Stop arming Israel!

by New Worker correspondent

Protesters rallied in Whitehall near the Prime Minister’s residence in Downing Street last Thursday evening for an emergency demonstration condemning Israel’s latest bombing of the Gaza Strip, which killed more than 100 Palestinians including 46 children. They called for an end to the genocide and an immediate arms embargo on the Zionist entity. 

Union victories in Museum-land

by New Worker correspondent

In  ‘Albertopolis’, the academic nickname for the London home of  colleges and museums that go back to the Victorian era, a small street union has at last won a recognition battle with the Science Museum.
On the advice of Albert, the Prince Consort, this slice of Kensington was purchased out of the profits from the Great Exhibition of 1851 to become a centre for the arts and science in the heart of the capital. This seat of learning soon became a magnet for students, scholars and visitors who still throng the hallowed halls of London’s great museums. But behind the scenes there’s been a protracted struggle between the poorly-paid workers who guard the galleries and a Management that, until now, had turned a blind eye to their just demands for more pay. 
Now the United Voices of the World (UVW) has, after a long battle, secured recognition at the Science Museum after a ruling by the Central Arbitration Committee, the court which decides such matters. 
 Earlier this year this independent union, that organises beyond the bureaucratic reach of the TUC, and was involved in a long campaign involving not just the Science Museum, but the neighbouring Natural History and Victoria & Albert museums, won pay rises ranging from 13 to 23 per cent after months of strike action. The union boasts that in seven months, security guards secured more than they had in the entire previous decade from their employer, contractor Wilson James.
 Prior to the strike many guards earned just £11.95 an hour, below the London Living Wage (LLW) of £13.15 at the time. Despite agreeing to pay the LLW, the highly profitable Wilson James delayed implementing it and initially refused to backdate payments. 
On securing victory, the union quoted a female security officer at the Science Museum who said “with UVW, we put up a massive fight and won more in seven months than in years. We protested in the streets, went to trustees’ offices, and stood up for ourselves across all three museums. It showed what’s possible when you’re united. We’re proud of what we achieved, but we know the fight isn’t over. The cost of living keeps going up, and pay needs to keep up too. We can’t let them drop the ball”.
 On Tuesday, UVW announced its recognition victory by stating that the security guards are now preparing to negotiate a strong first pay deal in 2026. UVW say that for years, Science Museum bosses have ignored the guards but now they have no choice but to sit down and negotiate with UVW workplace representatives over pay, hours and holidays and their working conditions. 
 Petros Elia, the UVW General Secretary, said “this is a major breakthrough for security guards at the Science Museum, their bosses have tried to ignore, but they can’t ignore them anymore. Now, UVW members will have a seat at the table and a collective voice in shaping their working lives. This victory is not only a testament to the unity, determination, and courage of the Science Museum’s security team – it’s a message to every worker across the UK; when workers stand together and refuse to back down, we win”.
 One wonders why it has taken so long, Non-Departmental Public Bodies are not the worst employers, and in theory at least, support trade union membership. Directly employed staff at these museums belong to the mandarins’ FDA (First Division Association), the high-castes’ Prospect and the biggest civil service union in the country, PCS. But as the arbitrators say in the ruling in favour of UVW “in December 2024, it [the Employer] approached PCS union in a bid to extend its recognition agreement to cover the Science Museum. To its credit, PCS rejected this offer, knowing it was a tactic to exclude UVW. PCS  proposed a joint recognition agreement with UVW, which the Employer was willing to accept despite knowing PCS had no mandate. This history confirms a pattern of behaviour: the Employer is not seeking the most representative union but the most convenient one. It is attempting to choose the union for its workers, a fundamental violation of the principle that this choice belongs to the workforce alone”.
Meanwhile at the British Library, in the slightly less loftier surroundings of King’s Cross, strike action by PCS seems to have taken the scalp of the Library’s CEO. 
 The union which represents the national library’s support staff and library assistants, called 300 staff out on strike in a pay dispute. The Library initially proposed a pay award of 2 per cent at most, with some receiving as little as 1.6 per cent, the threat of action increased the offer to 2.4 per cent (or £800 if higher) which is only slightly more than half the rate of inflation. The Library claims it cannot afford more because of rising energy costs and building materials.
The dispute has caused the closure of the reading rooms. Access to exhibitions has been hit. A number of speakers at planned events have pulled out in solidarity. 
 The local PCS Branch Chair said “we have quite a few colleagues here who are forced to take a second job in the evenings in order to make ends meet each month”. He added that if there is no immediate movement by management to resolve the dispute amicably, the mandate for industrial action which stretches well into next new year will be used. 
 He also pointed out that staff have no confidence in management’s abilities to run a national institution. Two years on from a cyber-attack in 2023 on-line access has only been partially restored with many research services remaining unavailable. Yet another restructuring plan is underway, which staff with experience of such matters fully expect to be a disaster. 
On Tuesday the Library’s recently appointed CEO Rebecca Lawrence, suddenly resigned, for as yet unknown reasons, but presumably  as a result of the dispute. Another side effect of the dispute is that plans to award directors with a £5,000 were abandoned when discovered by PCS.
The picket line has been visited by the grandees of the labour movement including PCS General Secretary Fran Heathcote, RMT General Secretary Eddie Dempsey and UCU General Secretary Jo Grady, largely because their own HQs are nearby and thus handy for a photo-shoot. Neighbouring MP Jeremy Corbyn turned up as did TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak. Oddly enough local MP, Sir Keir Starmer, has not put in an appearance... 

...and at the Tate

 ...over 100 PCS members working at the Tate Gallery’s four sites may soon be joining them. They are being balloted for possible strike action over pay this week.
 The Tate initially offered a 2 per cent rise for workers in 2025/26. “This has now been increased to 3 per cent, but is still lower than the Civil Service Pay Remit and does not address the issues of low pay at the institution,” say PCS. 
 Again Tate bosses do well for themselves, with senior leaders at Tate taking home total remuneration packages ranging from £195,000 to £320,000. The Art Newspaper partly refuted this by saying that these figures cited include increases in the value of Tate pensions and that all salaries at Tate are below £195,000 – so that’s alright then. 
 The Tate Management said “Tate has made careful savings this year in order to invest in staff pay and still achieve a balanced budget. This includes a 3 per cent salary increase for most roles, including all employees on the lowest three pay bands, while directors are taking a zero per cent increase to help balance the overall costs.” An unimpressed Fran Heathcote declared that “food prices, rent, energy bills, and transport costs are all surging, but they expect our members to live off crumbs.”
As the Tate workers gear up for industrial action, the struggle at the National Coal Mining Museum in Wakefield, which began in August is continuing. As the 40 workers include mine guides who are veterans of the 1984 miners’ strike they are no pushovers. 
 Unison has demanded an increase of 5 per cent or £1 per hour for all staff, whichever is greater, which it says is simply what Management agreed to recommend to the trustees. Management deny making any such promises and are now offering an extra 80 pence hourly. 
 Labour-run Wakefield Council recently passed a motion to withhold future grants to the Museum in solidarity with the striking workers in an effort to get management back to round the table. This means a loss of a £15,000 grants programme to support local schools and young people that was awarded through a competitive application process.

