Manchester protest urges freedom for Georges Abdallah, end to university support for apartheid Israel

Photo: Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism!

Supporters of the Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! (FRFI) and BDS societies at the University of Manchester organised a street meeting on 18 October to call for solidarity with Georges Abdallah. Students and members of the public stopped to sign up to the campaign calling for the release of all Palestinian political prisoners and demand that Britain breaks its links with the Zionist regime. Student organisers gave speeches on the struggle of the prisoners and read out letters between Georges Abdallah and Ahmed Sa’adat.

Photo: Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism!
Palestine solidarity has heightened significance at the University of Manchester – management have spent the last year attempting to ban or censor FRFI and BDS events, and now are planning to host a celebration of the Balfour declaration on 31 October! The event is co-hosted by the Israeli Embassy and will likely feature speeches by notorious racists like Mark Regev. These links are historic. Chaim Weizmann was a scholar at the university before becoming the notorious first president of Israel, showing the links between British institutions and Zionist colonialism. A protest is being organized on 31 October against the pro-Balfour event, demanding the university end its collaboration with apartheid.
Photo: Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism!
“We demand the freedom of Georges Abdallah and all Palestinian political prisoners, and demand that the University of Manchester cancel its pro-Israel event,” emphasized the protesters.