Al Quds Day 2009

          London 13th September 2009

Al Quds Day is held in the last week of Ramadan each year. It’s a day when people around the world, Muslims and non-Muslims come together to demonstrate their support for the oppressed in the world, in particular the oppressed Palestinians who have been living under zionist occupation for over 60 years.

This year the London Al Quds Day march was held on 13th September. Starting at Marble Arch it finishing 2 miles away at Pall Mall culminating in a rally.

1000s of leaflets were distributed along the march explaining to Londoners what the demonstration was about, on one side, and on the other showing life under occupation for an ordinary Palestinian woman.

leaflets distributed on Al-Quds Day

Al-Quds Day Leaflet(PDF) (2.4Mb)

The photo of a hero raised above the crowd - Imam Khomeini, the founder of Al-Quds Day.

"Justice for the murdered children of Gaza" - marching for Palestine on Al-Quds Day

"In defence of Palestine : Al-Quds Day"
"End apartheid Israel"

A painting showing the reality of Israeli peace.

People gathering at Marble Arch before the march.

The "We are all Hizbullah" placard, first seen during the demos against the Israeli attack on Lebanon in 2006, are still the most popular placards in Al Quds Day.

"Stop funding genocide - Boycott Israel"

"Zionism is Racism" placard showing graffiti Jewish settlers daubed on the gate of a Palestinian home in Hebron which reads "GAS THE ARABS". It is signed "JDL" (Jewish Defence League).

During the attack on Lebanon, we were all Hizbullah,now with the attack on Gaza, we are also all Gazan.

Jewish Rabbis and Muslim Imams united against zionism, demanding "justice for the murdered children of Gaza".

"Give back to the Palestinians the entire land"
Rabbis from the Neturei Karta - Orthodox Jews United Against Zionism - with their clear message against zionism.

Rabbis from the Neturei Karta are strong supporters of the "Boycott Israel" campaign.

"Boycott Israel" Palestine flag

"Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods" famous "It's kosher to boycott Israeli Goods" banner.
It was wonderful to see it flying for the first time at Al-Quds Day.

"Stop funding genocide - Boycott Israel". Photo shows a 'lucky' child who survived the Israeli bombing of Gaza (Jan 2009).

Marching down Park Lane

A youg boy carries a photo of President Ahmadinejad, a strong advocate for the Palestinian cause

A rabbi among a crowd of Muslim youth - "Judaism rejects the zionist state and condemns its War Crimes"

"End Gaza Siege"
Photo shows a Palestinian boy watching the funeral of three children in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip killed in an Israeli air strike (29 Dec 2008). According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 56% of Gaza's population is children.

"Stop arming Israeli war criminals"
"Israel lie: children die"
"If this is not a war crime - what is?"

A young girl holds her Palestinian flag with both hands, determined that no one misses the message on it - Boycott Israel

"We are all Hizbullah"
"The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed" - Steve Biko

The truth about Israeli peace

All your armies, All your fighters,
All your tanks and all your soldiers.
Against a boy holding a stone,
Standing there all alone.
In his eyes I see the sun,
In his smile I see the moon.
And I wonder I only wonder.
Who is weak and who is strong,
who is right and who is wrong.
And I wish I only wish.
That the truth has a tongue.
(Qasem Qasem, 2000)

"Apartheid - Wrong in South Africa, Wrong in Palestine - Boycott Israel"

"Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice.. If you're a man you take it." - Malcolm X

All Starbucks Coffee shops on the route of the march had special police protection due to their support of Israel. See the boycott of Starbucks.

Imam Hussain's stand against injustice 1400 years ago is the eternal example to follow. For more see here.

"If you're not ready to die for it, put the word "freedom" out of your vocabulary." - Malcolm X

"The only way we'll get freedom for ourselves is to identify ourselves with every oppressed people in the world." - Malcolm X

At the end of the march as we entered Pall Mall for the rally we were warmly greeted by a crowd of anti-fascist activists from "Unite Against Fascism" (UAF) and the Socialist Workers Party who had come to give us support against the fascists, we were truley moved! We recognised many of the faces as ardent supporters of Palestine from previous demonstrations. As wonderful as it was to see them cheer us, it would have been even better if we had all marched together, united in support of Palestine, against racism and fascism.. perhaps next year

Photo of victorious Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah

Photo of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatullah Khamenai

Some of the placrard designs for Al Quds Day
(with the boycott theme on one side and the quote on the other side)
We have received many requests from around the world for 'ready-to-print' placrads,
inshallah will soon make available all our placards as 'ready-to-print' PDFs.

