Derry's weekly 'Defend the Right to Protest' in Waterloo Place
'Instead of trying to stop this genocide, the London government is seeking to outlaw those who are trying to stop the flow of arms to the Israeli forces' - Eamonn McCann
Derry's weekly 'Defend the Right to Protest' will take place in Waterloo Place.
The venue was changed on Friday morning due to the Maiden City Festival taking place in Guildhall Square on Saturday.
The protest against the "ongoing genocide in Gazs and the criminalisation of protest against it" will take place be at one o’clock - in coordination with similar protests in London, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Cardiff.
'Defend the Right to Protest' spokesperson Eamonn McCann said: "Gaza is starving, dozens of children have already died of malnutrition and the UN tells us many more will die in the coming days. Instead of trying to stop this genocide, the London government is seeking to outlaw those who are trying to stop the flow of arms to the Israeli forces.
"Since Palestine Action was proscribed as a 'terrorist' group on July 5, more than 170 people have been arrested simply for saying that they oppose genocide and support Palestine Action.
"But they cannot arrest everyone and the numbers of those willing to stand against genocide and for freedom of speech is growing every week. This week’s protest will again be joined by civil rights veterans traveling from Dublin and Tyrone.
"We plan to continue these Saturday protests until the outlawing of Palestine Action is overturned. The idea that, at a time when we can see Gaza being turned into a concentration camp, with people nearing death from starvation, the British government’s response is to criminalise those who are trying to stop it. Protesting genocide is not a crime. We are all Palestine Action.”