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SPSC calendar 2019
Category Archives: News
These are posts that will be on the front page
A powerful exhibition – report on ‘Women of Palestine: the ongoing Nakba’
The International Women’s Day event this year was entitled: ‘Women of Palestine: the ongoing Nakba‘
2018 is the 70th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, the process of ethnic cleansing and colonisation that continues to this day, so the choice of theme for our events this year was obvious.
A photographic exhibition displayed remarkable UNRWA archive images from the Nakba and Naksa. These images were accompanied by modern-day photos to bring the story up-to-date as well as a film and other media about how these events affected a family from Aida Camp.
You can find the full report and more images here
You will be able to see the photos from this exhibition in the Meersbrook Park Walled Garden on June 16th and June 17th. Please see here for times
Nakba vigil
An emotional address from a number of Palestinians was given in front to the town hall on Saturday 12th May as part of the Nakba vigil in Sheffield.
Re-telling their family stories of escape in 1948 and determination to return – and to remember – showed us how pathetic was the prediction from Ben Gurion – and how stupid its current proponents – that ‘Palestinians will forget’ .
Palestinians do not forget and nor do their supporters.
The right to remember is indivisible and cannot be demolished however many houses are raised to the ground.
Bank shut by protest
A great turn out day saw HSBC in Sheffield’s Fargate shut.
Bank security hurriedly closed the doors when they realised boycotteers were going to do an action.
Two of Shefield PSC managed to be in the bank. Meanwhile outside, about 20 others ensured that shoppers and walkers got to understand what the noise was about.
Even HSBC customers locked out of the bank showed awareness and understanding when it was explained how this is similar to the Barclays boycott so many years ago.
Memory and resistance – two events for May
The Israeli policy of erasing memory is cutural as well as physical. Aside from
- murdering Palestinians this month on the Great March of Return in Gaza,
- on top of the history of house demolitions
- and right at the start, during the Nakba, the flattening of over 500 villages and subsequent erasure of them,
the Nakba law, deprives Israeli public institutions, including schools, universities and libraries, of funding should they mark the Nakba, and is aimed at erasing memory.
70 years from the Nakba, let’s defy Ben Gurion’s prediction that while many have died, those alive will not forget.
Play and heal project public meeting
On 22nd February we will welcome Dr Mona Al Fara from the Middle East Children’s Alliance to Sheffield.
Dr Al Fara will talk about the desperate need to help children in Gaza traumatised by war, and siege and seeing their parents and wider families devastated by Israeli aggression.
The grave situation in Gaza
The Gaza Strip is the most densely populated region in the world. Over 80 per cent of its people are refugees and their descendants, expelled from Palestine in the 1948 war that established the state of Israel. The majority of the 1.8 million residents are under the age of 15.
Israel’s attacks on Gaza in 2008/9 killed 1,473 Palestinians. Israel’s 2014 bombardment, lasting 51 days, reduced entire neighbourhoods to rubble and killed at least 2,100; of whom 539 were children.
According to UNICEF, 373,000 children in Gaza suffer from some degree of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Additionally, 11,000 were injured, one third with permanent disabilities and more than 18,000 Palestinian homes were destroyed. Israel’s siege and the periodic bombardments of Gaza have prevented people rebuilding their lives. Many still live in tents and makeshift homes. Water and electricity are still only available for a few hours a day. For schools, hospitals, workshops, farms and homes to be restored Palestinians need international solidarity. Khuza’a is a town of 10,000 inhabitants in the south east of the
Gaza Strip. It is situated only 500 metres from the border with Israel. In the 2009 attack, it was reported the Israeli army bulldozed houses in Khuza’a with their residents still inside, and civilians were shot when carrying white flags.
These accounts were corroborated by the Israeli human rights organisation, B’Tselem. Khuza’a was one of the three areas that suffered particularly badly during the 2014 Israeli attack on the
Gaza Strip. Hundreds of its civilians were killed and large areas of the town were wiped out. Some residents were used as human shields by the invading Israeli army. As a result, thousands of children are still traumatised and in need of psychological help.
Khuza’a is about six kilometres from the Never Stop Dreaming Project, which has been supported Sheffield PSC for many years.
It will manage and support the new project, with the help of the charity, Middle Eastern Children’s Alliance (MECA). Sheffield’s Yemeni community raised £9,600 towards the Centre’s construction, and a resident of Khuza’a has donated the
land for the building to be constructed on. The building work will be
finished by the Spring of 2018. The existing staff from the Never Stop Dreaming Project, that is already involved with the local community, will be provided with additional training to support children with post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
land for the building to be constructed on. The building work will be
finished by the Spring of 2018. The existing staff from the Never Stop Dreaming Project, that is already involved with the local community, will be provided with additional training to support children with post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Thanks for reading this. Please do come to our meeting
Packed Meeting listens to Dr Summerfield
Over 60 people came to listen to the talk by Dr Summerfield. It was a very detailed and clear. He documented the role of the complicity in torture of Palestinians by the Israeli Medical establishment. We will provide links for further information as soon as we have them.
Victory at Elbit November 2017
Vigil to oppose Balfour-Friday 3rd November
Over 100 people turned up to protest against the creation of Apartheid Israel. The Balfour declaration was signed 100 years ago and led to a catastrophe for the Palestinian people. More pictures here.
‘Inspiring’ the Scholarship Fund 10th anniversary event
Inspiring and Uplifting. These two words were repeated by many of the people present at the Scholarship Fund’s 10th anniversary event in Sheffield Town Hall, marking International Women”s Day 2017.
The town hall reception room was packed to hear the stories of the students who have received scholarships since 2007. The stories are moving and full of hope despite the reality of life in Gaza,
Please pass my deep feelings of love and gratitude to all in Britain connected to the Sheffield Scholarship Fund. You have opened a new window in the dark sky of living in Jabalia under occupation. Sama Wadi, Jabalia refugee camp, 2008
I really appreciate the efforts made by the women’s group in Sheffield to help and support Palestinian women. The scholarships show there’s justice in the world and they tell us that we deserve to live a decent life as in the rest of the world. Thank you from the depth of my heart. Maisaa Salah Abu Khadra, Bureij refugee camp, 2016
Thanks to the Lord Mayor, Cllr Denise Fox and the
Deputy Lord Mayor, Cllr Anne Murphy for hosting the event and welcoming the Fund. The Lord Mayor’s words of support for the students and for the work of Fund was really appreciated.
Thanks to our speakers, Kholoud Ajarma and Musheir El Farra. Thanks to Sheffield Socialist Choir for opening the event with song.
The Scholarship Fund is aiming to raise £23k this year to bring the total sent out to Gaza of £100k in 10 years. Please support us to reach this target. Email for details: sheffieldpwsf@yahoo.co.uk