Demonstrators staged a brief sit-in on Oxford’s High Street, after Israeli riot police clashed with Palestinian worshippers inside the Al-Aqsa mosque in occupied East Jerusalem.
Carrying a banner bearing the words ‘no silence until it’s over’ and ‘hands off Al-Aqsa’, the Oxford protesters marched down the High Street before coming to a stop opposite Carfax Tower.
With more than half a dozen of the marchers sitting on the ground, they held up traffic for a few minutes before carrying on towards Bonn Square. At least six buses could be seen waiting behind the group.
READ MORE: Israeli police storm Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem's Old City
The protesters called for ‘justice’ for worshippers beaten by Israeli police in the East Jerusalem mosque on Wednesday.
According to NGO the Palestinian Red Crescent, 50 Palestinians were injured in the pre-dawn raid. Stun grenades and rubber bullets were said to have been used by the police, while the Israeli authorities claimed that stones were thrown and fireworks were fired at officers inside the mosque.
Brief sit in on High St, as pro-Palestine protesters march towards Bonn Sq. @TheOxfordMail pic.twitter.com/QehLHpRCPA
— Tom Seaward (@t_seaward) April 9, 2023
It was claimed the Israeli security forces prevented Red Crescent medics from accessing the mosque, which is part of a complex known to Muslims as Al-Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as the Temple Mount. It is one of the holiest sites in both religions.
The raid came as Muslims marked the month of Ramadan and Jews prepared for the Passover festival, which began on Wednesday evening.
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