British Museum: commercial exploitation of priceless relics

by Chen Xi

In an act that Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni condemned as "provocative indifference" the British Museum hosted a lavish fundraiser at £2,000 per ticket last weekend. Dubbed the "Pink Ball" and held in the room housing the Parthenon’s “Elgin Marbles”, it ignited fierce criticism and revived long-standing debates over cultural ethics and colonial restitution. The high-profile fund-raising dinner in the Parthenon Marbles room, featuring 800 A-list guests, including rock legend Mick Jagger and supermodel Naomi Campbell The Times reported.
The uproar underscores a deeper crisis – the museum's mission to safeguard humanity's shared legacy is being systematically undermined by commercial greed and colonial-era double standards. Such commercial exploitation has surely betrayed the sanctity of civilisation.
As one of the world's oldest and most revered public institutions, the British Museum claims its mission is to preserve human history for future generations. Yet its decision to transform a space holding ancient Greek sculptures into a backdrop for champagne toasts and celebrity photos reveals a troubling departure from that very purpose.
Mendoni's statement highlighted the core issue: "The safety, integrity, and ethics of the monuments should be the main concern of the British Museum… such actions are offensive to cultural assets and endanger the exhibits themselves". 
Her criticism echoes a broader consensus among archaeologists and heritage experts: When artefacts are treated as party decor, their dignity is stripped, and their physical safety is at risk.
This is not the first time that the museum has blurred the line between culture and commerce. In 2024, the same room was used for a fashion show, drawing similar protests from Greece. Each such event reinforces the perception that the museum's leadership views its collections, particularly those acquired under colonial contexts, as assets to monetise rather than heritage to protect.
Greece's case is not unique. China, Egypt and Nigeria, among others, have long demanded the return of their stolen heritage. 
Egyptian archaeologist and Egypt's former minister of state for antiquities affairs, Zahi Hawass, who is leading a petition for the return of the country's priceless Rosetta Stone from the British Museum, has highlighted the psychological trauma of seeing national icons displayed in former colonisers' museums. These narratives expose a colonial-era hierarchy in which Western institutions dictate cultural ownership, perpetuating historical injustice.  
The British Museum has exhibited the Parthenon marbles since their acquisition from Lord Elgin in 1816.
Due to the 1963 British Museum Act, the law prevents the museum from returning any of its collection permanently except in very limited circumstances. However, legal hurdles are not insurmountable, especially when there is political and moral will. 
For example, in 2024, more than 200 ancient pre-Hispanic artefacts ranging from ceramics to important works of indigenous art were successfully reclaimed by Peru from collectors and institutions around the world.
What the Pink Ball reveals is that the real obstacle may not be the law, but an attitude. If the British Museum is serious about being a museum for the world, it should stop treating world heritage as its private party venue.
In fact, the tide is shifting. Recent years have seen growing momentum for relic repatriation. 
In 2022, Germany returned 22 artefacts looted in the 19th century to Nigeria. In 2025, Egypt successfully retrieved 25 smuggled artefacts from the USA, demonstrating that international cooperation works. 
China, as a leader in cultural heritage advocacy, has repatriated more than 2,000 artefacts since 2012, including the Zidanku Silk Manuscripts from the USA in 2025. 
Such cases inspire Greece, which proposed a cultural partnership to fill the British Museum's Greek galleries if the marbles are returned.  
Professor Huo Zhengxin from the China University of Political Science & Law says that there is no longer any substantial gap between China's ability to conduct cultural relic protection, restoration and research and that of Western countries. 
The British Museum, however, has been hit by a series of scandals involving stolen cultural relics in recent years and cannot even guarantee the safety of its collected cultural relics. 
Therefore, if countries with lost cultural relics, especially those in the Global South, can coordinate their positions and speak with a unified voice under international multilateral mechanisms, they can promote the further improvement and implementation of international rules.
Stamatios Boyatzis, a professor at the University of West Attica in Greece, also echoed that since Greece is now fully capable of safeguarding its own cultural relics, the British Museum should return them rather than using so-called conventions as an excuse.
He told the media during the 2025 Sanxingdui Forum that under the current international landscape, it is hoped that Greece, China and other more source countries of cultural relics can join hands to make their voices heard on the global stage.
In summary, the Parthenon Marbles controversy is a referendum on the ethics of cultural ownership. The British Museum's commercialisation of these artefacts is a moral abdication, symptomatic of a broader crisis in how Western institutions wield power over global heritage. 
As Greek Culture Minister Mendoni stated, the British Museum's actions "endanger the exhibits themselves," both physically and symbolically. It is time for the museum to listen, not just to the clinking of glasses, but to the voices of those whose history it holds.
Global Times

Whose streets? Our streets!

by New Worker correspondent

Excellent turnout for the Whitechapel anti-fascist mobilisation last weekend. Thousands march through the East End of London following racist threats to launch a “crusade” in Tower Hamlets on the day as part of a series of events across the country promoted as a “mass deportations tour”. They wanted to parade through the streets bearing wooden crosses to 'reclaim Whitechapel from the Islamists”. But the march, called by UKIP, a racist sect that Nigel Farage abandoned in 2018, was banned by the police as there was a “realistic prospect of serious disorder". Although the fascists were correctly banned from spreading their poison in the area, it was still necessary to turn up and show solidarity with the local community. 
At the rally called by the Stand Up to Racism movement the main speakers were Jeremy Corbyn and the borough mayor, Lutfur Rahman, whose Aspire party leads Tower Hamlets’ council. And the whole community turned out including large numbers of local youths and members of the  Muslim community as well as the maverick Labour MP Apsana Begum and a large bloc of local youths.