Palestine badge collection launched on Al-Quds Day (they will soon be available for purchase from the website)
For closer look at designs click here

AL QUDS DAY 2009 SPEECHES
( full video of all speakers )

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TV Advert	Shabbir Rizvi	Roland Rance	Yvonne Ridley	Taji Mustafa	Simrah (10 yrs)
Rabbi Ahron Cohen	John Rees	Mujahid ul Haq	Daud Abdullah	Sheikh Bahmanpour	Massoud Shadjareh

Rally Speakers

Recitation of Holy Qur'an by br. Karim

Poetry on Gaza by Shabbir Rizvi

Roland Rance of "Jews Against Zionism", a secular pro-justice Jewish group

Roland Rance, Jews Against Zionism

Yvonne Ridley

Taji Mustafa, Hizb ut Tahrir

10 year old Simrah

10 year old Simrah

Rabbi Ahron Cohen, Neturei Karta - Orthodox Jews United Against Zionism

Rabbi Ahron Cohen, Neturei Karta - Orthodox Jews United Against Zionism

Rabbi Ahron Cohen, Neturei Karta - Orthodox Jews United Against Zionism

John Rees, Stop the War Coalition

Mujahid ul Haq, Nasheed artist.

Mujahid ul Haq, Nasheed artist. Unfortunatley there were sound problems with the playing of the backing track of his wonderful nasheed on Palestine, not to mention the interruptions of police sirens, so the rendition here doesn't do justice to his talent.

Dr Daud Abdullah, Deputy Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain

Sheikh Bahmanpour, Islamic Centre of England

Massoud Shadjareh, Chair of the Islamic Human Rights Commission

Massoud Shadjareh, Chair of the Islamic Human Rights Commission

Al Quds Day Counter-demo

For the last couple of years a small motly group of zionists, white extremists, fascists, iranian royalists, mko and iranian communists have staged a counter-demonstration against al-quds day at Piccadilly Circus. This year the fascists were lead by the English Defence League (EDL), hurling racist abuse at the demonstrators calling Muslims scum, they chanted 'We hate Muslims' and 'Muslim bombers off our streets'.

There was a huge police presence in anticipation of a fascist attack on the march, in the end its was the fascists heavily outnumbered - only a handful turned up - that needed protection, they were herded in a pen behind two layers of fences with two lines of police surrounding them.

Counter-demo: A few zionists and fascists opposed the Al-Quds Day march.

Counter-demo: March for England banner with Israeli flag.

Zionists on the counter-demo.

Zionists make natural allies for the fascists, racism being the foundation of both. On the EDL forum, one zionist from Israel, Fima, sent a message of support, writing

Zionists on the counter-demo

The alliance between zionists and the EDL is an uneasy one due to the unchecked racism of the EDL which often spills into anti-semitism, compared with the disiplined racism of the zionists which is focused on Arabs and Muslims.

A young american zionist, a student at the University of London who complains on his blog that his college is "overrun" with Muslims, joined the counter-demo with an Israeli flag. This however didn't spare him from being attacked on the EDL forum with statements like

The most bizzare site was seeing pro-Mousavi Iranians standing with zionists and fascists against the Al-Quds day marchers, before the demo they even posed for photos together!

Counter-demo: Zionists with supporters of Iran's opposition green movement! With such alliances it becomes very clear that these oppertunists do not care anything for the Iranian people and what they stand for.

Supporters of green movement (placard shows photos of Mousavi/Karrubi/Khatami) standing in counter-demo against Al-Quds Day. Notice the megaphone the woman is using, its the same one the self-confessed Islam hater Stephen Gash, leader of the "Stop Islamisation Of Europe" (SIOE) group is seen using minutes later.

Stephen Gash, leader of the "Stop Islamisation Of Europe" (SIOE) on a megaphone attacking Muslims.

On the SIOE web site Gash boasts that what "makes SIOE different to all other anti-Islamist groups" is that whilst other groups "only oppose Islamist “extremists” SIOE, does not accept the notion of moderate Muslims". That is why the SIOE opposes the building of Mosques in Europe.

With poor turnouts on all their demos SIOE have come up with a new strategy - 'rent a mob', or in their own words "sponser an activist". The idea is that middle-class armchair islamophobes can now rent a skinhead to attend a SIOE demo on their behalf! In their own words:

Stephen Gash with a pack of fascist yobs

Media attention on the fascist counter-demo

In the end the counter-demo was another defeat for the EDL, the recriminations left on their own forum said it all: