Politicians address Gaza ceasefire rally as thousands march in Glasgow

Thousands of demonstrators rallied in Glasgow Green amid relentless rain.

Politicians from the SNP, Scottish Labour and the Scottish Greens have addressed a crowd of thousands which gathered in Glasgow to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The demonstrators rallied in Glasgow Green amid relentless rain before marching through the city centre.

Organisers estimated that around 18,000 people turned out for the pro-Palestinian event, organised by a coalition of groups called the Gaza Genocide Emergency Committee.

Those attending had been urged to write their names on their arms as a gesture of solidarity with the besieged population of Gaza, who have used the method so they can be identified and buried with relatives if they are killed.

Many in the crowd at Glasgow Green chanted “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” during the demonstration, one of several taking place in a national day of action around the UK.

One of those addressing the rally was SNP MP Anum Qaisar.

She said she had backed a ceasefire in the vote on her party’s Commons amendment earlier this week as it was the “morally correct thing”.

The MP told the crowd: “11,000 people have been massacred in Gaza, almost half of whom are children.

“Over 1,000 people killed in Israel by the atrocious attack by Hamas.

“These numbers are rising and they will continue to rise daily unless there’s an immediate ceasefire.”

She said it is “shameful” that the current Foreign Secretary, Lord David Cameron, is not an MP so cannot be questioned in the House of Commons.

Scottish Greens co-leader and government minister Patrick Harvie also spoke to the crowd.

He said: “I cannot comprehend the mindset of those in Israel, who somehow seem to believe that further brutalising an already brutalised people can ever be a way of achieving their own security.”

Mr Harvie lamented how previous attempts to find peace in the region had failed, adding: “Peace can only come with justice and with a profound correction to the historic injustice of the dispossession, occupation, demonisation and brutalisation of the Palestinian people.”

Scottish Labour MSP Pauline McNeill said she had supported the Palestinian cause for 30 years.

She said Scottish Labour would call for a ceasefire in an upcoming debate in Holyrood on Tuesday.

Ms McNeill said she was “proud” of the Labour MPs who broke with the whip to vote for a ceasefire earlier in the week.

She said: “The end goal must be justice for the people of Gaza, it must be justice for the people of Palestine.

“They’re entitled to justice – the longest conflict in history, and the only acceptable solution now is the ceasefire.”

Demonstrations have taken place around Scotland each weekend since the conflict started.

The Gaza Genocide Emergency Committee said Saturday’s demonstration is intended “to show politicians we mean it when we say we want a ceasefire now”.