“If your voice held no power, they wouldn’t try and silence you”. Massive March in Sheffield, Saturday 16th August

A guest blog from

Friends of Al Aqsa, Sheffield

A huge march took place in Sheffield last weekend, on Saturday 16^th August. Led by the Friends of Al Aqsa, thousands of people marched from Sheffield alongside many from elsewhere in Yorkshire from Sheffield Amphitheatre, across Park Square, through the City and on to Devonshire Green. It was the largest and most diverse march seen in Sheffield for years, demanding an end to bombing in Gaza, an end to starvation in Gaza, an end to our Government’s and our City’s complicity in genocide. The march filled the tramway across Parkhill. It filled Fargate and then the Moor, noisy and angry. Young and old; Muslim, Christian and humanist all filling the City with noise, anger and deep sadness at the world’s refusal to end a genocide being committed in full sight.

The march drew tremendous support from shoppers and passers-by, and even motorists asked to wait for 12-15 minutes while the march crossed the roads.

As Abdullah, one of the organisers said; “It reminded us of the importance of humanity, of coming together, and focusing on what unites us, rather than what divides us”.

And Jo, one of the marchers, “it was one of the most culturally diverse events I’ve been to, which made it really special. I’m not religious. For me the words shared from the Qur’an and by the Muslim community felt deeply relevant and very inclusive. They weren’t just about one faith, they spoke to shared values of humanity, justice, grief and solidarity. It was a really powerful reminder that this movement is rooted in justice and human dignity, and everyone can connect with that, whatever their background or belief”.

And Sabia, another participant: “How great that we were able to create a space that was inclusive, welcoming and reflective of the incredible diversity in Sheffield, all while standing together for justice and human dignity in Palestine. Everyone’s presence, support and energy was a powerful reminder of what we can achieve when we come together as one community”.

As one t-shirt on the march said: “If your voice held no power, they wouldn’t try to silence you” in reference to the hundreds of people arrested in the last few weeks for silently expressing support for Palestine Action.

Meanwhile on Saturday, Israel killed another 57 people and a further 11 starved to death.

A spokesperson for Friends of Al Aqsa said: “Today, the people of Sheffield and wider Yorkshire came in their thousands with a clear message to Stop the Forced Starvation of the Gazan population. They had a clear demand for our government that it ends its complicity in the actions of the ethno-settler-colonial-apartheid state by stopping all arms sales and applying severe sanctions.”

Note: Friends of Al Aqsa is a 27-year-old British NGO with branches in most big cities including Sheffield. It campaigns and educates on behalf of Palestine and Palestinians. It takes its name from the Mosque in Jerusalem, the third holiest site in Islam.