July 6 was the 16th national march which took place in London since the genocide in Gaza began on October 7.
On July 6th, more than 100,000 people marched in London, UK, in solidarity with the people of Palestine. Organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and the Stop the War coalition, the event also saw participation from five recently elected independent MPs, who focused their campaign on the struggle for Palestinian liberation. The demonstrators called on the newly elected Labour government, led by Keir Starmer, to take action to end the genocide. Here is our report from the ground.
Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer at NATO summit, July 2024. Source: Emmanuel Macron/X
In a letter to voters, Emmanuel Macron appears to downplay the results of the general election in France and stated that “nobody won”
“In the end, nobody won,” President Emmanuel Macron remarked in an open letter published on July 10, describing the outcome of France’s general election. However, the New Popular Front (NFP), a left-progressive coalition, secured over 180 seats in Parliament, emerging as the largest group. As most would put it, the NFP won the elections.
Macron’s letter has sparked rage and incredulity, with many claiming that the president is undermining essential democratic mechanisms. At the very least, he seems to be gaslighting millions of voters who mobilized to keep the far-right from power.
Despite their victory, the NFP lacks an absolute majority. This means that the left would have to build support for its program among opposition parties. Failure to do so could plunge France into chaos and exacerbate the cost of living crisis and other issues (largely stemming from Macron’s policies), according to mainstream analysts.
Capitalizing on this fear, Macron is now calling on political forces that “uphold republican institutions, the rule of law, parliamentarianism, a European orientation, and French independence” to set aside differences and form a joint program for the country’s benefit. His appeal excludes the far-right National Rally, the third-largest group in parliament, but also appears to marginalize the left-wing France Unbowed (LFI).
During the campaign, Macron and his allies repeatedly equated the “far-left” with the far-right, despite an ongoing agreement that the priority of the election was preventing a National Rally victory. Yet, voters strongly supported France Unbowed, making it the most represented partner in the NFP. In response to Macron’s so-called call for unity, France Unbowed members reiterated their commitment to the existing NFP program, which gained significant voter support but excludes Macron’s ideas.
“We were told we won’t be able to achieve unity, and we did. We were told we won’t be able to come up with a program. We did, and we’re the only ones to have numbers to back it. We were told we wouldn’t win, and we won. We will succeed in proposing a prime minister and a government,” Éric Coquerel from France Unbowed stated on Thursday.
Since the election results were announced at the beginning of the week, Macron has taken steps to delay the scenario Coquerel describes. He has asked current Prime Minister Gabriel Attal to stay on a bit longer after offering his resignation. By publishing the letter, Macron may be buying more time to see if parts of the NFP can be persuaded to abandon the mandate given to them by the people and join the liberals, excluding France Unbowed. Signs of his success will emerge in the coming days, with the NFP’s potential announcement of a prime minister candidate and the first parliamentary session on July 18.
People take part in a pro-Palestine march in central London organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, July 6, 2024
LABOUR Friends of Israel’s former chair Lord Walney called on ministers today probe candidate intimidation in the run-up to the general election.
The government’s so-called independent adviser on political violence alleged that a series of events before July 4 were part of a “concerted campaign by extremists.”
Aka John Woodcock, the former MP — who switched to Boris Johnson’s Tories in 2019 — has urged parliamentarians to to take a “zero-tolerance approach” with pro-Palestine groups and climate protesters, as well as accepted Israel lobby funding amid the Gaza genocide.
In a letter shared with the BBC, he has called on Yvette Cooper and Security Minister Dan Jarvis to commission a short inquiry to find out if groups in different constituencies were working together and to document what he calls the “dark underbelly” of abuse.
He wrote that evidence in the past few months suggested an intentional campaign “by extremists to create a hostile atmosphere for MPs” within their constituencies to pressure them to “cave in to political demands.”
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It comes as pro-Israel Labour figures were accused of mischaracterising questioning by Palestine protesters in a bid to shirk political accountability for their support of the ongoing Gaza massacre.
An F-15E Strike Eagle of the United States Air Force’s (USAF) 48th Fighter Wing, stationed at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, September 16, 2020
PEACE activists will camp outside RAF Lakenheath for 10 days as the Suffolk air base prepares for an “upcoming nuclear mission.”
Up to 50 members of Lakenheath Alliance for Peace set out on a three-day walk from Norwich to the United States Air Force base on Saturday and will set up camp there tomorrow until July 25 in their protest against nuclear weapons.
CND general secretary Kate Hudson said: “CND is a proud part of the Lakenheath Alliance for Peace and calls on everyone across Britain to get involved with this campaign.
“The return of US nuclear weapons to Lakenheath greatly increases the nuclear risk already faced by this country as it puts the whole of Britain on the nuclear front line.
“We call on the Labour government to explicitly refuse any US request to station their weapons of mass destruction here.”
Climate activists outside an incinerator in Aberdeen, July 13, 2024Photo: Climate Camp Scotland
SOME 100 climate activists have shut down an Aberdeen incinerator in the heart of the city’s most deprived community, Torry.
A £150 million waste-to-energy plant sited just 300 yards from a primary school and burning a staggering 150,000 tonnes of unrecycleable waste a year was brought to a standstill on Saturday as Climate Camp Scotland and local campaigners stood together on the picket line.
Demanding an end to private profiteering from pollution, the residents renewed their opposition to the plant, a joint project between Acciona Ltd, its operator Indaver UK, and Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray councils which opened, to local fury, in December despite a national moratorium on new incinerators.
Karryghan, an Edinburgh climate activist who joined the action, said: “Whether this is the Scottish government missing its ‘world-leading’ targets, or the continuing oil and gas projects from UK governments, this system makes promises but never puts words into action.
“The system that allows energy companies to make record billion-pound profits from polluting communities like Torry must be replaced. A fair world must have the interests of everyday people and their communities at the heart of it.”
