Community / More calls for Gaza ceasefire
ANOTHER demonstration in solidarity with Palestinians was held outside Lerwick Town Hall this afternoon (Saturday) calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza conflict.
The gathering, which is now becoming a regular event, was organised by Palestinian Solidarity Shetland and was described as peaceful with a two minute silence. Around 50 people attended the Lerwick event.
It comes as hundreds of thousands of protesters took part in a Pro-Palestinian march in London, and elsewhere in the UK, with the demonstrations coinciding with Armistice Day.
Jennifer McLeaskintosh, a member of Palestinian Solidarity Shetland, said: “We’re here to demand an immediate ceasefire and an end to the occupation of Palestine. War has no place in this world, Armistice means ceasefire.
“Palestinian voices are being suppressed; it is our responsibility to use the freedoms that we have in Scotland to amplify the shouts, cries and entreaties of the Palestinian people, and speak out against these violations of human rights and humanity.”
Zara Pennington was critical of the UK Government’s response to the death of civilians, adding: “We have seen 10,000 innocent people slaughtered and neither the UK Prime Minister or the Leader of the Opposition can bring themselves to utter the word ‘ceasefire’.”
Meanwhile Alex Armitage it is “not easy in Shetland to put your head above the parapet and speak out on issues like this, but as Shetlanders, we can have an outsized voice on issues like this”.
UK Government’s foreign office minister Andrew Mitchell recently said that the government “unequivocally supports Israel’s right to defend itself” but added that it must take every precaution to minimise civilian casualties in line with international humanitarian law.
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