Pro-Palestine demonstration will stage a ‘mock funeral’ in Haverfordwest, Wales this Saturday 20 January at 2pm on Castle Square. Protestors said that Stephen Crabb MP is “feeling the heat”, as local pressure mounts for him to withdraw his support for Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
Organisers invite attendees to bring white shrouded mock dead bodies, spattered in red paint for a symbolic mass funeral representing the 24,448 Palestinians who Israel has killed in over 100 days of war on Gaza.
Standing up for Palestine in Wales
Since 7 October, local demonstrations have repeatedly marched on Crabb’s constituency office as well as targeting Marks & Spencer and Barclays bank over their support for Israel’s war and occupation in Palestine, weekly vigils have also been held.
With South Africa’s allegations of genocide against Israel currently being heard by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague, organisers said:
It is clear that Israel wants to ethnically cleanse Gaza of Palestinians.
They say that Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer, and their own MPs Crabb and Simon Hart are complicit in this war crime. they say they are rallying to send a clear message from Pembrokeshire to Crabb and Hart that this genocide must stop:
We are rising up for Palestine and we are certainly not going away as Crabb has been claiming.
You can join them on 20 January in Castle Square, Haverfordwest at 2pm to make a stand for Palestine.
Countless Palestinians dead, injured, and traumatised
Since October 7th, 24,448 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza,10,400 of these were children and 7,100 women, a further 61,504 have been injured with 7,000 missing, 337 health workers, 117 journalists, and 152 UN staff have been killed while 1.9 million Palestinians are now displaced with desperately-limited access to food, medicines, and water.
Local campaigners have begun delivering weekly open letters to Crabb. This week’s letter focused on the Genocide case in the Hague against Israel’s war crimes, asking him: “Will you support the ICJ ruling?”, if the international court decides that Israel is committing a Genocide in Gaza.
Key national trade unionists are to attend and speak at the rally – including Cerith Griffiths of the Fire Brigades Union Cymru and Mairéad Canavan, a National Executive member of the NEU (National Education Union).
Canavan said:
I am supporting the demonstration because this is a human catastrophe caused by the deliberate action of the Government of Israel and is clearly a war crime and an act of genocide.
The UK government has failed to call for a permanent ceasefire and continues to give unconditional support to Israel. As a teacher I’m particularly horrified by the cost of the genocide to children. Since 7 October 2023 , at least 24,000 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 59,604 Palestinians were reportedly injured. Some 70 per cent of the fatalities are women and children.
Nizar Dahan (Neezo), who is a prominent pro-Palestine activist from Swansea, said:
After 103 days plus 75 years of Israeli aggression and occupation, it is important, now more than ever, to keep speaking out for Palestine. The narrative is changing, and people are waking up to the brutality of the terrorist state of Israel. The ongoing genocide and statements to support it are a clear indication of the Zionist entities’ intentions. Our movement is working and helping to educate people on the dire need to support Palestine. This is a cause for all of humanity
Politicians will be ‘judged by history’
The demonstration will take place as part of coordinated local rallies around Wales and the UK this weekend following hundreds of such demonstrations since Israel’s war on Gaza began. National demonstrations have also attracted hundreds of thousands of people in London in recent weeks.
Organisers Stop The War Pembrokeshire and Solidarity with Palestine Pembrokeshire said:
Who would ever think that as campaigners we would have to resort to staging a protest which includes a mock funeral & laying shrouded dead bodies? It seems unfathomable and so desperately sad that we are forced to organise such a macabre protest.
However, we have no choice and we are acting on the wishes of our Palestinian sisters, brothers and comrades who are dying at this very moment at the hands of Israel’s murderous Genocide”. Stephen Crabb and Simon Hart are very much mistaken if they think we will “go away”, In fact the opposite is true, as international pressure mounts against Israel’s war crimes.
Crabb and Hart will be judged by history over their current support for Israel’s Genocide in Gaza.
All details of Saturday’s demonstration can be found at the Facebook event page here.
Featured image via the Canary
