Oxford: Following the recent developments in the conflict between Israel and Palestine, Oxford Palestine Society- a student body at the University of Oxford- along with the Palestinian Solidarity UK have come together to protest the on-going Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories on Thursday at St. Michael’s Church in Cornmarket, Oxford.
Calling for an end to Israeli Apartheid, locals and students were seen chanting “Palestine will be free from the river to the sea. When people are occupied, resistance is justified.”
Earlier this week the Oxford Palestinian Society released an official statement to counter the atrocities currently taking place in territories under Palestine after Israeli military killed 1400 people in Gaza with an air strike: The offensive launched from Gaza can only be understood in the context of Israel’s ongoing, decades long, military occupation and colonisation of Palestinian land and imposition of a system of oppression that meets the legal definition of apartheid.
“If violence is to end, both that of the oppressor and the oppressed, then we must all take action to end the root cause – Israeli apartheid and oppression of Palestinians.”
Highlighting the issues faced by Palestinians, the protest began with the host speakers requesting to aid “tactic support for Hamas or antisemitism” as the demonstration saw supporters waving the Palestine flags, ‘Free Palestine’ placards, and anti-Israel flags.
The lead of the opposition party in the UK, Keir Starmer’s concerns over his wife’s family in Israel and condemnation of Hamas as well as the British government’s support for Israel has sparked controversy.
Commenting on the response by the British Police Federation on the issue of Israel-Palestine, Home Secretary, Suella Braverman has recently advised stern condemnation over any potential promotion of Hamas, stating: At a time when Hamas terrorists are massacring civilians and taking the most vulnerable (including the elderly, women, and children) hostage, we can all recognise the harrowing effect that displays of their logos and flags can have on communities. I therefore ask that your police forces are alert and ready to respond to any potential offences.
“I would encourage police to consider whether chants such as “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” should be understood as an expression of a violent desire to see Israel erased from the world, and whether its use in certain contexts may amount to a racially aggravated section 5 public order offence.”
The statement by Braverman has deeply concerned pro-Palestinian groups. According to Palestinian Solidarity UK the context of the police response “threatens civil liberties and normalises the dehumanisation of Palestinians…A police force enacting this instruction denies the right of Palestinians to fly the flag of their country: a flag which is the symbol both of their nationhood and struggle for liberation from Israel’s apartheid system of oppression.”
The expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank remains a point of contention, complicating prospects for a two-state solution. These settlements are considered illegal under international law, hindering peace negotiations.
(As the former colonial power, Britain’s mandate over Palestine, influenced by the Balfour Declaration, stoked tensions and post the Second World War Jewish immigration added complexity. Although efforts to manage the conflict led to policies like the 1939 White Paper post-war, ultimately, Britain’s role remains a point of debate, as the conflict’s intricacies extend beyond a single nation’s involvement.)
Photo Credit: Cameron Samuel Leys for The Oxford Student