Aberdeen gathers in solidarity with the people of Gaza and mourns the killing of innocents

I attended and spoke at a protest and vigil for Gaza in Aberdeen on Saturday 13 August, to call on our governments and the international community to condemn Israel's latest bombardment of Gaza and to mourn the lives lost including 16 children. 

You can see what I said below. I have put the link to the SPSC statement which has links to petitions and letters to politicians. please go on and  sign and send these.

"Kate Ramsden, speaking on behalf of SPSC Aberdeen.

We are here once again to protest Israel’s bombing of Gaza.

Ordinary people, compassionate people, doing what Western governments have failed to do. Stand against Israel’s apartheid and oppression of the Palestinian people and demand an end to it.

Gaza is 25 miles long by 3.7 miles wide and is home to 756,000 people. It has been subject to Israeli blockade since 2007.

Last week Israel bombed Gaza for three days. 47 people were killed, including 16 children.

In such a small area with so many people there was never any doubt there would be civilian casualties. Israel called it a pre-emptive strike against Jihadi leaders, but how can that be justified under international law when it results in the murder of innocents?

And this is only the latest in a long line of atrocities, perpetrated by Israel against a Gazan population with nowhere to run. Since 2008 Israel has waged four wars on Gaza, killing 4000 civilians, one quarter of them children.

Yet the international community turns a blind eye – or worse, defends Israel’s right to defend itself. What, by the killing of children? By oppression, occupation and the blockade of Gaza. By subjugation and intimidation? Well, not in my name.

Compare the outrage at Russia’s attack on Ukraine with the silence, or mealy mouthed reporting in the West of Israel’s attacks on Gaza. The unequivocal condemnation of Russia’s killing of the children of Ukraine with the disregard of Israel’s crimes in Gaza.

There is no justification for Israel’s bombardment of Gaza and their murder of children.

We are here today to call on the governments at Westminster and Holyrood to unequivocally condemn Israel for their oppression of the people of Palestine and their murder of Palestinian children.

Children who could be your children or mine. 16 children with their whole lives ahead of them, dead at the hands of Israel. Children from the same families wiped out. It’s heartbreaking.

And the children left behind who live in terror of the next attack by Israel. Who mourn the loss of friends, brothers and sisters and know that the next time it could be them.

We demand action from Western governments. We demand they end their complicity in Israel’s oppression of the Palestinians and their killing, maiming and imprisonment of Palestinian children.
We call on all of you to join the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign against Israel and to support petitions demanding our governments end their arm trade with Israel and their complicity in Israeli apartheid and war crimes.

We stand here to demand freedom and justice for Palestine. But also to mourn the death of these 16 innocent children and of all the other children killed, maimed and imprisoned by Israel.

I will now ask Khurram to read out their names and their ages and we will light a candle for each one:

Jamil Najm al-Deen Naijm,4
Alaa Abdullah Riyad Qaddoum, 5
Momen al-Nairab, 5
Haneen Abu Qaida, 8
Hazem Salem, 9
Ahmed Yasser Nimr al-Nabaheen, 9
Ahmad al-Nairab, 11
Jamil Ihab Najim, 13
Muhammad Yasser Nimr al-Nabaheen, 13
Dalia Yasser Nimr al-Nabaheen, 13
Mohammed Hassouna, 14
Hamed Haider Najim, 16
Nazmi Fayez Abu Karsh, 16
Ahmed Walid al-Farram, 16
Mohammed Salah Naijm, 17
Khalil Abu Hamada, 18

 

Write to the First Minister and your Councillors - https://coordin8.org.uk/app/index.php/com

Petition the UK Government and Parliament - https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/618802

See the SPSC statement here