Protestors Archives - Lokmarg

London: Pro-Israeli, Pro-Palestinian Protestors Clash

By LokMarg 10th October 2023

Amid protest rallies over the Israel-Hamas conflict, groups of pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protesters clashed at High Street Kensington Tube Station in London on Monday evening.

Police officers were dispatched to restrain tensions between sympathisers on opposing sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Their priority was keeping the peace and avoiding violence between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protesters as events overseas triggered heated demonstrations in London.

Videos on various social media platforms showed dozens of police officers attempting to separate demonstrators at High Street Kensington Tube Station as a pro-Palestine rally taking place outside the Israeli embassy started to escalate.

In a major escalation on October 7, Hamas launched a “surprise attack” on Israel, firing a barrage of rockets into the southern and central parts of the country, killing over 700 people.

Meanwhile, UK PM Rishi Sunak has branded the people supporting Hamas for the “appalling attack” as “terrorists”.

“The people who support Hamas are fully responsible for this appalling attack. They are not militants. They are not freedom fighters. They are terrorists,” posted Sunak on X.

Thousands gathered for the pro-Palestinian protest in front of the Israeli Embassy on Monday evening at around 6 pm (GMT). Some protestors were seen climbing lampposts with flags and flares. Protesters chanted “Israel is a terrorist state” and “Allahu Akhbar.” Stalls were set up selling “Free Palestine” merchandise. Some launched fireworks towards the embassy building.

“Events in central London this evening – following the attack in Israel and the escalation of conflict along the border with Gaza in recent days – have now concluded, with three arrests and further live arrest enquiries underway,” said Metropolitan Police in a statement.

In contrast, weeping Israelis held a vigil outside Downing Street in the evening to honour victims and hostages taken by Hamas during an assault over the Gaza border on Saturday. UK PM Rishi Sunak also visited a London synagogue in a show of support for Israel.

On the other hand, Suella Braverman, Member of Parliament of the UK called for zero tolerance of terrorism on the streets of Britain.

“There must be zero tolerance for anti-semitism or glorification of terrorism on the streets of Britain. I expect the police to use the full force of the law against displays of support for Hamas, other proscribed terrorist groups or attempts to intimidate British Jews,” Braverman posted on X.

The protests reflected growing overseas tensions over the escalating violence between Israel and Palestine.

Earlier on Monday, a Kosher restaurant in the Golders Green area in London was vandalised, and a nearby bridge was graffitied with “Free Palestine.” The UK’s Chief Rabbi said hardly any Jewish family is unaffected by the Hamas attack, calling it a time of “grief and worry”.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan posted online, “There is no tolerance for hate in our city. I remain in close contact with the Met Police. Whoever did this will face the full force of the law.

“I stand with Jewish Londoners, today and always,” he said.

The pro-Palestinian rally featured angry condemnation of Israeli military actions in Gaza, which they view as occupation. Meanwhile, pro-Israel demonstrators mourned recent casualties and emphasized Hamas’s role in instigating unrest.

As emotions run high, the Metropolitan Police is on alert.

Londoners will continue to see officers on the streets, in our communities across London in the days to come following days to reassure and protect, the Metropolitan Police’s statement added.

More protests are scheduled in London by both sides through the week. A huge pro-Palestinian rally is to take place in front of the BBC building on Oxford Street. (ANI)

Protesters Ram Car Into Mayor’s House In Paris Suburb, Injuring Wife, Child

By LokMarg 2nd July 2023

Amid ongoing unrest in France, the mayor of a Paris suburb said his home was attacked early Sunday morning, and termed the incident “an assassination attempt” on his family, CNN reported.

“At 1:30 a.m., while I was at the city hall like the past three nights, individuals rammed their car upon my residence before setting fire to it to burn my house, inside which my wife and my two young children slept,” said mayor Vincent Jeanbrun of L’Hay-les-Roses, a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris.
“While trying to protect the children and escape the attackers, my wife and one of my children were injured,” he said, CNN reported.

Thanking the police and rescue services for their help, the mayor said he had “no words strong enough” to express his emotion “towards the horror of this night.”

