1,000 children and families march in solidarity with Gaza
About 1,000 residents and campaigners took to the streets in a peaceful protest on Saturday to show their solidarity with Palestinians suffering in Gaza, and demand an immediate ceasefire.
Protesters – organised by Greenwich Palestine Action (GPA) – gathered outside the Greenwich Islamic Centre in Plumstead Road to march into Woolwich.
Among the crowds waving Palestinian flags and banners were children and their families, as well as representatives from activist groups including the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and Lewisham Stop the War Coalition.
GPA member Tamar Amirah said: “So many of the parents I spoke to said that they were so happy there was a local march they could bring their children to.
“I met folks who had not attended any of the other marches. This was their first March for Palestine.”
The march ended with a rally in the green square outside Tesco in Woolwich centre, where speeches were held and children got involved in activities, including fabric printing.
Dr Birsen Gaskell, from Medecins Sans Frontieres and Queen Elizabeth Hospital, who has been working in Gaza and witnessed the tragedies of war in person, was in attendance. She showed the crowd a picture drawn by a child in Gaza.
More than 31,700 people have been killed in Gaza since October, according to the territory’s health ministry.
Israel’s bombing of Gaza comes in retaliation to the Hamas attacks on southern Israel on October 7, which killed about 1,200 people. A further 253 people were taken hostage.
Lubna Speitan, GPA organiser, said: “At GPA, we wanted to march together with our neighbours, united by our love for humanity to demonstrate our solidarity with the Palestinian people.
“We feel that there is an urgent need to bring both local and national attention to the plight of the souls of Gaza. We hope that our actions today will have created greater local awareness and unity against the occupation of Palestine.”
Pictured top: Protesters assembled for the rally outside Woolwich Tesco on Saturday (Picture: Greenwich Palestine Action)
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