New challenges for China

by New Worker correspondent

Zheng Zequang opens the seminar

NCP leader Andy Brooks joined social scientists, businessmen, solidarity workers and other communists for an economic seminar at the Chinese embassy in London last week. 
And the Chinese ambassador, Zheng Zeguang, opened on the new developments in China and the opportunities it gave to the world that was the theme of the symposium and the discussion that followed.
He said China is marching towards the second Centenary Goal – a call to action for the entire country to seize the momentum and advance Chinese modernisation.
With this meeting, the Communist Party of China with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core sets to unite and lead the Chinese people to write yet another chapter on the miracles of rapid economic growth and long-term social stability and to open up new horizons for Chinese modernisation.
China was ready to share opportunities and seek common development with the world. China cannot develop in isolation from the world, while the world cannot prosper without China. While pursuing modernisation, China will strive to safeguard world peace and development.
Zheng pointed out that since last year, under the strategic guidance of the leaders from both China and Britain, positive progress has been made in China-UK relations. But, from time to time, this relationship has also been undermined by anti-China forces. The improvement and development of China-UK relations is in the fundamental interest of people in both countries, and it requires the concerted efforts of both sides.
The UK side should have the right perspective. Those who attack China by touting "China threat" and fabricating lies are ignorant and arrogant. They do not represent the mainstream of the UK, and their attempts are doomed to failure. Both sides should uphold mutual respect and non-interference in each other's internal affairs. The UK must honour its commitment, and properly handle Taiwan-related issues in accordance with the one-China principle. The two sides should commit to mutually-beneficial cooperation, create new highlights of cooperation and bring more benefits to the two peoples.
In his contribution Andy Brooks said “stable growth, stable policies and stable expectations – this is what the people want. China's development follows a clear direction that is taken with confidence and determination...this is China’s answer to Western calls for tariff walls and trade wars. China's approach to development is not about fighting for your own corner but about serving the people for the benefit of the entire world...
“The imperialists think that their guns will ensure that they can ignore the will of the people for as long as they like. But they were proved wrong in the 20th  century and they will be proved wrong today. The days when people listened to the rich men who told us that the greatest virtue of humanity was the possession of the largest amount of money are over...
Everywhere we look in the capitalist world we see unemployment, homelessness, poverty, drug abuse and crime. The symptoms of industrial decline, inflationary pressures, stock market volatility and economic stagnation. This is capitalism. And working people are being made to carry the burden of its failure. But in People’s China working people aren’t simply reacting to global challenges – they are shaping the very future of our world”. 

Irish patriot remembered in Brixton

by Theo Russell

Around sixty activists gathered at Brixton Prison in South London last Sunday to remember Terence McSwiney, the elected Sinn Féin Lord Mayor of Cork, Ireland, who died there after 74 days on hunger strike on 25th October 1920.
McSwiney, who was also an author and playwright, had been arrested by the British Government for possession of "seditious articles and documents" during the 1919-21 Irish War of Independence (the “Tan War”). After joining the hunger Cork Prison strike he was transported to Brixton gaol.
Thomas Gould, the  Sinn Féin  MP for Cork North Central, told the crowd that McSweeney was born in Knocknaheeney, Cork’s toughest working class district, and said “it’s brilliant to be here today with so many working class people, 105 years after his death”.
Gould recalled that the sisters Dolores and Marian Price were also on hunger strike in Brixton Prison, which lasted for 208 days because they were force-fed for 165 days.
He added: “What the Israelis are doing to Palestinian civilians, to women and children, it’s hard to believe that anyone could do these things to another human being. I would say this to ye, come out with your flags and your banners, come out and protest. The question now is does the Palestinian people have a right to exist?” he said adding that the solution to the Israel Palestine conflict lay in a two state solution.
Gould also welcomed the election of Catherine Connolly, who was supported by Sinn Féin and other left parties in Ireland, saying it was “a great day for Ireland”.
Frank Glynn spoke for the Terence MacSwiney Commemoration Committee about many other Irish hunger strikers, including Thomas Ashe, who died in Dublin’s Mountjoy Prison in 1917, and Michael Gaughan, who died in 1974 in Parkhurst Prison on the Isle of Wight, both of whom dying as a direct result of violent force feeding.
Joe Murphy and Michael Fitzgerald, who were Terence McSwiney’s comrades and also died on hunger strike in Cork Gaol in 1920; Frank Stagg, who died in 1976 in Wakefield Prison after 62 days on hunger strike; and of course the ten hunger strikers who died in the Maze Prison, Northern Ireland in 1981.
He also reminded those present that fifteen women in Armagh Women's Prison joined the 1981 hunger strike.
The singer Sean Brady and uillean piper Tom Lynch provided powerful songs and tunes.
The Terence MacSwiney Committee also organises for events at Parkhurst and Wakefield prisons to remember Michael Gaughan and Frank Stagg. 

Remember Ukraine's political prisoners!

 

by New Worker correspondent

Activists from International Ukraine Anti Fascist Solidarity (IUAFS) protested at the Ukrainian embassy in London last week against the ten year prison sentence for Anatoly Miruta for distributing humanitarian aid, along with thousands of Ukrainian citizens who have been prosecuted, or even some cases murdered, for allegedly co-operating with Russian forces in the past three and a half years.
Miruta and his mother had organised a makeshift shelter in Syniak, a village north of Kiev where locals collected water and charged their phones, when the town was occupied by Russian troops in March 2022. Miruta said at his trial that all the Ukrainian authorities, soldiers and police had fled from the village, “leaving the people to fend for themselves”.
This month he appealed against his sentence, claiming that the court had ignored statements supporting his case and allowed dubious testimonies from previously unknown witnesses.
The protestors also carried placards declaring “Gonzalo Lira – We haven’t forgotten you”, a reminder of the Chilean-American blogger living in Kharkov who was persecuted by the Kiev government and died in prison in January 2024. An envelope containing this sign was left at the embassy.

Free Palestine march rocks London!

by New Worker correspondent

Hundreds of thousands took to the streets of London on Saturday in support of the Palestinian Arabs, marking two years of the war in Gaza. Protesters gathered at Victoria Embankment in central London and marched towards Westminster, before crossing the Westminster bridge and proceeding to Whitehall via Waterloo Bridge and the Strand. Marchers, some 700,000 strong, chanted slogans like "Stop starving Gaza" and "End the siege" while the police held Zionist provocateurs at bay to avoid trouble in what, once again, was an entirely peaceful demonstration.
The protest came as displaced Palestinians began returning from the southern part of the Gaza Strip to the north the day after after the ceasefire brokered by the Americans and the feudal Arab oil princes ended the fighting in the beleaguered Palestinian enclave.
Meanwhile Ellie Chowns, the Green MP for North Herefordshire, has called on the Israelis to free Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti, who was jailed on trumped up charges of terrorism in 2002. “Marwan Barghouti is a powerful unifying voice for Palestinians who could potentially play a crucial role in securing meaningful and lasting peace in the region” she said amid renewed international attention on Barghouti, as new details emerge about his ill-treatment in Israeli custody.
Palestinian sources say that Barghouti was beaten up by Israeli guards on 14th September while being transferred between the Ganot and Megiddo prisons. The 66-year-old reportedly suffered four broken ribs during the attack.
His son, Arab Barghouti, said that eight Israeli prison guards assaulted Marwan while in transit. "What we know is that while they were transferring my father, they stopped along the way and eight security guards... started beating my father up, kicking him, throwing him on the ground and punching him – focusing on the head, chest and legs as well".

