Chinese media has reported on anti-Israeli demonstration held last week in London tied to the recent Gaza conflict. According to the Xinhua report carried on GlobalPost:
Aug. 9 (Xinhua) — Tens of thousands of people in Britain took to the streets on Saturday to protest against the violence in Gaza.
Anti-war rallies and demonstrations, organized by the Stop the War Coalition, have erupted in London, Edinburgh, Portsmouth and other cities in Britain, calling for an end to the renewed conflicts in Gaza.
In London, thousands of demonstrators assembled at noon on Saturday in front of the headquarters of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in Portland Place, marched to the U.S. Embassy and went on to a rally in Hyde Park.
Raising anti-war banners and placards, the protesters chanted ‘Free Palestine,’ ‘End the siege of Gaza,’ ‘Stop the killings,” Today we are all Palestinians’ while marching along the streets.
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The demonstrations have been jointly called by the Stop the War Coalition, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), Friends of Al Aqsa, British Muslim Initiative, Muslim Association of Britain and the Palestine Forum in Britain.
The sponsoring organizations are almost the same as for a another similar rally held in London last month as reported by the GMBDW. Notably absent as a sponsor last month was the far-left Stop the War Coalition which was listed as a sponsor for this month’s demo. These organizers are the same as those who organized similar events in November 2012 to protest Israeli action in Gaza at that time.
The Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) had for many years been the most active organization in the U.K Muslim Brotherhood. Many of the leaders of the MAB left in 2007 to form the British Muslim Initiative (BMI). According to an Israeli think-tank report, the breakup appeared to be the result of a conflict between traditionalists in the MAB who were unhappy with the high level of involvement in U.K left-wing politics while those who who formed the BMI wished such activity to continue. Anas Al-Tikriti, the leader of the BMI, and former MAB official, is the son of Osama Al-Tikriti, one of the leaders of the Iraqi Islamic Party representing the Muslim Brotherhood in that country.
The Palestinian Forum in Britain (PFB) is part of the UK Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas support infrastructure. Zaher Birawi, the long time PFB media and public relations spokesperson, is also a director of the Palestine Return Centere (PRC) which has strong ties to Hamas and to the Global Muslim Brotherhood. In July 2012, we reported on a meeting with Hamas leaders that included Mr. Birawi.
Friends of Al-Aqsa is a pro-Hamas organization based in Leicester which advocates Israel’s elimination and which frequently acts in coalitions with the UK Muslim Brotherhood. The Stop the War Coalition and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) are far-left UK groups that have long been part of UK Brotherhood coalitions. The Palestinian Solidarity Campaign is close to Hamas and is known to have met with the highest ranks of the Hamas leadership