Protests have erupted in France after the death of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk, who was shot by a police officer in Nanterre earlier this week. The funeral of Nahel Merzouk took place at a mosque in Nanterre on Saturday amid heavy security presence.

The death of Nahel Merzouk has sparked a debate on policing in France’s marginalised communities and raised questions on whether race played a role in his death, the CNN report said.

The officer who is accused of shooting him was taken to jail. Nahel Merzouk’s mother Mounia while speaking to television station France 5 on Friday blamed only the officer who shot her son for his death.

In order to control the protests, the French government has deployed security personnel and riot police across the country as the unrest continued into a sixth night of protests. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on Sunday said that it had been a “quieter night thanks to the resolute actions of the police,” as per the CNN report.

Darmanin further said that 427 people were detained overnight on Saturday. Over 1300 people were detained and 2560 fires were reported on public roads on Friday. Darmanin said that many of those detained since the unrest are minors with an average age of 17, according to CNN. French President Emmanuel Macron has postponed a trip to Germany due to begin on Sunday amid the unrest in the country, Al Jazeera reported.

On Saturday, French Interior Ministry said that 1,311 people had been detained following the fourth night of violence, an update on its previous figure. It said 2,560 fires had been reported on public roads, with 1,350 cars burned, and that there had been 234 incidents of damage or fire in buildings, CNN reported. 79 police and gendarmes were injured over the course of Friday night and there were 58 attacks on police and gendarme stations, the Ministry added. Two police officers suffered gunshot wounds in Vaulx-en-Velin. (ANI)

Pak: Peace Rally Calls For End To Militancy In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

By LokMarg 17th October 2022

People in Lakki Marwat District in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province organized a peace rally protesting against the rampant terrorism incidents in the region, media reports said.

The terrorism menace is witnessing a resurgence in the KP province. In a recent incident, a man was killed over a land dispute in the Eesakkhel village of Lakki Marwat on Sunday, reported Dawn.
A person by the name Shaukatullah and his brother, Naimnatullah, were working in the fields when their rivals, opened fire on them, said police officials adding that Naimatullah died on the spot. Shaukatullah escaped the attack which was carried out by two rivals namely Shafiq and Javed.

The dead body was shifted to the hospital for autopsy, the police said, adding they had registered a case against the killers. However, this is not an isolated case of an act of terrorism. KP province has long been gripped by these activities resulting in the death of innocent people.

Protestors organised the rally Sunday and condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. The menace had brought destruction on Pakhtuns soil and “caused the spilling of blood of thousands of innocent people,” the speakers at the rally said.

The rally started from Shaheed Abid Ali Chowk and culminated at Qazi Ishfaq Chowk near the main bus stand after passing through the Lakki-Tajazai Road. People from different walks of life, including activists of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl, Awami National Party (a Pashtun nationalist party) and Pakistan People’s Party, students and members of civil society, participated.

The protesters carried banners and placards inscribed with slogans for peace. Police was on alert to ensure that no untoward incident takes place during the rally. To realize this, a large contingent of police was deployed around the protest venue.

The speakers denounced recent incidents of terrorism in Lakki Marwat and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and asked the government to take stringent measures to eliminate terrorism and promote peace and prosperity, reported Dawn.

Pakistan’s top security committee has promised a strong response to the resurgence in militancy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and agreed on a plan for counterterrorism measures.

The National Security Committee (NSC) meeting attended by ministers, and heads of intelligence agencies, was convened in the wake of massive protests in the Swat district against growing insecurity in the scenic valley.

Earlier this month, Pakistan’s State Minister for Law Shahadat Hussain conceded that terror activities had witnessed a sharp increase.

The highest number of terror incidents in Pakistan this year was recorded in September, said an Islamabad-based think tank pointed to the resumption of attacks by the outlawed TTP. The number of terror attacks increased in September compared to August this year, the Dawn said in an earlier report citing the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).

September witnessed 42 militant attacks with an increase of 35 percent compared to August.

The Pakistani think tank also observed an increase of 106 percent in violence in erstwhile Fata and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. (ANI)