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UK protesters mark 100 years since Balfour Declaration

Palestinian activists in London took to the streets on the centenary of the divisive Balfour Declaration.

Palestinian activists mark 100 years of the Balfour Declaration in London
Despite the wet autumn weather, activists travelled from across the UK to participate in the protest, which began in Grosvenor Square. Organisers estimated that around 15,000 people took part in the march and rally. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
By Rich Wiles
Published On 5 Nov 2017

Prominent Palestinian activist and politician Mustafa Barghouti was among several thousand people who joined a protest on the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration in central London last week.

“It’s important for me to be here today and for Palestinians to feel the solidarity of the British people. It’s important to see how the British people are against the position of the British government,” Barghouti said. 

“The Balfour Declaration is not over. It is being implemented today across Palestine. It led to the ethnic cleansing during the Nakba, but it is not finished. It led to Israel’s apartheid regime, which is worse than the apartheid regime that existed in South Africa.”

The 1917 declaration realised the Zionist aim of creating a Jewish state in Palestine after Britain pledged to establish “a national home for the Jewish people” there.

Palestinian activists mark 100 years of the Balfour Declaration in London
Dated November 2, 1917, the Balfour Declaration was written in a letter from the British foreign secretary, Lord Balfour, to prominent Zionist and leader of the British Jewish community, Arthur Rothschild. It confirmed the UK's backing for the creation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
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Palestinian activists mark 100 years of the Balfour Declaration in London
A small number of Christian Zionists turned up at Grosvenor Square, carrying banners claiming that the Balfour Declaration was 'God's wish'. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
Palestinian activists mark 100 years of the Balfour Declaration in London
Leanne Mohammed, a British Palestinian born in the UK to parents from Haifa and Ramallah, told Al Jazeera: 'Balfour is the foundation of the suffering the Palestinians have had to go through. Balfour resulted in ethnic cleansing and the world's longest-running refugee population.' [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
Palestinian activists mark 100 years of the Balfour Declaration in London
The march headed through the streets of central London on November 4, two days after the official centenary of the Balfour Declaration. Other events were held across the UK throughout the week. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
Palestinian activists mark 100 years of the Balfour Declaration in London
A small counterdemonstration was held by British Zionist groups, which attempted, unsuccessfully, to stop the main demonstration. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
Palestinian activists mark 100 years of the Balfour Declaration in London
Fewer than 50 Zionists joined the counterdemonstration. Police lines kept the two groups apart, but allowed the Zionist groups to walk in front of the main demonstration. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
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Palestinian activists mark 100 years of the Balfour Declaration in London
As the anti-Balfour demonstration passed through Trafalgar Square, activists scaled statues to raise Palestinian flags. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
Palestinian activists mark 100 years of the Balfour Declaration in London
The demonstration was stewarded by activists from a coalition of groups, including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War and Friends of al-Aqsa. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
Palestinian activists mark 100 years of the Balfour Declaration in London
The march moved towards Parliament Square, the home of the British Government, where activists had put banners and Palestinian flags on statues of Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, two of history's most renowned leaders of anti-colonial resistance. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
Palestinian activists mark 100 years of the Balfour Declaration in London
London-based members of the strictly anti-Zionist Orthodox Jewish group, Neturei Karta, were present throughout the event. Neturei Karta has officially opposed the establishment of the state of Israel. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
Palestinian activists mark 100 years of the Balfour Declaration in London
Scottish National Party politician and journalist John Nicolson was widely applauded when he described the UK's broken promises in the Balfour Declaration: 'The Balfour Declaration stated that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the rights of non-Jewish residents of Palestine ... Britain's promises remain hollow.' [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
Palestinian activists mark 100 years of the Balfour Declaration in London
Palestinians have called for a full apology from the UK for the Balfour Declaration. Several speakers at the rally demanded the UK's recognition of a Palestinian state and also proclaimed their continued support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
Palestinian activists mark 100 years of the Balfour Declaration in London
On November 2, British Prime Minister Theresa May hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a gala dinner in London, declaring that Britain is 'proud of our pioneering role in the creation of the state of Israel'. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
Palestinian activists mark 100 years of the Balfour Declaration in London
The establishment of the state of Israel, which stemmed from the Balfour Declaration, led to the displacement of approximately 750,000 Palestinians during the Nakba. One hundred years after the Balfour Declaration was penned, British governmental policies continue to widely support Israel, while millions of Palestinians remain refugees. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]