High fares hurt Londoners

By New Worker correspondent

London's high public transport fares obstruct access to employment opportunities, education and reasonable living standards, a briefing published this week by Fare Free London shows. 
Working Londoners spend many extra hours a week – and, in some cases, many extra hours a day – commuting, to avoid expensive trains and use cheaper but slower buses. Students tangle with trade-offs between housing costs, which are lower outside the capital, and travel costs that are much higher
London's tube and train fares are among the highest in the world. They exacerbate social isolation and mental illness among the most vulnerable Londoners. They obstruct people's ability to socialise, to take their children places, and to access London's cultural treats. 
The briefing, Fares Unfair: London public transport and the cost of living crisis, is based on the results of a survey conducted over the summer by volunteer researchers. 
Pearl Ahrens of Fare Free London said "we did not have the intention, or capacity, to survey a demographically representative group of Londoners. We focused on the way that the relatively high cost of public transport in London affects lower-income households, whose views are often least heard.
"Nearly half of our respondents said they worry about costs every time they use public transport. More than half said they use cheaper modes of transport because better ones are too expensive. This often meant people taking long journeys by bus instead of tube."
Respondents' quotes in the survey are a stark reminder of the yawning gap between London's wealthiest and poorest households.
One of them takes a journey from Lewisham to the Royal Docks using three buses and the Woolwich Ferry "to save the money I would have to spend if I took the Underground or the DLR". Another takes an hour's journey to school by bus, double the time it would take by train.
A single man told one of our researchers of how he had had a cleaning job in Zone 1. To start work at 7:00 am, he caught a bus from SE18 at 5:00 am, got off in Zone 2 and walked the rest of the way.
A single mother of two explained how she takes three buses to work, from SE9 to Piccadilly. She described herself as "struggling to make ends meet – doing a balancing act", and having to limit her children’s weekend outings due to travel costs.
Another respondent said "every time I step out of the house, I spend more money on travel than even groceries. It disconnects me from seeing my family as well as my friends."
The briefing urges the Greater London Authority and the Mayor's office to consider how the impact of high fares affects policy goals including those in the Mayor's Transport Strategy and policies on tackling social inequality.
It urges that these issues are included in discussions about the funding basis of Transport for London, to "consider how this can be changed, to reduce and eventually abolish reliance on fares income". 

NCP returns to Ipswich

Gawain Little, Samuel Swale, Andy Brooks & John Maryon

by New Worker correspondent

Comrades and friends assembled in the Friends Meeting House, on a wet and windy evening, to form a New Worker supporters group in Ipswich, the Suffolk port that goes back to Saxon days.
This gathering, after a break of several years, marked the return to Ipswich of political activity for the New Communist Party. The betrayal by the Labour Party of its core values, growing poverty and the prospect of an extreme right-wing government taking power, contributed to the decision to step up the class struggle by forming the new group. The new organisation aims to hold regular meetings to encourage discussion and debate amongst left wing parties to build friendship and unity and overcome sectarianism. It will enable the New Worker to reach out to a wider audience and expand its influence. 
NCP leader Andy Brooks took the chair. Samuel Swale, a recent university graduate in geography from Bangor University gave a presentation detailing the economic failure of Britain and the causes and effects of poverty. Gawain Little, the general secretary of the General Federation of Trade Unions, spoke about the changes and challenges facing the labour movement. He outlined the difficulties in trying to convince workers that immigrants were not the cause of Britain's problems. And John Maryon, an NCP Politburo member, spoke about the decline of Britain and the political and economic crisis facing the United States as its grip on world hegemony was challenged. The contrast between the USA and People's China was illustrated by comparing the 50,000 km of high speed rail built in the Asian nation over the past 12 years while America had built none.
The New Worker Supporters Group meeting was a success and further events are planned. We already have a new member and others are considering taking our paper. Once we are fully established then similar moves will be taken to spread the word to other towns. 

Court throws out Kneecap terror charges

Mo Chara outside the court

by New Worker correspondent

A London court has thrown out a terror-related charge against a member of the Irish-language Belfast hip-hop group Kneecap. Rapper Mo Chara (My Friend), the stage name of Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, had been charged with a single count for waving a flag of the Hezbollah Lebanese resistance movement that’s banned in Britain as a terrorist organisation during a London concert at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town last year.
But last week the chief magistrate sitting at Woolwich Crown Court said the case should be thrown out following a technical error in the way the charge against the rapper was brought.
Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill welcomed the move, saying "these charges were part of a calculated attempt to silence those who stand up and speak out against the Israeli genocide in Gaza”. O’Neill, who is also vice-president of Sinn Féin, said “Kneecap have used their platform on stages across the world to expose this genocide, and it is the responsibility of all of us to continue speaking out and standing against injustice in Palestine".
The Zionists say Kneecap glorifies Arab resistance movements like Hamas and Hezbollah. But the group says it doesn't support Hezbollah or Hamas or condone violence and these attacks are simply an effort to silence the band because of its support for the Palestinian cause throughout the war in Gaza. 

Palestinian flag raised outside new embassy

Husam Zomlot at the opening

by New Worker correspondent

The Palestinian flag was raised outside the premises of what is now Palestine’s embassy to the United Kingdom in London on Monday marking Britain’s historic but long-overdue recognition of the Palestinian state. The Palestinian envoy Husam Zomlot raised the flag watched by Labour government ministers including Health Secretary Wes Streeting – as well as Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, Scottish First Minister John Swinney and Jeremy Corbyn who leads the Independent Alliance bloc in the House of Commons.
Husam Zomlot said recognition was about “righting historic wrongs and committing together to a future based on freedom, dignity and fundamental human rights”. He called on people to remember “that this recognition comes at a time of unimaginable pain and suffering as a genocide is being waged against us – a genocide that is still being denied and allowed to continue with impunity.
“It comes as our people in Gaza are being starved, bombed and buried under the rubble of their homes; as our people in the West Bank are being ethnically cleansed, brutalised by daily state-sponsored terrorism, land theft and suffocating oppression”.
Zomlot said the recognition was occurring “as the humanity of Palestinian people is still questioned, our lives still treated as disposable and our basic freedoms still denied. Yet, this moment stands as a defiant act of truth, a refusal to let genocide be the final word; a refusal to accept that occupation is permanent; a refusal to be erased and a refusal to be dehumanised”.
And Corbyn said “well done to all those who have tirelessly campaigned for the recognition of Palestine – an inalienable right of the Palestinian people. Next, the UK should recognise the genocide in Gaza, end its complicity in crimes against humanity, and stop arming Israel”.

China: 76 years of progress

traditional Chinese music at the reception

by New Worker correspondent

NCP leader Andy Brooks joined diplomats, businessmen, solidarity campaigners and members of the Chinese community in London to celebrate the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China last week. Over 400 guests gathered at the Peninsula hotel in Belgravia for a reception followed by a musical interlude performed by  artistic troupes including overseas Chinese and international students, as well as embassy staff.
Wang Qi, the Chinese chargé d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in the UK, delivered a speech highlighting China's achievements in the past years, and extended thanks to people from all walks of life who have long cared for and supported the development of China and bilateral relations.
China had achieved two remarkable miracles: rapid economic growth and sustained social stability, both rare in world history, over the past 76 years. 
In the first half of 2025, China saw the establishment of 30,000 new foreign-invested enterprises, a year-on-year increase of about 12 per cent, with actual foreign capital utilisation exceeding 420 billion yuan.
Wang said that China and the UK, both influential nations, held nine key dialogues this year across areas such as strategy, economy, energy, military, health, artificial intelligence, leadership, climate, and the environment. Both sides should maintain their strategic partnership, respect differences, and pursue win-win cooperation by implementing dialogue outcomes, reducing disruptions, expanding engagement, and deepening mutual benefits to advance China-UK relations.
Seema Malhotra, a Home Office minister, replied speaking highly about the renewed China-UK relationship – spotlighting security, environment, and economic growth as three priorities to shape UK's vision for future China-UK relations, and expressing the Starmer government’s willingness to take the ties forward in a constructive and effective way.
This was followed by a concert given by artistes that included the famed singers Deng Tao and Chen Luhong, violinists from the Yehudi Menuhin School in Surrey, Chinese traditional music, the choir of the Chinese Embassy in the UK and the London Chinese Philharmonic Choir. 

