Huddersfield protest calls for end of hostilities in Gaza

Jan 6 2009 by Joanne Douglas, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Protest calls for end of war in Gaza

AROUND 200 protesters gathered in Huddersfield last night to call for an end to violence in the Middle East.

Members of the Huddersfield Stop the War group called on the Government to do more to bring an end to the fighting in Gaza which has seen around 500 people killed so far.

They gathered at Market Place in Huddersfield to make their protests heard and generate support for the Palestinians affected by the Israeli military action over the past ten days.

Local councillor Mehboob Kahn attended and Dewsbury MP Shahid Malik had earlier voiced his concern about the violence.

Clr Khan said: “I am very concerned about what is happening in Gaza and the plight of the Palestinians and I feel that here in Huddersfield we are just as affected as the communities marching in Manchester, Birmingham and London – this is about showing solidarity.

“I was in Gaza two years ago to monitor the first ever local elections that the Palestinians had in Gaza and at the time there was a ceasefire and the elections were an important part of the peace.

“The Israelis broke the ceasefire in Gaza and the team were bombed from the air by Israeli airplanes – it was horrific for that to happen and to witness it first hand.”