Marching over 41km for Gaza
Christian groups take ‘pilgrimage’ to call for a ceasefire
Around 100 people embarked on a 13-hour h¯ıkoi yesterday covering 41km — the distance representing the length of the Gaza Strip.
Organised by Common Grace Aotearoa and Aotearoa Christians for Peace in Palestine, yesterday’s walk in Ta¯maki Makaurau was part of a national and global movement spanning 18 countries, with more than 145 walks planned during Lent, the Christian season leading up to Easter.
The event was organised to demand a lasting ceasefire in Gaza and urge the New Zealand government to grant humanitarian visas to Gazan family members living in Aotearoa.
“We are simply using our bodies to pray for peace in Palestine,” said event organiser Sophie FasiMohenoa.
“We kicked off bright and early at the Holy Sepulchre church in town, and we are going all around, past the ports, O¯ kahu Bay, Taumanu Reserve, and head back past Manugakiekie back to Holy Sepulchre.”
The ‘pilgrimages’ in Aotearoa began in Christchurch last Saturday and end in Wellington on Thursday March 28, with a prayer service on the steps of Parliament inviting MPs from all parties to attend.
The walks symbolise the hardships faced by Palestinians due to Israeli military actions and forced evacuations. In the past four months alone, Israel’s assaults have displaced 1.9 million Gazans, with over 85 per cent of the population affected and a death toll exceeding 30,000, including more than 11,500 children.
Katrina Mitchell-Kouttab, a member of the Palestinian community, stressed the importance of coming together.
“The suffering of Palestinians must lead to global change,” she said.
“Palestine must be free, and our dead remembered. This is a time for unity.”