Halt aid to fascist Ukraine!

by New Worker correspondent

While racists rallied in central London to listen to the likes of Tommy Robinson last weekend 
the International Ukraine Anti Fascist Solidarity campaign returned to south London to picket in the working class district of Brixton calling on the Starmer government to stop sending weapons, money and military personnel to Ukraine, and to end its disgraceful alliance with the Nazi Banderite gangs.
They carried placards saying “Spend £21.8 billion on housing, not on Ukraine “, and condemned Starmer’s plans for massive increases in military spending and the whipping up of a war mentality in Britain – plans which will not go down well with millions of working people struggling with the ever increasing cost of living.
The protest took place against a background of Britain and its allies in the "Coalition of the Willing" desperately trying to put together a so-called ‘reassurance force’ to be sent to Ukraine after a peace deal has been agreed.
It also took place shortly after the hysteria over claims of a Russian “drone invasion” of Poland – clearly being seized on by the NATO leadership – with evidence emerging that it was very likely a British-Ukrainian false flag operation, with Polish citizens whose homes, allegedly “destroyed” by Russian drones, now coming forward to say that they were damaged months ago by severe storms.

Welcome to London Trump!

by New Worker correspondent

While Donald Trump was being wined and dined at Windsor Castle thousands of Londoners marched through the heart of the capital to tell the American president that he was less than welcome here. Stop Trump Coalition campaigners march from Portland Place to Parliament Square on day one of the US President's second state visit to the UK on Wednesday. London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who Trump had previously called a "nasty person" doing a "terrible job" as mayor, said "President Donald Trump and his coterie have perhaps done the most to fan the flames of divisive, far-right politics around the world in recent years". The London Labour leader, who naturally was not invited to the state banquet, said Londoners would “reject the policies of fear and division”. 

Vietnam national day in London

by New Worker correspondent

guests included Do Minh Hung and Sir Lindsay Hoyle

NCP leader Andy Brooks joined joined diplomats, politicians and businessmen at Vietnam’s National Day reception at the London Hilton in Park Lane this week. There the Vietnamese ambassador, Do Minh Hung, welcomed guests at a celebration to mark the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and the national day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the 15th anniversary of the Vietnam-UK Strategic Partnership that has helped make the country Britain’s largest trading partner in south-east Asia. The guests included Nguyen Xuan Thang, a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle as well as many others from the cultural, political and business fields of both countries.
Every autumn the Vietnamese people recall the heady days of the August 1945 General Uprising and Ho Chi Minh’s rousing call to all compatriots to “rise up and use our own strength to liberate ourselves!”
With determination and unity, the liberation army, raising the red flag with a yellow star, 
seized power from the French colonial administration. Within days, the revolutionary flame spread, and by 2nd September  President Ho Chi Minh declared the nation’s independence at Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi – a moment that marked a new era of independence, hope and freedom for Vietnam. The communist-led resistance set an example of courage, responsibility, and unity that led to the total defeat of the French colonialists in 1954 and the utter rout of the American aggressors in 1975. It continues to guide Vietnam today. 

Tube strike solid!

by New Worker correspondent

RMT pickets get their message across in Brixton as London Underground workers shut down the network in a series of rolling strikes over pay this week. And at the TUC conference in Brighton RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey called on Mayor Sadiq Khan to attend a summit with the union to find a resolution to the escalating dispute. At the Brighton Centre Dempsey told delegates from across the six million strong trade union movement, “I’ve got a message for the Mayor. Instead of going on social media, instead of the old tired clichés, telling trades unionists to get round the table, you’re the Mayor of London, you’re the Chair of TfL.
“Stop going on social media, invite us to the meeting, let’s have a discussion, because I want to know what is going on in London”. He warned of more strike action if there was no resolution but pointed out that members did not want to be in this position. “We take no pleasure in causing disruption but we make no apology for fighting for our members. So if the mayor has any sense, he will reach out to us”.
Moving the unanimously backed motion which means the TUC collectively calls on the summit to take place the RMT leader said “this Congress calls on the mayor, to urgently convene a summit to resolve all these disputes, improve industrial relations, end outsourcing and defend ticket offices”.

Vietnamese culture shines in London

Vietnam made a striking impression at the CelebrASIA Festival, the largest Southeast Asian cultural celebration in the UK, with captivating performances that highlighted the vibrancy and richness of the Vietnamese culture, drawing admiration and attention from international friends.Taking place over three days from September 5th to 7th at Battersea Power Station, the festival welcomed more than 150,000 visitors from around the globe. Now in its second year, the event has grown into a dazzling cultural, culinary, and artistic extravaganza in the heart of London, celebrating the identity, diversity, and unity of the south-east Asian country.

The Vietnamese delegation, organised by the Vietnamese Women and Children’s Association in the UK (VWC UK), stood out with a series of parades and cultural performances. These not only honoured traditional heritage but also reflected the youthful, modern, and globally integrated spirit of the Vietnamese culture.

One of the festival’s most memorable highlights was the áo dài parade. The graceful elegance of Vietnam's national dress showcased the cultural value of áo dài, promoting the image of Vietnam and its people to both British and international audiences.

Adding to the allure, the Love Collection fashion show featured exquisite designs made from Salakhe silk, taking visitors on a rich artistic journey. Particularly notable was the appearance of models wearing hand-painted nón lá (Vietnamese conical hats) bearing symbols of all ten ASEAN nations, a powerful visual message of solidarity, integration, and the enduring vitality of Southeast Asian culture within the broader Asian context.

Hà Hoàng, the president of the VWC UK, expressed her surprise and delight at the enthusiastic response from the international audience, organisers, and overseas Vietnamese community. The warm support for the performances reflects a deep appreciation for the Vietnamese culture and art, a vibrant thread in the rich cultural tapestry of London, she said.

