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International Women’s Day: Solidarity Camp, 8th March

Following on from our other justice now camps, there will be camp a further Peace and Justice Now Camp in order to celebrate International Women’s Day to stand in solidarity with Palestinian Women.

Please join us :

Sheffield Peace Gardens on Friday 8th March between 3pm and 8pm

  • 2.45 establish our ‘Peace & Justice Now’ Camp in Peace Gardens
  • From 3pm: Decorating the ‘Peace & Justice Now’ Camp….
  • Activities for children & adults with Sheffield Creative Action for Peace (including making Birds of Gaza)
  • 3.30pm Tadhamon Solidarity Choir
  • 4pm Students arrive, marching from campus with their Birds of Gaza
  • 4.15pm Sahar & Lena, with Janet & June: song for children killed in Gaza:
  • Yoma mweil el hawa.
  • 4.45 – 5pm: poetry and song from Seni Seneviratne, inc poems by Hiba Abu Nada – a poet who was killed with her son in October
  • 5 pm Reading by Sahar of ‘The Shawl of Grief’
  • 5.15-6pm Open session: Contributions from women & girls of song & poetry for Palestine welcomed, especially a poem from 11 year old Amna Khan.
  • 6pm Light up the Peace Gardens: Bring night lights/candles & flags
  • 6.30pm Special guest from Gaza: Dr Mona El Farrah
  • And Health Workers for Palestine Vigil
  • 7.30 – 8pm Singing and close of camp

Please circulate these flyers

Sheffield University failing students from Gaza

For the last 10 years the University of Sheffield has offered an annual taught postgraduate scholarship to a student from Gaza. Since 2013, the University has offered tuition, accommodation and a small maintenance grant.

Despite this legacy, the University has not made any public statements about the welfare and wellbeing of any current or past Gazan students.

As a result of this, on the 7th February 2024, a group of 27 Students Union sabbatical officers – who are elected to represent students – published an open letter to the University’s senior leadership sharing their profound concern and dismay due to the absence of a public statement or evident action to support Palestinians who have graduated from, or are studying at the University.

The University of Sheffield has not replied to this request despite the continuing Israeli attacks on every university in Gaza, and the killing of over 80 professors and academics.

The University must support its students and alumni, and respond to the open letter.

Call for Alumni to send a letter

If you are or have been part of the University of Sheffield, please email their alumni department using our template letter.

Despite providing an annual scholarship to a student from Gaza since 2013, the University had been silent – it has not responded to the open letter sent in Feb ‘24 by over 25 former and current Student Union Sabbatical Officers, who requested confirmation of the support available for Palestinian students and alumni.

Insist that the University make: a public statement on its support for Gazan students and alumni!

More information about attacks on the right to education in Gaza

https://scholarsagainsthewar.org

https://scholarsagainstwar.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/SAWP-Actions-Against-Scholasticide-Toolkit.pdf

http://right2edu.birzeit.edu 

https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6108

https://www.palast.ps/en/news/updated-list-names-professors-and-academics-killed-israels-genocidal-military-campaign-gaza

https://palestine.un.org/en/258658-un-agencies-end-conflict-imperative-return-learning-palestine

Sign petition to end complicity with Israeli Apartheid!

Do you live, work or study in Sheffield? If so, please read, sign and circulate this petition today – we must reach our target of 5,000 signatures in a fortnight!

https://bit.ly/iafz-petition

The people of Gaza have been under barbaric genocidal attacks for weeks. Over 30,000 people have been killed – 11,000 of them are children. Yet still there is no ceasefire.

In the West Bank, Palestinians continue to to be forcibly removed from their homes and face daily threats from settlers and the military. Over 7,000 Palestinians are detained in Israeli jails, without charge or trial.

It’s time for Sheffield City Council to show leadership once more. We call on Sheffield City Council to declare our city an Israeli Apartheid-free zone and to issue a statement of solidarity with Palestinian people.

IDF OFF CAMPUS: PROTEST 12.30, 14TH FEB

Zechariah Deutsch, an Associate Chaplain at the University of Sheffield and several other universities travelled to Israel to serve as an IDF reservist.

Deutsch sent a video to students stating that “what Israel is trying to do is destroy the evil”. He is an active participant in Israel’s merciless campaign of occupation, genocide and ethnic cleansing.

We charge him with genocide! He has the blood of Palestinians on his hands!

Deutsch has now returned to the UK, and is visiting the universities he is associated with. He has already been to Leeds and now he is planned to visit our campus on this Wednesday.

Our university has done nothing in response to our letters! They have failed to cut ties with this genocidal maniac! STAND WITH US AND SAY NO IDF ON OUR CAMPUS! THE UNIVERSITY MUST CUT TIES WITH DEUTSCH AND BAN HIS PRESENCE!

Join us and say no to war criminals on campus!

Time: Wednesday 14th February 2024, 12:30pm

Location: University of Sheffield, SU concourse

Bring banners and placards. Stay safe and use a face mask!

FREE PALESTINE!

We shut Barclays down today!

A group of campaigners went in to Barclays at midday today while others set up the 24 hour camp .

Very quickly Barclays management issued a notice to customers apologising for closing the branch “due to circumstances beyond their control” . This is of course not true. It is very much IN their control to disinvest from weapons factories sending arms to Israel. So this notice…

…got replaced quite quickly:

So the doorway is ours for a little while…

Don’t bank on Barclays!!

Barclays is bankrolling Israel’s genocidal assault on Palestinians through its financial ties with arms companies that sell weapons to Israel.

We’re calling on all concerned people to boycott all Barclays services until the bank ends its complicity in Israel’s attacks on Palestinians.

IN SHEFFIELD, we are camping outside Barclays for 24 hours to draw attention to their complicity with genocide and to continue our demand for an Israeli Apartheid Free Zone in this great city.

Let’s not forget Sheffield’s great tradition of solidarity – from the anti slavery sugar boycott in the 1850s, solidarity with Chilean refugees in the 1970s and South African anti apartheid campaign in the 1980s when Barclays were boycotted before and paid the price!!

The council MUST act now!

For 8 days two Palestinian women camped outside the Town Hall supported by many hundred of Sheffield people – who came to visit or stay with them throughout the day and night. They had three clear demands.

Lean (right) and Sahar (left) with Tyneside supporter Annabelle during the camp

The one demand in our grasp at a local level was that the council declare Sheffield an Israeli Apartheid Free zone and take action to ensure none of its operations can have ties with Israel. Please read this to find out what this means and what you can do.

On February 7th hundreds of people will take action for Gaza in their workplace while the council meets in full for the first time this year. In the wake of the ICJ ruling, surely it is time for the council to act:

Apartheid Free Zone now in Sheffield!

(Press release 30th January 2024)