WSWS reporters spoke to some of those attending Saturday’s national rally against the genocide in Gaza.

Paul, a town planner, said, “I'm here to speak against the wickedness that Israel is perpetrating and that our government is complicit with and continue to support Israel, saying it has the right to defend itself.

“It doesn't. It's stolen land, it continues to murder, kill, rape people and just the lies that they have told throughout the world that our government accepts. Tory, Labour, unfortunately it looks like they're all the same.

“What is quite frightening was the [US] Senate, when they gave standing ovation to Netanyahu. Israel has really learned from Hitler and they've taken it up another few notches.”

Asked his thoughts on the war in Ukraine against Russia, Paul said, “Ukraine is a very difficult thing. I don't like Putin, I don't know what he stands for, but Ukraine in terms of its society and what it's done itself is also fascist.”

Paul said of the new Labour government under Sir Keir Starmer, which has backed Israel’s genocide, “Starmer cannot be trusted. That guy has said so many lies, he's made all these promises, turned against every single one of them.”

On the necessity for the anti-war movement to be based on a socialist, anti-capitalist programme, Paul said, “I think what you're saying is right. If you look at the history of humankind, we've been here for hundreds of thousands of years. Capitalism has only been here for the last three, four hundred years. It may not happen to our generation, but I think we will see an overturning or a revolution. I think what we're seeing in the American imperialism, if you're right, that's coming to an end.”

Ahmed said, “I'm here today marching for peace and for a free Palestine.” People had to “keep marching and keep calling for freedom, for an end to arms sales and for Palestine to be recognised as a state.

“The Labour party have restored funding to UNRWA [United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East]. That's a very small step in the right direction but it's nowhere near enough. The Labour party need to publish the legal advice on arms sales to Israel. They need to ban all arms sales to Israel because UK weapons are clearly being used to commit a genocide, to murder innocent civilians, men, women and children, and to annihilate the infrastructure in Gaza.

“They won't do it by themselves, not off their own back. The Labour party are just the Tories in different colour under Keir Starmer. It's only with enough pressure from the people of this country, marching week in, week out, calling for equality, calling for peace, calling for human rights for all. That's what will make a difference.”

Ash said, “I'm here today as I've been the past almost a year because I have friends in Gaza, because I come from the occupied world, and because I understand the struggles. In British politics they keep expanding neocolonial dynamics in the occupied world and I'm here to protest a genocide based on colonial interests”.

Asked her thoughts on the Starmer government, she said, “I think it makes no difference whether it's Labour or Tories because it's all about economics and markets and profit making. And also about the military complex interest that drain money from public budgets into the military complex interest”.

David, a student, said, “All the people can do is march, all the people can do is keep making their voice heard, and try to pressure their government, regardless of party, in the right direction.”

When a WSWS reporter pointed out that all the imperialist governments agreed with Israel’s genocide, David said, “Yes, It's very much backed by the United States, it's backed by Britain. Germany refuses to make any sort of compromises for their own reasons, of course, to stop supplying weapons to Israel. Even though all of them are well aware of the kind of situation that's happened in Gaza and the West Bank for literally decades. [Assassinated Hamas leader] Ismail Haniyeh was actually a negotiator for peace with Israel.”