As politicians fall over themselves to condemn solidarity marches that coincide with Armistice Day, it is worth remembering that those who served did so to defend the right to peaceful protest (Pro-Palestine rallies aren’t ‘hate marches’ – they’re an expression of solidarity, helplessness and frustration, 6 November). That right is a cornerstone of democracy. We should be alarmed when our elected representatives try to undermine that right. As a veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, I can think of no better time than this weekend to march for peace. Civilians on all sides deserve to have someone who cares enough about their plight to protest for peace.
Dave Wilcock
Ventnor, Isle of Wight
• A couple of weeks ago I decided that if the Saturday demonstrations calling for an end to the killing in Gaza and Israel continued, I would go to London on 11 November, because of the symbolism of that date. I shall not be doing so as a sign of support for Hamas, a violent and despicable organisation, but because I have been deeply affected by the scenes of death and devastation in the news. I shall be marching for a small boy, surrounded by siblings, standing in the ruins of his neighbourhood whose cry, “We’ve done nothing wrong”, has so much more power and honesty than UK politicians who seek to divide us with their claims that the marches are “hate‑filled” or “disrespectful”.
Les Bright
Exeter, Devon
• Nesrine Malik makes important points about the pro-Palestine marches. As she says, “There is a universal simplicity to the conflict that transcends political ideology – about the fundamental human right to full nationhood, to live in your home in safety and with dignity.” She and the marchers should recognise that this applies equally to Israelis, and protest equally strongly against Hamas’s barbarities. Without mutual empathy, the cycle will continue.
Stephen Hickey
London
• While the rallies Nesrine Malik refers to are indeed expressions of solidarity, helplessness and frustration, these emotions are directed in large part to the existence of the state of Israel. As Malik observes, “Palestine is not the world’s only injustice, but it is singularly resonant.” This resonance occurs because the creation of Israel triggers persistent guilt on the political left for being the last major colonisation endorsed by the empires of the west. Hence a desire to dismantle this occupation – not the illegal occupation in the West Bank, but the occupation of the whole space between the river and the sea.
Anyone demanding a ceasefire should also be demanding the release of the hostages, as a meaningful step towards peace negotiations. But I haven’t seen that demand on a single placard to date.
Name and address supplied
• I could weep reading Nesrine Malik’s eloquent piece. I am currently out of the country, in a place where protest is not allowed. How I wish now I could join those in London. I took part in the march against the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Perhaps we were naive to believe that we, numbering at least a million, were bound to make a difference. It didn’t work in the way we’d hoped. But, it felt then, as now, like the right thing to do.
Dianne Frank
Oxford
• I have been on three of the recent pro-Palestinian marches. In contrast to what Suella Braverman would have us believe, I’ve found nothing but solidarity and hope as I walked beside passionately engaged young people, families and children.
Susan Wooldridge
London
