News / Palestine
‘Ceasefire now’ – Bristol march for Palestine
“Ceasefire now” chanted the crowds that marched through the streets of Bristol to call for an end to ongoing atrocities in Gaza.
The protest on Saturday also marked 76 years since the 1948 Palestinian ‘Nakba’ (meaning ‘catastrophe’ in Arabic), referring to the ethnic cleansing of more than 750,000 Palestinians by Zionist settlers leading to the declaration of the ‘State of Israel’.
Organised by Bristol Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Bristol Stop the War, in collaboration with other local groups, the march saw scores of protesters of all ages turn out in solidarity with the people of Palestine.
is needed now More than ever
Cries of “free Palestine” rang out through Broadmead as the march wound its way from College Green, through the Horsefair and along Baldwin Street, returning to College Green for speeches by prominent pro-Palestine campaigners.
Protest organisers said: “We are calling on the people of Bristol to stand in solidarity with Palestinians in calling for an end to the current genocide, and an end to 76 long years of occupation and oppression in Palestine.
“It was the British who abandoned Palestine in its hour of need and paved the way for the Nakba in 1948. We must ensure we are not complicit again in another Nakba in Gaza today and in Israel’s ongoing ethnic cleansing of historic Palestine: it is now time to right these historic wrongs.”
Here’s the march in photos:
There will be events throughout the week to remember the 1948 Nakba, which is observed on May 15, and to protest ongoing atrocities in Gaza. Bristol Palestine Solidarity Campaign will be hosting cultural and educational activities in Castle Park from 11am on Sunday, May 12 and Sunday, May 19.
All photos: Ellie Pipe
Read next:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
