Organisers invite attendees to bring white shrouded mock dead bodies, spattered in red paint for a symbolic mass funeral representing the 24,448 Palestinians who have been killed in 100 days of war on Gaza.
Since October 7, local demonstrations have repeatedly marched on Stephen Crabb’s constituency office as well as targeting Marks & Spencer and Barclays bank over their support for Israel’s war and occupation in Palestine, weekly vigils have also been held.
With South Africa’s allegations of Genocide against Israel currently being heard by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague, organisers say “It is clear that Israel wants to ethnically cleanse Gaza of Palestinians.” Adding that “Biden, Netanyahu, Sunak, Starmer and our own MP’s; Stephen Crabb & Simon Hart are complicit in this war crime. We are rallying to send a clear message from Pembrokeshire to Crabb & Hart that this genocide must stop. We are rising up for Palestine and we are certainly not going away as Crabb has been claiming.”
Please join us on Saturday 20th January in Castle Square, Haverfordwest at 2pm to make a stand for Palestine.
Since October 7th, 24,448 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza,10,400 of these were children and 7,100 women, a further 61,504 have been injured with 7,000 missing, 337 health workers, 117 journalists and 152 UN staff have been killed while 1.9 million Palestinians are now displaced with desperately limited access to food, medicines and water.
Local campaigners have begun delivering weekly open letters to Stephen Crabb. This week’s letter focussed on the Genocide case in the Hague against Israels’s war crimes asking Stephen Crabb: “Will you support the ICJ ruling?” [if the international court decides that Israel is committing a Genocide in Gaza.]
Key National Trade Unionists are to attend and speak at the rally including Cerith Griffiths of the Fire Brigades Union Cymru and Mairéad Canavan a National Executive member of the NEU (National Education Union) who said: “I am supporting the demonstration because this is a human catastrophe caused by the deliberate action of the Government of Israel and is clearly a war crime and an act of genocide. The UK government has failed to call for a permanent ceasefire and continues to give unconditional support to Israel. As a teacher I’m particularly horrified by the cost of the genocide to children. Since 7 October 2023 , at least 23,469 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 59,604 Palestinians were reportedly injured. Some 70 per cent of the fatalities are women and children.”
Nizar Dahan (Neezo), who is a prominent Pro-Palestine activist from Swansea said:
“After 103 days + 75 years of Israeli aggression and occupation, it is important, now more than ever, to keep speaking out for Palestine. The narrative is changing, and people are waking up to the brutality of the terrorist state of Israel. The ongoing genocide and statements to support it are a clear indication of the zionist entities’ intentions. Our movement is working and helping to educate people on the dire need to support Palestine. This is a cause for all of humanity”
The demonstration will take place as part of coordinated local rallies around the UK this weekend following hundreds of such demonstrations since the War on Gaza began. National demonstrations have also attracted numbers of up to one million people in London in recent weeks.
Organisers: Stop The War Pembrokeshire and Solidarity with Palestine Pembrokeshire said: “Who would ever think that as campaigners we would have to resort to staging a protest which includes a mock funeral & laying shrouded dead bodies?” It seems unfathomable and so desperately sad that we are forced to organise such a macabre protest. However, we have no choice and we are acting on the wishes of our Palestinian sisters, brothers and comrades who are dying at this very moment at the hands of Israel’s murderous Genocide”. Stephen Crabb and Simon Hart are very much mistaken if they think we will “go away”, In fact the opposite is true, as international pressure mounts against Israel’s war crimes. Crabb and Hart will be judged by history over their current support for Israel’s Genocide in Gaza.”
All details of Saturday’s demonstration can be found at the Facebook event.
