ahead in London

The annual al-Quds day demonstration in support of Palestinians is due to take place this Sunday 18 June in London.

Thousands are once again expected to turn out to commemorate al-Quds Day, a day that has been marked globally since being inaugurated in 1979 by Ayatollah Khomeini who asked for the last Friday in the Islamic holy month of Ramadan to be set aside as a day for uniting against Israel and showing support for the dispossessed and oppressed Palestinians.

Since then it has snowballed into a general show of solidarity drawing in people of all faiths and political persuasions. This year’s London event will again feature people of all political and religious persuasions including Jews from Israel, Christians and Muslims.

Demonstrators will assemble in Duchess Street before marching through the busy streets of central London to Grosvenor Square, home to the US embassy.

The embassy has again been selected as a rallying point because of Washington’s continuing support of Israel. The US continues to underwrite the Zionist regime financially, militarily and politically and block all attempts at finding a just solution to the Palestinian issue.

While much of the world’s attention has been deflected by other conflicts in the Middle East, the Zionist regime has continued its relentless policy of settlement building, confiscating and isolating Palestinian lands and restricting Palestinians’ movement and access to the necessities of daily life such as water and medical care. Resistance to the occupation has been met with bullets – scores of Palestinians have again been killed in the last year.

The Gaza Strip remains effectively blockaded by Israel on one side and the Egyptian regime on the other. The siege has crippled the economy with nearly half of all people out of work, higher than any other economy in the world. Youth unemployment is believed to be 60%. Some 80% of inhabitants are dependent on external aid to survive.

Speakers so far confirmed are:

Mick Napier (Scottish Palestine Solidarity Committee)

Rabbi Cohen (Neturei Karta)

Baroness Jenny Tonge

Michael Kalmanovitz (IJAN UK)

Sara Russell

…more tbc

Supporting Organisations:

Union of Islamic Students Association in the UK

Islamic Students Association in London

Ahlulbayt Islamic Mission

Cambridge Stop the War Coalition

Friends of Al-Aqsa

InMinds

Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods

Muslim Association of Britain

Neturei Karta UK

Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign

Stop the War Coalition

Notes to editors:

Date and Time of demonstration: 18 June from 3.00pm

Assembly Point: Duchess Street (near BBC Radio)

Nearest train/tube: Regents Park (Bakerloo), Great Portland Street (Metropolitan), Euston Square (Metropolitan) & Euston Station (Northern, London Overground and National Rail)

End/rally location: Grosvenor Square, opposite US embassy

For media enquiries or further details please email nadia@ihrc.org or call +4420 8904 4222, +44 7426 728074 or +447958 522196

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IHRC is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

Islamic Human Rights Commission
PO Box 598
Wembley
HA9 7XH
United Kingdom

Telephone (+44) 20 8904 4222
Email: info@ihrc.org
Web: www.ihrc.org
Twitter @ihrc