We still meet on Saturday outside the Library in the centre of Salisbury to promote the idea of peace in the Middle East. The carnage continues. The death toll stands at an estimated 64,871 of which over 19,000 are children. It is thought that 422 have died of starvation. There is no viable peace negotiation currently underway.
Israel recently attacked a building in Qatar saying it was occupied by Hamas individuals who carried out the 9 October massacre. The attack is contrary to international law and the Qataris are furious. Israel informed the US before the attack as they have a major base in that country. The attack seems to indicate a boldness by the Israelis supported as they are by the US.
One attendee at the vigil was wearing this shirt to emphasise that the conflict has its roots in 1948 Nakba where around 750,000 – 1 million Arabs and Palestinians were displaced or lost their lives in the campaign by the IDF to displace them. Current media attention is on the 7 October massacre by Hamas and not on the events in 1948.
A video of the vigil can be viewed here thanks to Peter Gloyns for producing it.
No sign of the local MP, Mr John Glen nor any mention of the vigil in his weekly Salisbury Journal column. He is reported to be a member of Conservative Friends of Israel.
Much of our coverage of human rights issues on this site features overseas countries and indeed there is a lot to write about. The latest edition of the Amnesty magazine (Autumn 2025, Issue 226) has a feature on the rise and arguably increasing number of authoritarian leaders for whom human rights are things to be suppressed by all means possible. The list includes Javier Milei of Argentina; Narendra Modi with his draconian anti-terrorism law used to target activists, journalists, students, protesters and others.
Vladimir Putin needs no introduction nor does Xi Jinping who enacts repressive laws, persecutes Uyghurs and the repression of Tibetan culture continue unabated. Others include Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi who is busy wooing anyone who’ll listen while engaged in suppression of any dissent and who has executed record numbers in 2024. Victor Orban who has increasingly targeted civil society while remaining a member of the EU. Netanyahu in Israel is well known and presiding over genocide in Gaza and intensifying violence and apartheid in the West Bank. He bans foreign journalists and the UN from entering Gaza.
‘Chilling effect’
But there are worries in the UK with more and more laws being passed to inhibit protests and empower the police to arrest or interdict such protests and those attending them. Palestine Action has been much in the news and the organisation was declared a terrorist group by the previous Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper. A high court judge has ruled that the co-founder of PA can bring an unprecedented legal challenge to the Home Secretary’s decision. Mr Justice Chamberlain said the proscription order against the group risked ‘considerable harm to the public interest’ because of the ‘chilling effect’ on legitimate political speech.
At the recent rally on 6th September in London organised by Defend our Juries, police arrested nearly 900 people many of whom were carrying Palestine Action placards. A 3 day hearing starts in November and it will be the first time an appeal is allowed against a ‘terrorist’ organisation. The court has given permission for both Amnesty and Liberty to intervene in the hearing.
Human Rights Watch: World Report
HRW’s World Report amplifies the above comments in its section on the UK. Laws criminalising protest undermine democratic rights they note. They remain on the statute book and the Labour government shows no sign of repealing them. The 2023 Public Order Act, the 2020 Police Crime Sentencing and Courts Act also remain on the statute book both of which increased police powers and act to limit free speech.
There are comments about the increasing disparity in wealth in the UK. On immigration and asylum it notes the failure to provide safe routes and how politicians and some media outlets have contributed to a hostile environment towards ethnic and racial minorities.
Policing
Since 2002, the police have had an increasing presence in schools under the SaferSchools Partnership programme. Liberty has found no evidence that this police presence has made them safer and that there is no reliable evidence that such presence reduces crime or violence. One problem is that police are mandated to report crime in schools even it may be inappropriate in the circumstances. Lack of funding for mental health leads police to step into roles unrelated to policing it notes One of their recommendations is that police a more supportive roles in PSHE activities. See the report for more details.
It cannot be argued that the UK is anywhere near the situation in some of the countries briefly mentioned above. Journalists are not murdered as in Russia, opposition politicians are not imprisoned for no reason which happens in Saudi, there are no second class citizens as in Israel. However, the slow drip of legislation and increasing police powers, widening use of facial recognition even in peaceful protests, a legal system largely the preserve of the very rich and elements of our media all too happy to laud clampdowns and arrests of those they don’t like are matters of increasing concern. We shall continue to highlight these issues in our posts.