VNS

War criminals not welcome here!

by New Worker correspondent

Last weekend over 200,000 Palestine solidarity campaigners marched to Downing Street demanding that the Starmer government take action to stop Israel starving Gaza, end all arms sales and defend the right to protest. The leaders of the Palestine coalition then went to Parliament Square to join the witness circle in solidarity with those protesting against the Starmer government’s proscription of Palestine Action. There the police immediately began to arrest people, including a 62-year-old blind wheelchair user, for showing support for the banned group while the crowd chanted “Shame on you” and “Met Police, pick a side, justice or genocide”.  The Met arrested 857 people for showing support for the banned group, Clashes with the police led to a further 33 people being detained. 
And Downing Street was packed with a large crowd again on Tuesday as demonstrators rallied outside the Prime Minister’s residence to condemn and oppose the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog to London. The emergency protest was called by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign which said “we are the people we won't be silent. The Starmer government might welcome the genocide President of Israel Isaac Herzog, but we will never accept anything but justice for Palestine and accountability for the war criminals”. 
Herzog is the head of a state that is currently on trial for genocide and which has already been found guilty of the crime of apartheid at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). In January 2024, the ICJ cited statements made by Herzog personally – that sought to dehumanise Palestinians and called for their collective punishment – as plausible evidence of Israel’s genocidal intent towards the Palestinian people. Herzog’s statements include the claims that there ‘are no innocent civilians in Gaza’ and that it is the ‘entire [Palestinian] nation out there that is responsible’ combined with his promise to ‘fight until we break their backbone.’ Sickeningly, he was pictured writing messages on bombs in preparation to be dropped on Gaza. As a party to the Genocide Convention, Britain has a responsibility to prevent and punish genocide including by bringing to justice those responsible for incitement to commit genocide. 

Lush says Stop Starving Gaza!

by New Worker correspondent

Beauty chain Lush shut its UK shops, factories and website on Wednesday in protest at the Israeli government "preventing urgent humanitarian assistance from entering Gaza".
The cosmetic giant said “we share the anguish that millions of people feel seeing the images of starving people in Gaza, Palestine. Like the rest of the world, we struggle to find ways we can help whilst the Israeli government is preventing urgent humanitarian assistance from entering Gaza. One thing Lush can currently send into Gaza is our love and a strong message that we stand in solidarity. This will take the form of halting business-as-usual by shutting our UK shops, website and factories for one day on Wednesday 3rd September 2025…
“Whilst Lush is losing a day of takings, this also means that the UK Government is losing a day of tax contributions from Lush and our customers. We hope they too hear the message our closure sends, with more Government action needed to bring an immediate stop to the death and destruction, including an end to arms sales from the UK”.
Lush’s Watermelon Slice soap has been the most successful single issue fund-raising product in the history of Lush, indicating how strongly our customers feel and we are grateful to have been able to raise funds towards child mental health support in Palestine. Lush plans to make this soap available again, with the funds going to medical services, including charities that are gearing up to provide prosthetic limb services to adults and children injured in Gaza. 

Celebrating China’s victory over fascism

by New Worker correspondent

NCP leader Andy Brooks joined hundreds of music-lovers to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War last week. The Chinese Ambassador Zheng Zeguang and his wife Counsellor Hua Mei were the guests of honour at the Royal College of Music in London’s West End  to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
The event with the theme Honour History for a Better Future was supported by the Chinese Embassy and the Bank of China. And other guests included the Labour peer Lord Davidson and Timothy Hailes, the Lord Mayor Elect of the City of London, along with members of the Chinese community in Britain and representatives of Anglo-Chinese business and cultural bodies.
Ambassador Zheng said that 80 years ago the Chinese people fought heroically, made huge national sacrifices and defeated the Japanese aggressors. The Chinese people and the British people fought shoulder to shoulder as allies, made great contributions to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War, and helped to establish a new international order. China has always been a peace-loving nation...this concert in London is intended to use music to remember history, honour those who gave their lives for the cause of justice, express an aspiration for world peace, and reaffirm a commitment to building a community with a shared future for humanity.
The concert featured ten pieces of Chinese and Western music presented by the Hunan Provincial Song & Dance Theatre and New Elements Music and guest performances from the London City Orchestra and the Camden Philharmonic.
 It opened with a stirring rendition of Ode to the Red Flag, followed by classics from both countries, including the haunting theme from Schindler's List and Elgar’s Nimrod which is traditionally played on Remembrance Day in the UK. Chinese favourites included Defend the Yellow River and My Motherland performed by the Chinese Embassy Choir, the Bank of China London Branch Choir, and the London Chinese Philharmonic Choir. The Chinese spirit of resistance and love for their motherland conveyed in the two songs resonated deeply with the audience, who responded with prolonged applause and acclaim.

End British support for Zionism!

by New Worker correspondent

In London last week Palestine solidarity campaigners took part in a rolling picket of companies that are complicit in the Israeli genocide and starvation of Gaza, starting at Google’s office in the heart of the capital. 
And in the capital of Scotland the screen-writer Paul Laverty was arrested at a pro-Palestine protest outside a police station for allegedly supporting a banned organisation. Laverty is best known for his collaborations with director Ken Loach including the award-winning I, Daniel Blake and The Wind That Shakes the Barley, which both won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. 
"Following a protest outside St Leonards Police Station on Monday 25 August 2025, a 68-year-old man has been arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 for showing support for a proscribed organisation" said Police Scotland. Laverty, who was wearing a T-shirt with the slogan "Genocide in Palestine, time to take action", told the media that “although we have the law on our side, we cannot implement it. So I think we have to change the narrative. I think we’ll have to remember is that the most important court in the world is the court of public opinion. Ordinary people are appalled to see starvation and genocide and the selling of arms to the apartheid state in Israel, and are just appalled by it”.
Laverty is accused of supporting Palestine Action, which was banned in July following acts of vandalism at an RAF base. Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, announced the ban days after activists from the group broke into RAF Brize Norton and defaced two military transport aircraft with spray paint causing some seven million poundsworth of damage.
More than 700 people have been arrested, mostly at demonstrations, for supporting the group since it was outlawed under the Terrorism Act 2000.
Volker Turk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said in July that the UK’s decision to proscribe the campaign group as a terrorist organisation was “disproportionate and unnecessary” and called for the designation to be rescinded. 
He said: “UK domestic counter-terrorism legislation defines terrorist acts broadly to include ‘serious damage to property’. But, according to international standards, terrorist acts should be confined to criminal acts intended to cause death or serious injury or to the taking of hostages, for purpose of intimidating a population or to compel a government to take a certain action or not.
“It misuses the gravity and impact of terrorism to expand it beyond those clear boundaries, to encompass further conduct that is already criminal under the law”.

