LONDON MUSLIM COALITION

C/o Kumar Murshid
Romney House
Marsham Street
London SW1P 3PY

PRESS RELEASE: 3rd May 2002

London Pro-Israeli Rally Condemned

The rally to be held on Monday by the Israeli Solidarity Campaign is widely seen as a major provocation and is deeply offensive not just to Muslims but also to ordinary fair-minded people of goodwill.

Organising a public gathering to in effect support the massacre of innocent children, women and civilians is an abuse of our tradition of free assembly and our basic humanity.

We, therefore, call upon all decent people not to join this assembly of hatred which poses a major threat to community relations not only in London but the whole of Britain.

As Londoners we have always been proud of our legacy as a multi-cultural and multi-faith city with a reputation for different peoples living in peace, justice and harmony.

We believe the pro-Israel rally has the potential of inciting racial and religious hatred. Already reeling from the effects of the vandalisation of a synagogue we are worried about the opportunities such an event can provide for extremists intent on causing social unrest and instability.

Hence we support the counter demonstration called by the Islamic Human Rights Commission and supported by a wide range of community groups as a gesture of solidarity for the pain, grief and suffering that has been inflicted on all innocent people in the Middle East conflict, especially the Palestinians living in the illegally occupied territories.

We will be gathered outside South Africa House in Trafalgar Square on Monday 6 May at 2pm: maintaining a tradition thousands of Londoners have participated in over the years in the fight against apartheid and racism.

We are also in support of UN Resolutions and efforts to achieve freedom for the colonised people of the Holy Lands.

London Muslim Coalition is a group of organisations and individuals working for the welfare of all Londoners.

For further information:

Kumar Murshid 07957297964

Massoud Shadjareh 07958522196

Fuad Nahdi 07740468374