This is a short list of things we have planned for the coming months. If you were thinking of joining us, one of these would be a good opportunity to come and make yourself known. Joining the group is free.
World Day Against the Death Penalty is on 10 October. The group has focused on Oklahoma this year as part of Amnesty’s campaign of asking groups to focus on a particular state in the Union. There will be a separate post about this shortly. For anyone who wants to be involved with stopping the use of this penalty which is the ultimate cruel punishment and where mistakes cannot be rectified, let us know.
Our annual carol singing takes place on 23 December.
The next group meeting is on 9th October at 2pm in Victoria Road.
We have a coffee morning booked for February next year in St Thomas’s church, Salisbury. Details nearer the time.
Members of the group attend the weekly vigil for peace in the Middle East outside the Library each Saturday starting at 5pm for half an hour.
Keep an eye out here or on Facebook or Bluesky for updates @salisburyai.
The situation in Gaza gets ever worse with 63,000 now dead many of whom women and children. Around 330 have now died as a result of starvation and this number is set to grow. Peace looks a long way off and from the Israeli perspective, with American and Trump’s unqualified support, they are able to continue without let or hindrance. American support has even extended to banning members of the PLO from attending the UN.
The president of the PLO, Mahmoud Abbas and 80 other officials have had their visas revoked. The reason is because the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio blamed them for undermining peace efforts and for ‘seeking the unilateral recognition of a conjectural Palestinian state’. We seem to have entered a looking glass world as far as the Americans are concerned. The Palestinians are far from being as white as snow but they are far, far weaker than Israel who have all the weapons and materiel needed for the campaign of destruction in Gaza.
On the subject of weapons, the Defence and Security Equipment International exhibition to be held in London starting shortly will not feature a stand by the Israeli government. Their arms firms will still be there however. The UK government has decided not to allow a delegation to attend. “The Israeli government’s decision to further escalate its military operation in Gaza is wrong,” a UK government spokesperson said. “As a result, we can confirm that no Israeli government delegation will be invited to attend DSEI UK 2025.“
The BBC coyly refers to the exhibition using the word ‘defence’ and there will no doubt be defence firms there. But it is much more about our arms industry, heavily promoted and subsidised by our government, and which sells arms to many of the world’s troubled countries thus aiding in the carnage. The government claims it has ‘robust controls’ but with the big rise in open licences, this is a dubious claim. The fact that they were happy to allow Israel to attend until yesterday, only days before opening, speaks volumes. We should never forget the victims in these conflicts are women, children and the vulnerable. British firms profit, millions suffer. The extent of UK support for Israel is hard to quantify. RAF flights over Gaza continue the purpose of which is unclear.
There is still no sign of the local MP Mr John Glen and he did not mention the vigils in his weekly Salisbury Journal column which focused on his work getting to know people in his constituency. He is a member of the Friends of Israel lobby group in the Commons.
A video of the vigil, attended by around 40, is available here courtesy of Peter Gloyns.
Local MP takes aim at ‘gesture politics’ concerning Palestine and Gaza
August 2025
In a previous post we analysed the Commons statements by our three local MPs, Mr John Glen, Mr Danny Kruger and Sir Desmond Swayne. We concluded that the latter was the only one who spoke up about the war in Gaza. Mr Glen is a member of the Conservative Friends of Israel so any comments or speeches critical of Israel were unlikely. Mr Kruger appeared to have accepted the claims from Israel that Hamas fighters were embedded in the various buildings they are bombing.
In a piece in this week’s Salisbury Journal, Sir Desmond Swayne (Conservative, New Forest West) writes about Palestine under a piece entitled Britain’s gesture politics are a disgrace (28 August). He refers to the government’s intention, along with France, to recognise a Palestine state. He acknowledged this was ‘gesture’ politics but accepts that sometimes such gestures are called for.
‘For years the objective of [British government policy] has been the implementation of a Palestine state base on the occupied West Bank. Throughout this time however, Israel’s actions have been designed to thwart any such prospect’ he writes. He mentions the growing policy of apartheid in the country.
