Denise Craghill, Chair of York Green Party, spoke at the Palestinian solidarity rally in York on 16 March. She said:
In some ways its increasingly hard to find the words to describe the horror of what is happening in Gaza as the world stands by and watches.
Thousands of women, children and babies killed, 100,000 people killed, injured or missing under piles of rubble, little or no food, water, shelter or functioning hospitals for 2 million people. Children dying of starvation when this could so easily be prevented by opening up land borders and letting in aid at the speed and scale that we all know is really needed – and that it would be perfectly possible to do with the cooperation of the Israeli government. And at the same time, continued bombing and killing, as a population that has already been under siege for many years is now driven into a corner and attacked yet again. It’s hard not to describe this as genocide – how else can we describe this crime against humanity?
Whatever anyone’s views of the history of Palestine and Israel and how we got to here – and that history is very, very important – but whatever your views, surely it is basic humanity for everyone who has power and leverage at their disposal to do everything they can to make this stop?
Violence leads to violence and the only thing that can actually make everyone in the region safer and able to live their lives will be a negotiated peace. Of course, we have to condemn the dreadful attacks by Hamas on 7th October. But we also have to challenge – and ask everyone to challenge – the notion that this ongoing genocide, being carried out by an elected Government supported by the UK and the US and other western powers, can somehow be ‘justified’ as Israeli self-defence. Killing and starving women, children and babies is not self-defence.
We need a lasting ceasefire now, the release of all hostages, immediate large scale aid for the Palestinian people in Gaza and a negotiated and just peace in the region. And we need Governments such as the UK and the United States to use the power that they have to bring this about – stop exporting arms to Israel, stop supporting the Israel arms industry, stop hosting Israeli arms companies in the UK and stop funding illegal settlements. These would all be very powerful actions and they could start tomorrow. And we need everyone else to use the power that they and we also have by continuing to protest like today, continuing to put pressure on our MPs and the Government and continuing to speak out for Palestine. Free, free Palestine!
