March and Rally this Saturday, April 20th, at 11.00am from Mount Pleasant Park
Press Release from the Sheffield Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid
The Israeli government’s recent attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria, and Iran’s retaliation, have pushed the Middle East to the brink of regional conflict. But the origin of this conflict lies in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, and its annexation of land in the West Bank—actions that the UK explicitly supports through its continued sale of arms to Israel.
To demand that the UK government suspend the sale and transfer of arms to Israel, a rally will be held on Saturday, April 20, at 11:00 a.m., starting at Mount Pleasant Park and ending at City Hall.
All those who want their voices heard during this crucial moment in the fight against genocide and apartheid are encouraged to attend. Members of Sheffield Writers for Palestine will be meeting at the corner of Abbeydale Road and Crowther Place at 10:55 if you would like to march alongside us.
The rally has been organized by Educators for Palestine, a group of teachers, administrative assistants, and others who work in schools across the South Yorkshire area. Liaising with the Palestine Solidarity Committee and the Sheffield Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid, Educators for Palestine decided to take the opportunity the Easter holidays offered to organize a demonstration that would insist on an end the UK’s complicity in the genocide in Gaza.
Despite numerous calls for an arms embargo against Israel, which is currently facing an investigation by the International Court of Justice for war crimes, Foreign Minister David Cameron has said the UK will continue to allow British companies to sell arms to the Israeli military. Nor have the Labour opposition made a clear statement in favour of an embargo. Instead, they have danced around the issue by asking to see the legal advice stating that international law has been broken to be released. Despite being a former human rights lawyer, Keir Starmer has lacked the courage to call for an embargo, categorically failing to be an opposition voice for the millions of Britons who want to see an end to genocide in Gaza.
It should be clear to anyone watching the unrelenting assault on Gaza over the past six months that crimes against humanity are being committed on a daily basis. Innocent civilians have been murdered. Children are starving. This is what has led to the destabilization of the geopolitical situation in the Middle East, and until a ceasefire that gives justice to the Palestinians of Gaza and the West Bank is brokered, the danger of things spiralling out into a regional conflict will persist.
There is some great news here from Lowkey about the work of Palestine Action who are taking direct action against companies selling arms to Israel to support the genocide.
Tell the Truth Sheffield 