CAMPAIGNERS are set to stage a protest in York to demand that the city’s institutions act on the humanitarian crisis in Palestine.
The protest, organised by the York Palestine Assembly (YPA), will be held at 11am in St Helen’s Square on Saturday (October 25).
It follows a vigil held by the group last month, which saw more than 70 people gathered outside York Minster on the morning of September 28.
The vigil involved nine people laid on the ground covered in makeshift, bloodied shrouds, which campaigners said represented “videos and photographs of the dead in Gaza”.
After a ceasefire was announced last week, YPA have made five demands (which are outlined in full in a letter published on Thursday); four of these are directed towards City of York Council with a fifth for the University of York.
They are: public recognition and condemnation, support for justice and liberation, ethical investment and divestment, twinning and visible solidarity, and support for Gazan students at the university.
Helen Meadows, a spokesperson for the YPA, added: “We urge all councillors, institutions and residents to stand on the right side of history – for freedom, for justice and for humanity.
“We’re asking the council to acknowledge the genocide and issue a statement of intent to say that they stand in solidarity with the YPA and the wider Palestine Solidarity Campaign.”
She added that the group have concerns about the ceasefire itself after reports that nine Palestinians were killed in the region only hours after the leaders announced the break in fighting.
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