Peace demonstrators will demand a stop to bloodshed in Gaza this weekend with a remembrance march through Manchester City Centre.
Stop the War Coalition are calling for anyone opposed to the conflict to join in the rally on Sunday August 3 which begins on Oxford Road at midday and finishes at Piccadilly Gardens.
Speakers will be accompanying the walk and flowers, shoes, footballs and toys will be laid on Piccadilly Gardens to remember the suffering of the children of Gaza.
Nahella Ashraf, chair of Stop the War, said: “Many Palestinian children have been killed, hundreds have been injured. Young people in Gaza are traumatised by the relentless bombing from Israel’s armed forces.
“There are families living in the Manchester community with strong links to families in Gaza. I know many who will be joining the march on Sunday.
“When we get to Piccadilly Gardens the children will be leaving shoes and toys and footballs as an act of remembrance and solidarity with the children of Gaza.”
The conflict has already sparked protests across the North West with thousands in Manchester, Salford and Rochdale lining the streets in recent weeks.
Up to 2,000 people including families, politicians, trade unionists and peace campaigners gathered at Piccadilly Gardens last weekend as the violence escalated and the death toll rocketed.
Debbie Abrahams MP for Oldham East has spoken out against the conflict and urged Prime Minister David Cameron to condemn events in the region.
“I am absolutely horrified by what is happening to the people of Gaza, and what the Palestinian people are suffering at the moment. We have to call for an immediate cease fire,” she said.
Abrahams asked the PM to: “Unreservedly condemn the indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks on the Palestinian people, particularly civilian women and children, and the breaches of international law and the Geneva convention.”
More than 1,000 Palestinians are reported to have been killed in the fight so far and that number is expected to grow after the breakdown of a humanitarian ceasefire.
Penny Hicks, Convenor of Stop the War Coalition, said: “The destruction of everything in Gaza is causing anger and disbelief. We are expecting great support for this march through Manchester on Sunday.”
Image courtesy of Chris Beckett, with thanks
