27th April, London 2024
A week after the Gideon Falter 'openly Jewish' incident, which gained wide press coverage and further attempts by him, some in the UK Gov and media to demonise the demonstrations, we attended the National March for Palestine from Parliament Square to Hyde Park. On this occasion we were near the front of the march, for a while with the Jewish Bloc. Following the previous weeks events, numerous people carried 'Openly Jewish' placards.
There were lots of groups with drums and percussion, leading chants along the way. As always the march was hugely diverse, with people from a wide range of religious and ethnic backgrounds, age and where they'd travelled from around the UK. We met people from North Wales, Cardiff, Leeds, Nottingham, Bristol across the UK, and fair few people who were visiting London and decided to join for a while.
As the march neared Hyde Park, some people unfolded banners over the statue of Achilles, memorial to the Duke of Wellington, a huge symbol of colonialism. A group of police asked them to remove the banners, but after a few chants of 'show your human side' decided to leave them alone. Later in the day, after the main event had finished, a group gathered in Hyde Park, singing and chanting, for a while the police surrounded the group, mostly just observing and eventually deciding to step back. I made soundscape recordings of the day, this time as we were in the noisier front section of the march, it's mostly chants and atmosphere, with one guy from the Jewish Bloc speaking around 5 minutes in.
Some of the groups on the Jewish Bloc
Black Jewish Alliance Jewish Socialists Group Jews For Justice For Palestinians Jewish Voice For Labour
16th March, London 2024
UN Anti Racism Day. London event organised by Stand Up To Racism
Soundscapes
We've attended several Palestine marches. In relation to some of the negative reactions to the protests, I thought it would be interesting to capture some of the voices of people there, so took a recorder and asked people one question; what made you come today?
Saturday March 9th National March For Palestine, London, UK.
A short soundscape, capturing some of the protest for Palestine. Set against the backdrop of the UK Gov and some of the media calling the marches 'Hate marches'. Also includes the thoughts of some Jewish activists and academics we met on the march.
Saturday, January 13th National March For Palestine, London, UK.
10 people spoke, from a wide variety of backgrounds and life experiences. I didn't ask anyone about how they identify, but 2 people said straight away they were Jewish. Some talked about prejudices they had faced in life and the need to stand against a decline in global ethics. The recordings are in the order they were made, with no editing. There was no criteria for asking people, just anyone stood nearby, when the march wasn't too loud. The day was peaceful and attended by people from all over the UK.
The first 6 minutes are people speaking, followed by roughly 10 minutes of soundscape from the demo. The march finished at Trafalgar Square, a short walk from Downing Street. The final couple of minutes are the bells of Westminster Abbey, as we walked away at the end of the day, passing through statues and buildings constructed at the heart of the British Empire, one can't help be be reminded of that empire's lasting legacy.
The first national march was held on 15th October. The then UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman branded the marches as 'hate marches' as did parts of the UK press.
As of December 30, 2023 Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor estimated Gaza Strip civilian deaths at 27,681.
On 30 October, Save the Children reported more children had died in three weeks in Gaza than in the entire sum of conflicts around the world in the past four years.
Galleries
9th March, London 2024
24th February, Brighton
Protest march to the L3 Arms factory.
13th January 2024, London
11th November 2023
Armistice Day. The march started after memorial services had been held and did not pass near the Cenotaph. Most arrests on the day related to violence from far right extremists.
28th October, 2023, London