Welfare not Warfare – Stop the War in Ukraine

by Theo Russell

At a public meeting on Thursday 7th August hosted by Lewisham and Greenwich CND, Lewisham Stop the War and Lewisham Trades Council the audience rejected “the Labour Government’s policy of lowering living standards and cutting public services and benefits in order to fund an unending war that has already killed hundreds of thousands of people and brought the world to the brink of nuclear Armageddon”.
They called on the government “to end its financial and military support for war in Ukraine, and commit to working for a diplomatic, negotiated, lasting peace settlement, and encourage local peace organisations and trade unions to do the same”.
Cheryl McLeod from Lewisham Trades Council opened the meeting, saying “we’re here tonight with a message that cuts through the lies, the spin, and the silence. Let’s be honest: Britain has become a puppet of US foreign policy Whether it’s backing Nato’s endless wars, or supporting the Gaza genocide,
“Our leaders do as they’re told even if it means fuelling death abroad while slashing support at home.Meanwhile, councils across the UK are going bankrupt, over 14 million people now live in poverty, the number of people using food banks has tripled since 2010, and the NHS is short of over 100,000 staff.
“And here’s the truth no one in Westminster will say out loud: Ukraine has no chance of winning this war, even US military officials are now admitting it: Ukraine is outgunned, outmanned, and out of time.
“So what’s the plan? To keep sending billions in weapons, to prolong the bloodshed, so NATO can “save face”? This isn’t helping the Ukrainian people. It’s sacrificing them.
“And as if that weren’t enough, let’s remember: President Zelenskyy, the so-called Hero of the West, chose to shut down Ukraine’s anti-corruption agency. He banned opposition parties. He postponed elections. 
“This is the democracy we’re funding? This is the government we’re pouring billions into while children here go to school hungry?
“We say: Enough. We need peace not posturing, diplomacy not destruction, welfare not warfare.
“No more weapons for unwinnable wars, no more billions for corrupt foreign regimes, no more silence on Gaza’s genocide, no more acting as America’s puppet. And we say: Yes to housing, yes to healthcare, yes to food, education, and dignity”.
Alfie Howls from CodePink UK gave a detailed account of the causes of the war in Ukraine: the US involvement in the 2014 coup d’etat and Nato’s continual eastward expansion. "Ukraine is not a democracy, and many parties and trade unions have been banned. It is intervening against progressive governments in Africa. NATO’s ultimate aim is to destabilise Russia and divide it into small states” he said.
Alex Gordon,  the vice-president of CND, said it was “high time Ukraine was discussed in the trade unions and peace movement, because until now anyone raising this has been accused of being a ‘Russian influencer’...
“...our media, academia and politicians are in grip of a highly influential ‘Military-Industrial-Media-Academic-Complex’ (MIMAC), which is behind such official warnings that ‘we are no longer in a postwar world, we are now living in a pre-war world’ – in other words that war with Russia is inevitable.
“The latest UK defence strategy says that because of the Ukraine war massive spending is needed on digital warfare, new munitions factories, and 12 new nuclear submarines. But this spending is not actual 'investment', it is at the cost of domestic welfare and foreign aid.
“Western governments and the media have blatantly lied about nuclear weapons in Iran, and it was Donald Trump who took the US out of the Iran nuclear deal in his first term as US president.”
Another CND leader, Kate Hudson, said that the majority of young people in Britain now see Nato as a greater threat to peace than Russia, and described how Nato suppresses opposition from member states.
“In July, US B61-12 nuclear bombs returned to RAF Lakenheath for the first time since 2008, as well as to Belgium, the Netherlands and Turkey. But when Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands demanded their removal, the US refused because the deployment was agreed by consensus. So if a majority of Nato states are in favour, the rest have to accept the decision, overriding their national sovereignty.
“The war in Ukraine is ultimately the result of Nato’s relentless eastward expansion. Nato officials have discussed deploying ‘tactical’ or ‘mini’ nuclear missiles in Europe, in fact their warheads are three times more powerful than those used in August 1945. The Russian responses to such moves mean that the threat of nuclear war is increasing.
“Nato now has partners in Asia, Latin America and Africa and spends $22 trillion a year compared to Russia’s $140 billion military budget. Nato is a blight on humanity in every conceivable way”.
Asked about the motion adopted at RMT’s conference in Manchester last month calling for Britain to end military aid to Ukraine, Alex Gordon said “the RMT has launched a drive to challenge the UK’s massive spending on support for Ukraine. In the past trade unions wrongly supported sending weapons to Ukraine. The RMT wants to challenge that position, and urges other unions to follow our example”.
Members of International Ukraine Anti Fascist Solidarity (IUAFS) received a friendly response from the meeting, and two spoke from the floor. The meeting appears to be part of a new campaign and a marked change in Stop the War’s policy on Ukraine after years of appearing to lay all the blame on Russia and perceived open hostility towards IUAFS activists.

Slain for telling the truth

by New Worker correspondent

The London Freelance Branch of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) called an emergency vigil at Downing Street last week, following Israel's targeted assassination of five Al Jazeera journalists and a freelance photographer in Gaza.
Names of all the journalists that have been killed in Gaza were read out, which was followed by a prayer in the Muslim tradition. People then silently marched to the Palestine House cultural centre in Holborn, where a candlelit vigil was held in honour of all the journalists that have been slain in their attempt to tell Gaza's story.
At the vigil Laura Davison, the NUJ general secretary, said “we owe a collective debt to those reporting from Gaza in the most horrendous of circumstances. They are representing our profession – that commitment to reporting what is happening on the ground whatever the cost. And they have paid the price. They are the eyes and ears of the world on the ground”.
According to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) at least 195 journalists and media workers – including 181 Palestinians – have been killed since 7th October 2023, making this the deadliest war for reporters and photo-journalists in recent history.  
The NUJ has deplored the killings and supported calls for an investigation into the actions of the Israeli government. The union is also encouraging chapels and branches to hold solidarity vigils at branches and workplaces over the coming days to protest against the killing of colleagues in Gaza. 

Keep talking about Palestine!

by New Worker correspondent

Irish rapper Liam Og O hAnnaidh, known as Mo Chara (My Friend), appeared in a London court to fight a terrorism charge over allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag. Surrounded by hundreds of supporters, the Kneecap band member said the case was a distraction from Israel’s genocide in Gaza. The Kneecap rapper was released on unconditional bail after appearing in court over terror charges, after he was allegedly seen in concert videos waving a Hezbollah flag.  Outside the Westminster Magistrates’ Court after the hearing, O hAnnaidh told fans to “keep talking about Palestine, keep calling out genocide, that’s the real story,This is just another distraction”.

A stirring debut for a Chinese epic

by New Worker correspondent

Andy Brooks with Eliana - BITDB Design, Beijing

NCP leader Andy Brooks joined actors, academics and members of London’s Chinese community at the reception and screening of Dongji Rescue at a packed house at the art-deco Odeon Luxe in London’s Leicester Square last week. This Chinese block-buster tells the story of the fishermen of Dongji island who braved Japanese gunfire in 1942 to rescue hundreds of British POWs from the Lisbon Maru.
“Watching Dongji Rescue tonight holds special significance” said Chinese Ambassador Zheng Zeguang. “Eighty-three years have passed since the Lisbon Maru incident, and the world has changed, but we should cherish the memory and carry forward the friendship between the peoples of our two countries”.
The story "is very close to my heart, because my grandfather, Thomas Theodore Jones, was one of the survivors of the sinking of the Lisbon Maru" Anthony Jones, chairman of the Lisbon Maru Memorial Association, told the reception before the screening. And one of the stars, William Franklyn-Miller, said “the bravery of the fishermen who rescued the British soldiers shines through" adding that he personally felt a responsibility to share this part of history more widely. 
In October 1942, the Lisbon Maru, a cargo vessel requisitioned by the Japanese army to carry more than 1,800 British prisoners from Hong Kong to Japan, was hit by an American submarine unaware of the POWs on board. Rather than assist the POWs, the Japanese shot many who were trying to escape. Many more drowned. All in all, 828 lives were lost. However, this amount would have been higher but for the heroic efforts of the local Chinese fishermen who risked their own lives to save 384 British soldiers from the water. 

