by New Worker correspondent

MPs, civic society leaders and artists handed in a letter to Scotland Yard this week
denouncing the London police for favouring far-right extremists over Palestine.

Signatories included representatives of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the Stop the War Coalition and CND. Several public figures also signed the letter, including Labour MPs Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Clive Lewis and former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, as well as Jeremy Corbyn, Plaid Cymru’s Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts, and musicians Annie Lennox and Paloma Faith.

The Metropolitan Police has refused permission for the Palestine movement to march on its proposed route for its annual commemoration of Nakba Day on 16th May, and has instead given over the political centre of London to a hate march called by the man who calls himself “Tommy Robinson”.

The pro-Palestine movement has had its preferred route through central London for its annual commemoration of Nakba – the mass expulsion of Palestinians – rejected by the Met, while instead the “Unite the Kingdom” demonstration will take place in the heart of London.

In Parliament, Labour MP Kim Johnson accused the Met of “dark and biased” treatment
over the handling of a planned protest in London. She said: “Stephen Yaxley-Lennon
[Robinson’s real name] is urging his followers to behave ahead of the Unite the Kingdom march on May 16th. The organisers of the annual Nakba march, who provided the Met details last December, are still waiting to have their route approved. “The previous Unite the Kingdom march erupted in unacceptable levels of violence, unlike the hugely popular and peaceful anti-genocide marches. The treatment of these two groups by the Met is dark and biased.”