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Actions 30th and 31st August and 1st September

Saturday 1 September is the rescheduled date for this event

Join us in a show of Sheffield unity ❤️

We’re inviting local families to come together for a picnic to show unity in our community! ✊🏽✊🏿✊🏼

A relaxed gathering where everyone is welcome. Bring a picnic / snack and come for a chat, or just play 🛝⚽🪁

We’ll have a creative kid-friendly activity along with a selection of story books on themes including #antiracism, diversity & inclusion and migrant voices 📚

Please share far and wide, let’s make this a huge show of Sheffield’s love, friendship and solidarity for one another 💓

Actions for the weekend 16th 17th 18th August

4pm Sunday 18th August – Showroom Cinema

GAZA SURF CLUB (rated 18)

(Ages 18-26: £5 with photo ID)

Book tickets via www.linktr.ee/sheffieldPSC

Ibrahim, an industrious 23-year-old is in love with surfing and wants to go to Hawaii, to learn more about the industry and the craft of making boards for gifted and enthusiastic surfing friends including Sabah, a 15 year old young woman.

The boards they have are home-made and fragile.

Ibrahim has already been rejected five times for a visa and has spent thousands of dollars in the process, continuing to surf until finally …

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Stay for a Q&A after the film with young people from Sheffield’s Palestinian community.

Actions for weekend 9th and 10th August

Thanks to all our supporters and anti racist campaigners to have chased the fascists off our streets this week.

Despite the far-right attacks, it’s very important to continue with our street presence in support of the Palestinians who are facing the Israeli criminal killing machine every moment of every day.

We can’t and will not let the racists and Zionists win. Without you and people like you worldwide, the Palestinians will have no voice.

PLEASE attend our vigil this coming Friday 08 August outside Sheffield at 5 pm. While we are confident this will be peaceful, we will have stewards for our vigil; we can stand together and protect each other.

The success of this vigil will no doubt empower all activists and send a strong message that our pro-Palestinian activism will not stop!

Saturday 10th August, Join the Palestine Bloc

As important as the vigil on Friday is to ensure we make clear on Saturday our streets are not a parade ground for fascists. Please join the anti fascists demonstration on Saturday in Sheffield.

Clear dereliction of duty from the council

After a long and disappointing debate, the council has decided not to adopt the petition demand of a Israeli Apartheid Free Zone.

Submitted in March and delegated to the Strategy and Resources Committee, Sheffield PSC activists were hopeful that, in the wake of the International Court of Justice ruling on July 18th, which found Israel’s occupation to be illegal and the regime to be practising the crime of apartheid, the Council would vote to review the report. Instead it voted to accept its recommendations and do nothing.

The report itself, described by the Council’s chief executive, Kate Josephs, as ‘processy and legalistic’ takes a risk averse perspective and is reluctant to find room to support Palestinian people. This contrasts with the alacrity with which the Council supported Ukraine.

You can judge for yourselves. Here is the Ukrainian people support page and here is the Palestine statement of support.

Questions first from Hilary Smith and then from Jonathan Feldman challenged the Council to have the report reviewed; then during the debate there was an amendment proposed by Douglas Johnson (and seconded by Angela Argenzio) to include a statement that adopts the phrase Israeli Apartheid Free Zone; in response to this the Chief Executive was able to confirm that it was ‘open to the council to adopt the phrase’ adding that Local Authorities “do adopt declarations which are expressions of political views”.

In spite of this open door to do the right thing, Tom Hunt the leader of the council – supported feverishly (some might say manically) by the leader of the Liberal Democrats – forced the report through with no review.

Some issues and questions remain:

the report claims that the council is not subject to International law and there was a claim in the meeting that external counsel was consulted and confirmed this – we maintain this is incorrect but even if it is correct it does not mean councils cannot act to support international law.

the council officers have done an impact assessment for this report; dd they do an EIA for the Ukranian support policy?

the council rejected the phrase as they claimed it was largely symbolic, but there are things they can do to support Palestinians in Sheffield and show support for Palestine:

  • They could remind all business of the ruling from the ICJ and advise them to withdraw from contracts that exposes them to Israeli war crimes.
  • They could ensure posters are placed in libraries to this affect
  • They could offer mental health support to Palestinian refugees

We will be keeping up the pressure on the council to change tack over the coming months.

Sheffield’s Big Weekend for Palestine

Fri 19th

  • 4.30pm Banner drop, Ponds Forge
  • 5pm Rally, Train station

Sat 20th – Big Ride for Palestine – registration via www.linktr.ee/SheffieldPSC closes today!

  • 8.45am Cyclists assemble, Tudor Square
  • 5.15pm ‘Short ride’ join cyclists at Wellbeing Centre S9 3TU to ride together to city centre
  • 5.45pm End of ride rally, Barkers Pool

Sat 20th 12pm – The People’s Graduation for Palestine Students’s Union S20 2TG

Sat 20th – Cinema Palestino Showroom

  • 12.45pm Foraging walk
  • 2pm Palestinian film: ‘The Foragers
  • 3.45pm Foraging walk

Sat 20th Gigs Fundraising for Gaza

Sun 21st – Sheffield Transformed Festival SADACCA

  • From 10.30am