New UK party wants Labour to ‘Never Forget Gaza’

A new British political party has been launched to unseat a Labour MP who abstained from voting for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Birmingham Ladywood MP Shabana Mahmood was among the 141 lawmakers who refused to back a vote for a ceasefire in Gaza at the House of Commons on 15 November. 

After the vote, constituents held a rally calling for a no-confidence vote against the Birmingham MP. 

The recently formed Never Forget Gaza party has since called for greater political visibility for the Palestine issue in parliament.   

Never Forget Gaza consists of Palestinian peace campaigners, including Birmingham-based activist Salman Mirza. 

The party announced its plans via a series of tweets, as they condemned the votes against calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and those who abstained. 

“As hospitals and residential areas were bombed in Gaza, most people called for a ceasefire. The political class saw fit to accept cutting food electricity and aid to Palestinians, many of whom are children, as totally acceptable,” the Never Forget Gaza account wrote on X. 

As hospitals and residential areas were bombed in Gaza, most people called for a ceasefire.

The political class saw fit to accept cutting food electricity and aid to Palestinians, many of whom are children, as totally acceptable.

— NEVER FORGET GAZA (@Never4getGaza) November 22, 2023

“Amnesty International and many other human rights and aid organisations called this a war crime. We hope to stand a candidate against Shabana Mahmood MP for Birmingham Ladywood in the 2024 general election, with one simple message, "Never Forget Gaza'.” 

A GoFundMe page was set up to collect donations to help set up the party, from registering to standing in the general election. 

Salman Mirza, Never Forget Gaza’s prospective parliamentary candidate, hopes to continue raising awareness on the plight of Palestinians. 

"MPs, like all of us, have seen hospitals, children and innocent civilians bombed, yet they think they can ride the storm and we will forget," Mirza told The New Arab. 

"In 2024 there will be a simple message on every ballot paper: 'Never forget Gaza'."

Mirza added that the party reflects Britons who are increasingly aware of Israel’s war on Gaza in the current climate. 

The politician argued that the age of social media has provided "ordinary people" a sense of "agency in this discussion" on Israel's occupation, which Mirza said has led to different coverage than during the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. 

"The war on Palestine has been going on long before October the 7th, the political class wants to return to a place where the Palestinians died quietly like they are right now in the West Bank," Mirza said. 

"This party was set up because many of us said we will not forget this, we want the political establishment to see that name next to theirs and spoken about on every door they knock.

"We hope 'never Forget Gaza' will continue to haunt them and let them know human life is more valuable than personal political ambitions and careers."