Stop the slaughter! Stop the war!

By New Worker correspondent

On Saturday over 300,000 of us marched to Whitehall to demand Keir Starmer ends all arms sales to Israel, expels Israeli diplomats and immediately imposes sanctions on the genocidal state. Meanwhile over a thousand other peaceful protesters had gathered in Parliament Square to defy the government's banning of Palestine Action under the “terrorism” laws. They occupied the square and took part in a silent ‘Defend our Juries’ vigil holding placards supporting the direct action solidarity movement. The Metropolitan Police who had warned that anyone taking part would be arrested under anti-terrorism legislation moved to break up the protest. There were 521 arrests, the largest mass arrest by the Metropolitan Police, ever. This marks a pivotal moment in British history. Ben Jamal, the director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign condemned the shameful arrests of those taking part in the Defend our Juries protests, while the Starmer government continues to arm Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Stepping stones to the future

Andy Brooks pays tribute to the NCP

by New Worker correspondent
 
Comrades gathered at the Party Centre in London last weekend to celebrated the founding of the New Communist Party in July 1977. Friends and comrades, old and new, joined NCP leader Andy Brooks and Peter Hendy from the Central Committee in celebrating the anniversary with speeches, food and drink. Sadly our National Chair, Richard Bos, could not join us on this occasion so Peter MC’d the commemoration and welcomed guests that included diplomats from the Chinese and Democratic Korean embassies in London as well as representatives from the labour movement that have long worked alongside us in London and other parts of the country. 
A Korean diplomat read out his greetings at the social followed by solidarity speeches from Marie Lynam of the British Posadist movement, Ian Donovan from the Consistent Democrats, Dermot Hudson from the Korean Friendship Association and Theo Russell from the International Ukraine Anti-Fascist Solidarity campaign. Other tributes came from a member of the NCP Metropolitan Cell & Supporters group and Peter Hendy who read out Richard Bos’ greetings and a call for a new £10,000 New Worker appeal that starts next month. Peter also called on comrades to dig deep to boost our August fighting fund. They did with a collection that raised £460 for our communist weekly!

Stand with the Ukrainian anti-fascists!

by New Worker correspondent

Activists protested in central London last weekend in solidarity with the millions of Ukrainians resisting the Banderite dictatorship, and the maurading military "headhunter" gangs grabbing men off the streets across the country to send to a war which 70 per cent of Ukrainians no longer support. Dozens of people showed support for the protest, clapped and took photos. Only one person spoke to us opposing our slogans, and engaged in a long, and apparently pointless, discussion. The picket opposite Downing Street in Whitehall was organised by the International Ukraine Anti-Fascist Solidarity movement that campaigns in support of the people of the Donbas and the Ukrainian resistance fighting the fascist puppet regime in Kiev.

Stop Starving Gaza!

by New Worker correspondent

Last Saturday thousands joined Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) actions at over 50 locations around the country, including eight across London, and laid down pots and pans to demand our politicians take action to end Israel's starvation of Gaza. “We must keep the pressure up,” says the PSC “as we once more lay down pots and pans to represent those starved to death by Israel’s genocidal blockade and demand our politicians take action to end Israel’s starvation of Gaza. We won't stop until our government ends all complicity in Israel's genocidal violence”. 
In south London Vanessa Redgrave, the veteran campaigning actress, joined protesters demonstrating for an hour outside Lambeth town hall in Brixton for an end to the genocide and for Lambeth council to divest its pension fund of enterprises linked to the Zionist entity.  
“Tonight, local people responded powerfully to the national call from PSC to protest the genocide and Israel’s deliberate starvation of Palestinians, a horror we are all witnessing”
said Micki Loebner from the Lambeth and Southwark 4 Palestine campaign. He told the media that “ in Lambeth, we wanted to join the wave of demonstrations happening across the country and also send a clear message to Lambeth Council: stop investing pension funds in Israeli companies complicit in this genocide. They are still refusing to act.The turnout tonight, especially on such short notice, shows that ordinary people are determined to stand up for Palestine. We see the genocide, and we will keep protesting”.

Museum or Crime Scene?

by Ekaterina Blinova

Many visitors to the British Museum in London have no idea that some of the ancient treasures they admire were looted and stolen.
"During the period of British colonial rule in Egypt the largest thefts of ancient Egyptian artifacts in history took place – amounting to a full-scale plundering of the Nile Valley and the tombs of the pharaohs," says Zahi Hawas, an Egyptian archaeologist and former Minister of Antiquities.
One of the most famous examples is the Rosetta Stone – the key to deciphering hieroglyphics – taken from Egypt by Napoleon Bonaparte’s troops. Equally scandalous was the looting of artefacts from Tutankhamun’s tomb by Lord Carnarvon, the sponsor of the excavation.
The English archaeologist Howard Carter gifted part of treasures from Tutankhamun’s tomb to Lord Carnarvon and Egyptologist Alan Gardiner, and a Nefertum statue smuggled into the tomb of Ramses II is also now in the museum. The Rosetta Stone, found by French soldiers in Rashid in 1799, was handed to Britain – along with other artifacts – under the 1801 Treaty of Alexandria after Napoleon’s defeat.  But none of the colonial powers had any right to dispose of Egypt’s heritage says Hawas.
The British Museum dedicates seven entire halls to ancient Egyptian exhibits – from statues and mummies to jewellery and medical papyri. British museums now hold more than 100,000 Egyptian artefacts. All of them were taken illegally, Hawas insists. "Scholars and public figures are calling for an end to the silence surrounding this massive cultural theft”.
Sputnik

Justice for Gaza!

 

by New Worker correspondent

Protesters rallied outside the Egyptian embassy in London last weekend to call on the Sisi government to open up the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian border with the Gaza Strip to allow humanitarian aid into the beleaguered Palestinian enclave. Children attempted to post letters by hand, hoping that the Ambassador would read them, but they were stopped by the police guarding the embassy.  
The mass picket was part of an emergency protest in front of Egyptian embassies all around the world called by the Egyptian Revolutionary Council, a Turkish-based movement that supports the Muslim Brotherhood, which was outlawed in Egypt after its government was overthrown by General Sisi in 2013.
But back in Cairo the Egyptian Foreign Ministry condemned the demonstrations saying that they serve the Israeli occupation and divert public opinion from those truly responsible for the humanitarian crisis. They said the Rafah crossing is ultimately controlled by the Israelis who have closed it as part of their campaign to take over the Gaza Strip and denied allegations that held Egypt responsible for the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave.