Hundreds march in show of solidarity
HUNDREDS of people gathered in Newcastle city centre to march in solidarity with the people of Palestine amid the ongoing conflict with Israel.
Organised by Newcastle Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Newcastle Stop the War, the event was part of a nationwide day of action.
Campaigners gathered at Grey’s Monument in the city centre and could be heard chanting ‘Palestine, free, free’ while waving flags and placards which said ‘Freedom for Palestine.’
Since Monday night, Palestinian militant group Hamas has fired hundreds of rockets into Israel, whose military responded by barraging the Gaza Strip with tank fire and air strikes.
At least 126 people have been killed in Gaza, including 31 children and 20 women.
In Israel seven people
have
been killed, including a six-yearold boy and a soldier. Writing on Facebook, organisers said: “Israel is attempting to ethnically cleanse Palestinian families from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah, occupied Jerusalem.
“As Palestinians protest in Jerusalem against these evictions, and Israel’s ongoing programme of ethnic cleansing, Israeli forces have responded with brutality, including an assault on worshippers at Al Aqsa Mosque that has wounded hundreds.
“Backed by the state and its discriminatory laws, settler groups have claimed ownership of the land in Sheikh Jarrah and implemented a creeping takeover of Palestinian homes, aided and abetted by Israeli courts and the security forces.
“The plans to forcibly dispossess the families is part and parcel of Israel’s attempt to alter the demographic balance of the city, by ethnically cleansing Palestinians, while simultaneously providing financial and political support for illegal Jewish-only settlements built on stolen Palestinian land.
“We are now seeing an expansion of Israel’s violence towards Palestinians, with sustained bombing of Gaza, leading to dozens of fatalities and hundreds of wounded. The military assault on Gaza must stop immediately.
“We demand that the UK government takes immediate action and stops allowing Israel to act with impunity. It must insist that Israel ends current proceedings to evict the families, and start holding Israel accountable for all its actions. This includes through implementing sanctions and banning the import of goods from Israel’s illegal settlements.
“In the face of Israel’s brutal crimes, we can’t remain silent.”