Thousands of people protested against an eventual British engagement into Syria’s bombardment in front of Downing Street on Saturday.
5000 protesters, according to the Metropolitan Police, gathered together and rallied to ask Prime Minister Cameron not to support the coalition, including allies France and the USA, that is carrying on bombardments in Syria for a year.
Protesters handed banners reading “Don’t bomb Syria” and “Don’t attack Syria.”
They asked Cameron to rethink a new policy other than military for a long-lasting settlement in the Middle East. They argue that the Islamic State arose in the wake of the military interventions in the last 15 years.
Next Wednesday, the UK Parliament will vote over a military intervention in Syria. Prime Minister Cameron will ask the Parliament’s authorisation to start air raids in the territories controlled by ISIS.
The protest, carried out in the main British cities, was led by the “Stop the War Coalition.” It is an organization founded in 2003 against the US and UK military escalation in the Middle East after 9/11 attacks. Many other groups rallied for a peaceful settlement in Syria with the organization, such as the Socialist Workers, the International Communist Union, the Green Party and the Respect Party led by London’s mayoral candidate George Galloway.
Daniel, a 39 years old volunteer for the Stop the War Coalition, said: “We have to ask: does a yet another military intervention help? Bombing will just worsen an already dramatic situation. That is our answer since the 9/11 attacks and it does not seem to me anything changed for the better.”
On the stage, many speakers took the floor, among whom the musician and producer Brian Eno and The Guardian’s columnist Owen Jones.
They both suggested that the UK should firstly stop being allied with the ISIS’ supporters.
“We think that the army is the solution. Though, it is not,” said Brian Eno. “It is all that ISIS wants: they want to be the heroes and ask us to be the Crusaders and as bad as we possibly can. And we will do.”
He went on: “We must do a simple thing: following the money. Stop supporting who support them. Why do not we do that? Because Islamic State’s sponsors are Saudi Arabi and Turkey, our closest allies in the region.”
On the same opinion was Owen Jones, renowned for his peaceful approach when it comes to the Middle East. “It is the time,” he said, “we stand up against the Saudi dictatorship which is the epicenter of extremism and export it in the world. And it is the same with Turkey, a Nato ally which allows ISIS extremists to cross the border. This is the reality we have to face.”
For this reason, Jones concluded: “Every time we tell we have to intervene because if we do not, it will be worse. But look at every single intervention. We cannot do the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Bombing has always worsened the situation in Iraq, Syria and Libya.”
The organisation will intensify the campaign against the war in Syria. As a matter of that they have planned a new public meeting in London, at the Red Lion Square, on 1 December entitled “After the Paris Attack: The Case against War.”
“Don’t bomb Syria protest – 10 Downing Street” video package by Aylin Kaya
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