Burak Bir
17 November 2023•Update: 17 November 2023
LONDON
Pro-Palestinian protesters held a rally Thursday in East London to denounce the Labour Party over its stance against calling for a cease-fire in Gaza.
Gathering outside the party's office in Tower Hamlets, they also called on Labour Party lawmaker Rushanara Ali to resign after she abstained from a vote supporting a motion calling for a cease-fire in the besieged enclave.
The crowd carried signs and Palestinian flags, chanting "Labour Party, shame on you. Rushanara Ali, shame on you."
Ali, a member of parliament for Bethnal Green and Bow, released a statement saying: "This SNP (Scottish National Party) motion doesn’t stand a chance of securing a cease-fire.”
She abstained from the vote and has since met with wide-ranging criticism along with other Labour MPs who either abstained or voted against the motion.
The motion, calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, was defeated by a vote of 294-125 in parliament on Wednesday.
Hundreds of students in Tower Hamlets also staged a strike on Thursday in solidarity with Palestine.
Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Oct. 7.
At least 11,500 Palestinians have since been killed, including more than 7,800 women and children, and more than 29,200 injured, according to the latest figures from Palestinian authorities.
Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed.
The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.