The recent announcement by the Israeli government to build a further illegal settlement which will cut the West Bank in two thus making the prospect of a functioning Palestine state almost impossible. ‘The intention is clear’ he notes quoting Bezalel Smotrich, the Finance Minister, who said “they’ll keep talking about a Palestinian dream, and we’ll keep on building a Jewish reality … a reality that buries the idea of a Palestinian state, because there’s nothing to recognise.”
David Lammy ‘at a complete loss’
How are we to respond? he asks to the man-made famine in Gaza, as well as the continuing devastation of civilian life. Every time ministers come to the Commons to face the anger of what is being done in Palestine they reiterate that they are ‘very cross about it’. Ministers point to the modest actions they have taken but when MPs point out that these actions have had no impact, the Secretary of State, David Lammy refers to ‘further actions’ that they will consider. Sir Desmond reports that when he asked the SoS ‘what further actions?’ he was directed to the Oxford English Dictionary to look up the meanings of the two words. Very drole.
Sir Desmond concludes that David Lammy is no doubt appalled by what is happening but is ‘at a complete loss’. We are in thrall to the Trump administration and we know that they will not allow any effective sanctions against Israel. It is refreshing to hear a politician spell out the plain fact that Britain is largely powerless. To quote Sir Desmond “it is time to call a spade a bloody shovel”.
“So we stand and watch as Gaza burns and the West Bank is swallowed. We will be judged accordingly”. (Sir Desmond Swayne, Salisbury Journal).
Analysis of the voting record of the three Members of Parliament in the Salisbury area
August 2025
Salisbury has three MPs whose constituents live in the Salisbury area and it is timely to ask how they have performed in Parliament concerning the conflict in Gaza. We compare this with the invasion of Ukraine by Russia which is broadly taking place at the same time.
Although there is no job description for an MP, a key role is to represent their constituents in parliament and to the government of the day. Their constituents will have a plurality of views so straightforward representation is almost certainly impossible. A further problem is to ask who are they representing? This refers to the many lobby groups and organisations who spend millions on their activities trying to persuade MPs to their views and ideas. A key one relevant to this post is the role of the Conservative Friends of Israel thought to be the largest lobby group in parliament and with around a third of a million pounds, very well funded. The MP for Salisbury, appears to be a member of this group.
Methodology
We looked at the website They Work for You and used the following search terms [Gaza] [Israel] [Palestine] and for comparison [Ukraine]. All were accessed on 25 August 2025. We also did a search using Startpage (a search engine) using the same terms. We also referred to the website MP War Crimes. This site has analysed a wide range of sources and has concluded that all three MPs are ‘anti-Palestine’.
Results
John Glen (Salisbury).
Only three interventions none of them concerned about the violence. One asking about the refusal of Israeli authorities to allow MPs to enter the area. A question with a focus on Christians in the area and access to Christian holy sites such as the Mount of Olives and Bethlehem. Recently, he complained about an alleged statement by a Irish Republican at Glastonbury saying ‘the only good Tory is a dead Tory’ and ‘Up Hamas!’ and ‘Up Hezbollah!’.
On Ukraine by contrast he made over 30 interventions going back to June 2018.
Danny Kruger (East Wiltshire which comes down to the boundary of the City)
One. On the 29 October 2024 he asked a lengthy question making a collection of doubtful statements concerning Unwra and Hamas. This included the allegation that Hamas was ‘hiding their soldiers in hospitals’ and that they were ‘deeply integrated into Unwra’. Israel has never provided evidence of the former and on the latter, UN investigation showed that 7 operatives out of its thousands of staff might have been involved in the October massacre. This is the only one we could find and the intervention showed strong evidence of Kruger accepting Israeli claims without caveats.
On Ukraine he has made nine interventions.
Sir Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) south of the City
The only one who seems to have asked any questions and ten which we could find with a strong emphasis on West Bank violence. Like Mr Glen, there is a focus on Anglicans some of whom were taken by IDF soldiers from an Anglican hospital and whose whereabouts are unknown. He made a number of interventions about the West Bank prior to October 7th and it seems to be a continuing interest of his on this subject. Only a small number about Gaza however.
On Ukraine, he made a similar number of interventions – ten – going back to 29 June 2016.
