Protesters took to the streets of London on Tuesday evening in a last-minute effort to persuade MPs against military intervention in Syria.
The Stop the War coalition called the emergency protest in Parliament Square on the eve of Wednesday’s House of Commons vote on whether to send British warplanes to bomb Islamic State strongholds in the country.
Lindsey German, the convenor of Stop the War, told the crowd: “We are here to say one very simple thing: don’t bomb Syria. Do not this time go and bomb a country where you make it even worse than it was before.”
Salma Yaqoob, the head of Birmingham Stop the War coalition, said: “We don’t seem to have learned a single thing [from the invasion of Iraq]. When we bomb other people’s countries, we do not become more safe. We become less safe. If you bomb them, we will not be safe at home.”
The march, which was peaceful at first, turned into a sit-down protest outside the Houses of Parliament, with 150 people refusing to move as traffic built up. Protesters chanted: “David Cameron, shame on you” and “Stop the killing, stop the hate” on the road.
The protest turned violent, however, when police moved in to drag demonstrators off the road outside the Palace of Westminster. Some were physically removed and a few scuffles broke out. At least one man was wrestled into the back of a police van.
It was unclear how many people were present at the protest, but more than 3,500 people said they were attending the event on Facebook.
Massive anti war #protest happening in #Parliament Square now, and at 12pm and 6pm tomorrow. But are MP's listening? pic.twitter.com/m5iGouya94
— Anthony Davis (@theanthonydavis) December 1, 2015
Great turnout here in Parliament Square for the #DontBombSyria rally... pic.twitter.com/NRzwyTIELR
— Pete Sinclair (@pete_sinclair) December 1, 2015
Protest on Parliament Square #London #DontBombSyria pic.twitter.com/Sq6Y47Zsia
— Robin Monotti (@robinmonotti) December 1, 2015
Crowds gathering in Parliament Square for #stopthewar - more on @gmb tomorrow mornig pic.twitter.com/2CFQNmYBPW
— Chloe Culpan (@ChloeCulpan) December 1, 2015
Demonstrators are gathering in Parliament Square for @Stopthewar & #DontBombSyria pic.twitter.com/ocTHNnCbk0
— Afshin Rattansi (@afshinrattansi) December 1, 2015
Big demo moving off from Parliament square chanting don't bomb Syria, no more wars pic.twitter.com/pEq8yu9knq
— Georgia Graham (@georgiagraham) December 1, 2015
Flares lit as stop the protest nears St James tube pic.twitter.com/aEQwFBm4NB
— Georgia Graham (@georgiagraham) December 1, 2015
Stop the War has condemned Jeremy Corbyn’s decision to grant a free vote to Labour MPs, with Andrew Murray, the group’s chairman, saying it had “cleared the way” for the Commons to back airstrikes. A statement on the Stop the War website read: “Britain has been the most aggressive country in Europe over the last 15 years, leading military interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. Yet it has done little to help the victims of the wars it so enthusiastically pursues and it has been at the forefront of opposing a humane policy towards refugees.
“Another destructive bombing campaign is no solution whatsoever. It will make moves toward a political solution harder. It risks intensifying and widening what is already a catastrophic war.”
The protest comes after thousands of people demonstrated outside Downing Street on Saturday. Parts of Whitehall were brought to a halt during that event, where speakers included the actor Mark Rylance and the musician Brian Eno.
A statement by more than 50 student leaders was issued on Tuesday, saying: “British military action will not defeat Isis and risks increasing the terrorist threat both to the peoples of the Middle East and to Britain.”
John Gillespie, a 29-year-old medical student, said: “We could be sanctioning Saudi Arabia and Turkey. It’s far too early to be thinking about bombing.”
George Galloway, the former MP for Bradford West, said a war could not possibly go well. He said MPs’ phones had been “ringing off the hook” with constituents urging them to vote against airstrikes. “We may yet be able to deprive David Cameron of a majority. Tell them [the MPs] we are demanding they say no to war on Syria. This is a war that even rightwing personalities know is ill-conceived, ill-intentioned and ill-fated,” he said.
Imran Hussain, MP for Bradford East, said: “The people of Bradford sent me, and the people of Bradford expect me, to stand up and be counted. I bring solidarity from the north of England. Let not history repeat itself.”
- This article was amended on 2 December 2015. The medical student quoted is called John Gillespie, not David Gillespie. This has been corrected.
