Liverpool protest: Massive crowd calls for full arms embargo on Israel
A massive crowd of protesters have gathered in the British city of Liverpool, calling on the government of Keir Starmer to impose a full embargo on arms sales to Israel, almost one year into the regime's genocidal war in Gaza.
Protesters gathered Saturday near Lime Street railway station to march toward King’s Dock, where Labour Party delegates are gathering this weekend for their first annual conference since taking power 77 days ago.
Ben Jamal, the director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), said demonstrators have gathered to call for an immediate arms embargo rather than the “inadequate partial suspension” of arms export licenses to Israel that was announced earlier this month.
On September 2, British Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, announced the suspension of around 30 licenses, out of about 350, to Israel.
He said that “for certain exports” the government had concluded there was a “clear risk” they “might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law."
Jamal, however, said, “The Labour government knows that Israel is committing crimes in Gaza and the West Bank. But instead of honoring its obligations under international law, it is still seeking to shield Israel from accountability.”
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) passed a motion at its annual conference demanding all UK arms trading with Israel be ended immediately.
But the wider labor movement “is calling for action to hold Israel to account including a full arms embargo," according to Jamal.
“This is a moral test for Keir Starmer and the Labour leadership. They need to stand up for the implementation of international law and be bold in confronting those who undermine it, no matter who they are.”
The Liverpool rally is the first pro-Palestine national march to be staged outside London. In the capital city, hundreds of thousands of people have taken part in weekly protests against Israel’s genocidal war since October 2023.
Britain has issued more than 100 export licenses for the sale of weapons and military equipment to Israel since the regime launched its savage military offensive in Gaza almost one year ago, according to government figures.
According to the statistics, no UK arms export license application was rejected or revoked, despite growing international pressure on Western governments to halt weapons sales to Israel.
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