Conclusions
The only local MP who exhibits some kind of balance is Sir Desmond Swayne who has asked a series of questions and made speeches on a range of issues both about Gaza, the West Bank and Ukraine. The same cannot be said for either John Glen or Danny Kruger. Indeed, historians in years to come, going through Hansard reading their speeches and questions, would wonder if Gaza or violence on the West Bank had ever occurred. Like reading a Jane Austen novel where you are unaware Britain was at war. Both seem to have a focus on the plight of Christians which is a proper concern and one that is often forgotten in Western media. But wider concerns about other faiths does not seem to be on their radar. As we have reported elsewhere on this site, people in and around Salisbury have now mounted 90 vigils in Salisbury, not one of which Mr Glen has ever attended or referred to in his weekly column in the local paper. He has been voluble on Ukraine but almost silent on Gaza.
We conclude that neither MP is representing, on this evidence, the views of a large number of their Constituents. It is possible that Mr Glen’s membership of Conservative Friends of Israel maybe a contributing factor. None are in government at present. It is important from a human rights perspective because there is mounting evidence of genocide and the use of starvation is a war crime. The known death toll is 62,000.
Around 55 attended this week’s vigil exceeding last weeks total. More stood and took notice and many photos were taken by passers by. The ‘Honk for Gaza’ sign attracted 32 honks. Several new faces attended which is encouraging. An excellent video of the vigil is available here courtesy of Peter Gloyns. A feature of the vigils is the range of posters and signs that people bring.
Israel is now preparing to launch an offensive to capture Gaza City. Bombing has started already causing many casualties: the total known is now 62,000. Many thousands more lie under the rubble unaccounted for. Over a 1,000 have been shot by IDF soldiers and US mercenaries at the limited food distribution sites fun by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation GHF. What is upsetting many are the scenes of starving children, especially infants below the age of 5, for whom proper food is vital. Interviews with Israeli officials are met with denial. They claim there is no famine and that there is plenty of food available. According to Haaretz, the majority of Israelis are not aware of the famine in Gaza.
The UN declared a famine in part of Gaza this week: it is unable to do so for other areas as it cannot get sufficient data. António Guterres. the UN Secretary General said it was a ‘man made disaster, a moral indictment – and a failure of humanity itself’. Image: UN
Having written about our vigils in many of our posts, it is becoming hard to find fresh words for the continuing horror of what is happening in Gaza. Israel’s actions have gone way beyond what is to be expected from a nation that likes to think of itself as a beacon of civilisation in a turbulent region. Their actions have been well documented and the nightly vision on our screens of death, destruction and now starvation is becoming unbearable. The flagrant murder of journalists is added to the list of crimes. Israel refuses to allow western journalists in for obvious reasons of course: you do not want foreign eyes and lenses on the killing and maiming of children and the elderly.
“No such thing as Palestinians because there’s no such thing as the Palestinian people” Bezalel Smotrich, Paris 2021
And it shows no sign of ending. The IDF has been ordered to extend the war and to conquer Gaza City for which plans are being prepared. One can only imagine the death toll. 61,000 will seem a distant memory once it gets underway.
Destruction of medical facilities
A key aspect of the attacks has been to destroy the medical facilities. Medical staff are having to perform serious operations without medical supplies because of the blockade. A consultant surgeon who has returned from Gaza in the Nasser hospital is quoted in this fortnight’s Private Eye (No: 1655):
‘What I have witnessed appear to me to be multiple war crimes, including the systematic destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system. Not only have hospitals been bombed, but soldiers from the IDF have gone into hospitals, killed healthcare personnel and and destroyed the infrastructure. Each individual dialysis machine has been destroyed, along with laboratories, scanners, water tanks, gas supplies and sewage systems rendering the hospitals entirely disabled. More than 1,500 healthcare workers have been killed, and more than 500 abducted and detained illegally in Israeli prisons with daily torture and many dying under torture – many of them friends of mine.’ He goes on to describe the nature of injuries and how they cluster in different parts of the bodies of victims on different days. The tired story of hospitals being command centres is not supported by any evidence. […]
What is noticeable in his and other’s testimony is the seizing of medical staff who are detained, tortured and not allowed legal representation. They have not been charged or brought before a court. Their whereabouts are unknown. Considerable notice is given to the Israel hostages (rightly so) almost nothing is ever said about the Palestinian hostages because that effectively is what they are. It is just one part of the misinformation put out by the Israelis and seemingly swallowed whole by the western media.
