Community / Gaza solidarity walk to take place between Sumburgh and Lerwick
A WALK is set to take place later this month from the Sumburgh Head lighthouse to Lerwick in solidarity with the people of Gaza.
It will also raise money for the Green Olive Collective and the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund.
The walk will take place on Saturday 20 September, departing from Sumburgh Lighthouse at 6am and taking a route via Quendale, Bigton, Maywick, Wester Quarff and Gulberwick.
It aims to arrive in Lerwick by 9pm. A similar walk took place in March last year which raised £6,000 for the two charities.
It is being organised by Lerwick resident Lucy Livingstone and Shetland South councillor Alex Armitage.
“In the future, folk will look back at the genocide that is being perpetrated in Gaza, and it will be universally condemned,” Armitage said.
“What we do now counts. Though we in Shetland are far away from the terrible suffering of the Palestinian people, we are not powerless.
“If you can, please join us for a section of the walk – or the whole thing if you’re able. If you have the means, please donate to our fundraiser.”
The Green Olive Collective is an Israeli/Palestinian organisation based in Jerusalem.
Green Olive organises events, tours, cultural exchanges and advocacy campaigns, enabling Israelis and Palestinians to discover a “shared sense of humanity and foster respect for equality, democratic values and human rights, and an end to military occupation, genocide and famine”.
Green Olive Collective was founded by Unst resident Fred Schlomka, who divides his time between Baltasound and Israel.
The Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) is a charity headquartered in Los Angeles that provides medical and humanitarian relief for Palestinian children.
Armitage said “almost 20,000 children have been confirmed killed by the Israeli Government since 7 October 2023 but a greater number have suffered limb loss or other serious life-changing injury”.
“Children that survive the genocide will have significant need for ongoing support and the PCRF is well placed to provide this,” he added.
People can donate to the fundraiser here.
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