File:Challenging Theresa May on Palestine. (37476772544).jpg

This protester said she had made her placard by hand while travelling by train from Plymouth to London for the pro-Palestinian protest. Notice that the statue of Ghandi in the background (the photo was taken in Parliament Square) is carrying a "Free Palestine" placard. He would probably appreciate the gesture.

On Saturday 4 November 2017, thousands marched through London demanding that the UK recognise Palestine and take action to stop British support for Israel's illegal occupation of the West Bank and its brutal siege of Gaza. 136 countries have recognised Palestine representing the vast majority of the world's population but it is still not recognised by the United Kingdom or the United States.

It shouldn't be a surprise that in a political system dominated by financial institutions and multinational corporations with a vested interest in maintaining the highly anti-democratic and repressive status quo in the Middle East that only 35 British MPs, only fractionally over 5 per cent of all those in parliament, have actually spoken out on the issue, signing a declaration calling for the UK to recognise the state of Palestine.

Although Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn sent a message of support, many demonstrators were disappointed that he didn't speak from the platform at the end of the march. Only one Labour MP, Andy Slaughter, was among the eminent speakers, who included Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, Ken Loach, John Pilger and the SNP MP John Nicolson.

The march was held on the hundredth anniversary of the Balfour Declaration ( 2 November 2017 ) which, while it laid the basis for a future Jewish homeland, was also supposed to protect the rights of Palestinians. It had promised that “nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine.” A promise which was never kept. Marchers carried placards which read "Justice for Palestine", "Stop Arming Israel" and "Free Palestine".