Dr Shahrar Ali will be leading the Green Party call for Palestinian human rights at a demonstration in London tomorrow (Saturday 24 January).
In a rally outside Broadcasting House, Green Party members and many others will be demanding a fair settlement for Palestinians, and also an end to what is seen as the BBC's bias in reporting the Israeli onslaught.
Shahrar Ali, a Green Party candidate for the European Parliament, said today: "The Green Party is appalled by the carnage meted out to the Palestinian population by Israel's armed forces over more than three weeks of aerial bombardment and ground attacks.
"UN observers are reporting back from smouldering buildings about the full scale of the horrors that were perpetrated there. The Green Party adds its voice to the calls for international war crimes investigations."
Dr Ali continued, "Public knowledge of the true scale of suffering and death of hundreds of children has been affected by BBC bias. The BBC often reports opinion as fact. It has also given disproportionate coverage to Israeli propagandists hell bent on masking the wickedness of their disproportionate and indiscriminate offensive."
He added, "Moreover, on a day that Israel intensified its aerial attacks on hundreds of people who had no means of escape, the BBC chose to saturate its headlines with the lucky escape of a passenger aircraft in New York."
Jean Lambert, the Green MEP for London and member of the Human Rights Sub-Committee in the European Parliament, who has consistently voiced the Green Party's concerns over Gaza, added today: "The ceasefire is welcome, but a permanent solution must be found or we risk trying to physically heal
the population of Gaza only to see them put through the same hell again. There will be no military solution: aggression only fuels further hatred and misery.
Jean Lambert continued: "When I was in Gaza almost a year ago, I witnessed the terrible suffering of the Palestinians as a result of the blockade as they lacked the most basic supplies, including food and essential medical equipment. It is critical that the borders are now opened, both with Israel and Egypt, and that the USA changes its stance to help move towards a lasting resolution."
Note:
Dr Shahrar Ali is the Green Party's London Policy Coordinator. He has
worked as a researcher in the European Parliament and is an adviser to
Greens in City Hall. He is a candidate for the European Parliament London
region on 4 June 2009.