BOYCOTT BARCLAYS AND STOP ARMING ISRAEL! Southport Friends of Palestine (SFOP)
Southport Friends of Palestine (SFOP) Gather for a Protest for Palestine on Lord Street in Southport - Ceasefire Now - Free Palestine!
Words shared after the protest…
BOYCOTT BARCLAYS AND STOP ARMING ISRAEL
Nearly 34,000 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 77,000 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. About 70% of those killed have been women or children.
Source aljazeera.com
Israel’s leaders have openly dehumanised Palestinians, whilst killing some nine thousand children and injuring many thousands more. Over one thousand children have had at least one limb amputated, many of them without anaesthetic. The acute scarcity of medicines, fuel, food and water is due to Israel’s devastating blockade of Gaza, a form of collective punishment and surely a war crime.
Source waronwant.org
For the people of Gaza, the past six months of conflict have brought death, devastation and a shameful man-made famine.
And it’s not just Gaza. In the West Bank Palestinian health officials say over 460 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the conflict erupted in October. Conditions there have deteriorated with a shortage of medicines, food and settler violence increasing daily.
I have spent many months living and volunteering in the West Bank and this week I received the news that a friend’s unborn baby niece had died as a result of a beating the mother received from settlers. Children I worked with in Jenin Refugee Camp have lost parents, homes and lives. A little boy, Yacoub, only 9 years old died this week – hungry, needing medication and sick. My friend attacked by the soldiers dogs. The home where I stayed now lies abandoned having been used by soldiers to party. At night the family I stayed with take refuge in the hospital or UN school, though even in these places they know they are not safe.
Another friend living in the South Hebron Hills has to contend with setters in his village and outside of his house each and every day. And another friend, living in Coventry is fundraising to try to rescue her parents and other family members from the devastation in Gaza.
For decades now Palestinians have been subject to militarised repression and an apartheid system. The ongoing assault on Gaza, and the increase in violence across the West Bank are made possible by international complicity. Countries, including the UK, trade in arms with Israel. Rishi Sunak tells us that the UK stands by Israel’s right to defend itself. Keir Starmer agrees with him. But I don’t call the mass killing of women and children and the starvation of a people self defence, and nor do I think do you.
It sometimes feels like we are powerless in the face of such atrocities and complicities, but there are actions we can take.
Barclays is a UK banking giant with its headquarters in London. It provides billions of pounds worth of investment and loans to arms companies selling weapons and military technology to Israel. Barclays is actively arming, supporting and profiting from Israel’s apartheid regime and its genocidal violence against the Palestinian people.
Source waronwant.org
Palestinians have asked us to take action against companies like Barclays and you may have caught sight of one of these action cards today. Don’t worry if you haven’t, but put Boycott Barclays into your search engine and you can find information there.
Source palestinecampaign.org
So please, if you have an account close it, and if you haven’t write to Barclays telling them that as long as they invest in Israeli arms companies you won’t be using their services.
Many thanks for coming again today.
Join Southport Friends of Palestine (SFOP): May 4th 2024, 12pm - 1pm
Location: Outside the Atkinson Theatre on Lord Street in Southport
Bring flags and banners! Ceasefire Now!