Vigil number 89
The 89th vigil took place in Salisbury as usual on Saturday 16th August, and we had over 50 attend. What was encouraging was the presence of new people some of whom had brought their own signs. The vigils show no sign of abating and with each day of terrible news and appalling footage smuggled out of Gaza sometimes by journalists who risk death by the IDF. No sign still of the local MP Mr John Glen nor any mention of his constituents taking part in these vigils in his weekly column in the Salisbury Journal. Mr Glen is a member of the Conservative Friends of Israel organisation.
Elsewhere in Private Eye is news of Israeli exports of fruit and vegetables to the UK which have increased from £29.1m in the last 3 months of last year to £51.3m in the first 3 months of 2025. So while people in Gaza starve, we can enjoy Israeli produce on our shelves.
88th vigil well attended. Fears of police action unfounded
August 2025
The vigils still continue in Salisbury with unflagging attendance despite the passage of time. It must be a first that a protest of this nature has carried on for such a time despite an almost complete absence of coverage by the local paper, the Salisbury Journal. It is a demonstration that many people feel outraged by the behaviour of the IDF and the use of starvation as a weapon of war. The number of those dying this way is now over a hundred and the death toll now stands at 61,000 with many thousands more buried in the rubble that is now Gaza.
Many nations – including the UK belatedly – are beginning to withdraw their support from Israel. Germany announced last week that no more arms will be sent. German commentators have called this action ‘monumental’ and one the government would have preferred not to have taken. Germany has spent decades trying to make amends for the terrible events committed by the Nazis in the Second World War. Like many other countries around the world, the disproportionate killing of civilians in Gaza and the increasing death toll from starvation is having a profound effect on public opinion.
The Knesset last week voted to take military control of the whole of Gaza in an operation due to commence in the Autumn. It is interesting looking at the values the IDF profess to have including: The IDF and our soldiers are obligated to protect human dignity. Every individual is of inherent value, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, nationality, gender or status. IDF soldiers appear to have shot 1,373 Palestinians seeking food since the 27 May. Human dignity?
There was a rare weekend meeting of the UN Security Council on 10 August to discuss Israel’s plans to occupy the whole of Gaza seen widely as a backwards step likely to lead inevitable to more death and destruction.
There seems no end to it and the only people who can end it are the Americans who are determined supporters of Netanyahu.
Palestine Action
Over the weekend there were widespread protests and many arrests of those alleged to be in support of Palestine Action, now deemed a ‘terrorist’ organisation by the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper. Over 500 were arrested. Cooper has defended her action saying people do not know the full truth about the organisation.
The human rights charity Amnesty International’s chief executive Sacha Deshmukh suggested the response to the protest was disproportionate.
He said: “We have long criticised UK terrorism law for being excessively broad and vaguely worded and a threat to freedom of expression. These arrests demonstrate that our concerns were justified.”
RAF flights
The depth of feeling about the government and its continued support for Israel is profound. People are deeply upset at seeing an entire population subjected to the brutal treatment by an extremely powerful army such as the IDF knowing that the UK is supporting them behind the scenes. The RAF continue to overfly Gaza with hundreds of sorties. Over 500 have taken place up to March this year with 215 since Keir Starmer became prime minister. The purpose of these flights is shrouded in mystery and the claim that they are to ‘help locate hostages’ is especially weak: 500+ flights and not to find one? Bit of a waste of money surely? There is no parliamentary oversight of these flights the purpose of which are obscure and troubling.
The RAF enjoys a fine reputation in the UK. Here in Salisbury – where Spitfires were manufactured in various places around the City and the airfield where they left for service is near where this is being typed – especially so. They valiantly defended the nation at the start of the war and ‘the Few’ are the stuff of legend. It is a shame therefore to see them being deployed in what appears to be shady activities in defence of the IDF.
We do not have a meeting in August so instead, we meet to have a ‘social’ in the village of Great Durnford near Salisbury. We were blessed by the weather which has been abnormally warm this year, it was just a pity some were away or ill.
Our next meeting is on Thursday 11 September at 2pm in Victoria Road.
Amnesty in Salisbury & South Wiltshire 