Al Quds March – London 2023

To Whitehall again, this time to observe the annual Al Quds march, organised by the Islamic Human Rights Commission (aka the government of Iran) for the last Friday of Ramadan, only this year Friday was a Sunday.

This is the one day of the year when Muslims put aside their sectarian and tribal warfare to unite in shouting death to Israel. Or words to that effect. This year, according to the IHRC blurb supporters included Muslim Public Affairs Committee UK, Black Lives Matter, 5 Pillars, Fight Racism Fight Imperialism, Uhuru Movement and Black Activists Rising Against Cuts.

Yesterday I took a look at the Free Iranian activists outside the National Gallery above Trafalgar Square.  These posters gave food for thought about the Iranian regime orchestrating today’s march. The IRGC are the  Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps set up by the Ayatollah Khomeini (the same who ordered the Al Quds march globally every year during Ramadan) to protect the integrity of the Islamic Republic.  A sort of theocratic thought police.

The march was intended to form up outside the Home Office in Marsham Street at 3pm, with an eventual march to Whitehall for a rally near Downing Street. I arrived at Westminster tube station to see lots of police officers and to hear the usual shout from the direction of Millbank of From the River to the Sea, Palestine shall be Free.

But what I could see were a proud display of blue and white Israeli flags bearing the Magen David.

I knew that a team from the Zionist Federation and the Campaign Against Antisemitism were going to be present, intending to slow the progress of the anti-Israel marchers down. They were cheerful looking and peaceful. Unlike the years before the pandemic there were no musicians.

Then the Al Quds marchers appeared with a sturdy police escort preventing then from approaching the Jewish party.  The police escorted them across Parliament Square and into Whitehall in three small groups.

This is the first. Catch them young (I don’t have a pixelating tool so as to protect the privacy of a minor).

Then the second group led by the Mullahs and the Jewish eccentrics of Neturei Karta

34 years after his death the Ayatollah Khomeini has a long reach as Salman Rushdie suffered.

The final group contained the handmaidens, groupies and liggers.

“Young” Socialists? They are older than I am; or else they had an up-hill paper round.

Fight Racism Fight Imperialism were merely middle-aged and were doing a better trade in magazines.

Sadly the resistance of ‘occupied people’ isn’t so supported when the people are white English. We are chavs and gammon who need to shut our mouths for the good of diversity.

This is where all the noise was coming from.

Even before the march reached the final rally people were drifting away from it. Numbers are definitely down on previous years, thankfully. And the Hamas and Hizbullah flags are banned. There were no (that I noticed) union or college banners this year. Those that remained heard a little recitation entitled… (from the Koran, if you hadn’t guessed).

Sadly the compere of earlier years, Nazim Hussein Ali, is back. The CPS failed to prosecute him for his appalling insults regarding the fatal fire at Grenfell Tower (blame the Jews) and he seems to have wriggled back, although his role this year was just to introduce the speakers and not whip up the crowd.

I didn’t catch this boys name. “Israel is a racist, colonialist settler state” he shrieked as an opening.
“What did I just say? ISRAEL IS A RACIST, COLONIALIST SETTLER STATE!”

At which the crowd realised that he was waiting for a response. Hurrah!

This charming young woman is Huda Ammori. She is such a proud Palestinian that she prefers to live in England (Manchester for the university, possibly now in Brighton) while costing British workers their jobs and livelihoods. She boasted about her group’s success in shutting down the  Elbit System’s factory in Oldham last year. As The Oldham Times reported in 2021

Oldham and Saddleworth Conservatives spokesman on social media said: “This is beyond ridiculous. The council leadership and GMP have been told several times to get a grip of the situation by residents in Oldham. This is yet another attack on a business which brings skilled jobs to a town so desperately in need of them. It sends the wrong message to businesses already in Oldham and up and down the land who may want to invest in Oldham.

“The right to protest peacefully is enshrined in law, the right to destroy property however is a criminal act. We condemn such violence. The MP of Oldham East and Saddleworth (Debbie Abrahams) has stayed quiet for far too long on this and she needs join us in standing up for the workers of this factory who have the right to work in a safe and secure environment. . .

“Oldham and Ferranti/Elbit have a long history together. Employing local people in a skilled and technical industry.”

Miss Ammori neglected to tell the assembled crown about her forthcoming trial later this year for blackmail for her efforts against Elbit in London. However she did encourage them to attend further action at the plant in Leicester on May 3rd. She said, “We’ll shut Leicester down next. Pack your bags, book time from work, make sure you are in Leicester on Wednesday May 3rd.” I think that is another criminal offence to merit a second trial.

I went and had a look at the Jewish/Israeli contingent, who remained in good humour.

Then if the pro-Palestinian demonstrators couldn’t be bothered to listen to the rest of the speakers and were milling around Westminster underground I followed their example and went home for a late Sunday dinner.

 

E Weatherwax London 2023