Category Archives: News

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Sheffield #justicenowcamp day 3

Today Lena Mussa started her hunger strike. She has been buoyed by visit from Labour councillors yesterday and green councillors today (see slides below). As she started her hunger strike she told us

“it is clear what is happening in Gaza is not colateral damage as claimed by Israel but ethnic cleansing, a genocide”.

In a conversation in the morning, both Lena and Sahar expressed extreme disappointment that having both said they would come, Look North and Calendar failed to turn up – ” a clear case of anti-Palestinian racism” they said. But they did get interviewed by the Islam channel.

Later in the day, a delegation of green councillors came to meet with Lena and Sahar to express their support.

Alexi Dimond (Gleedless ward) issued this statement:

Sheffield Green Party Councillors visited the Peace Camp today to show our solidarity with the Palestinian people and the campers outside the Town Hall. We are pushing for the Council to reaffirm its historic pledge for Sheffield to be an apartheid-free zone, and for the government to support South Africa’s submission to the ICJ.

  • Distance choir singing this morning
Such has been the interest we have run out of leaflets, so camp support on duty thought they should make the situation clear!

Sheffield #justicenowcamp – letter for your MP!

We are urging all Sheffield residents to write to their MPs and insist that their elected representatives visit the camp and listen to Sahar and Lena. Their absence on an issue that has clearly got so much local support is neglectful at best and complicity with genocide at worst.

Some councillors have visited notable the head of the Green Party and some Labour councillors.

You can find a template letter as pdf here and as rtf here

A visit from some Sheffield Labour councillors
Leader of the SCC Green Party Councillors, Doug Johnson (City)

Sheffield #justicenowcamp day 2

A busy day at the camp with constant stream of visitors.

A lovely visit from Sheffield Families for Gaza who set up an Arabic writing workshop, and , one of the highlights, was Tadhamon choir coming to sing, prompting Sahar to do some much loved dabke

We also had group visit from Sheffield councillors and two Church of England priests. All listened hard to both Lena and Sahar and showed support for their stance.

We need Sheffield council to look at the lack of humanity in Gaza just now, the genocide perpetrated by the Israeli state and lack of food and shelter. This is the key symbolism of this camp.

  • Lena holds a Friends Meeting House greeting

Late Sunday night the camp was pleased to welcome visitors from Rotherham and do a short workout as Lena prepares to start her hunger strike on Monday.

Sheffield to Palestine: Justice Now Camp

From 5th January to 13th January 2024 please visit and support the Justice Now Camp in front of the Town Hall.

Horrified by the complicity of the UK government and silence form MPs and councillors, in spite of the ceasefire motion passed some weeks ago, Palestinian women in Sheffield , supported by Sheffield Coalition against Israeli Apartheid, will be demanding action and camping outside the town hall.

We demand:

1/ Sheffield council to declare Sheffield an Israeli Apartheid Free Zone
2/ That the UK government investigate British citizens who have joined the Israeli Defence Force and bring criminal charges and cease it’s support for the Israeli army
3/ There is an immediate ceasefire , an end to the occupation, and a just political solution based on an end to discriminatory apartheid policies, settler-colonialism and ethnic cleansing.

You can read why the camp has been set up here and you can see updates about the camp here

Nov 26th fundraiser – huge thanks

On Sunday we had the most special night raising nearly £5000 for emergency relief in Gaza.

Wonderful solidarity singing followed by fabulous food – some cooked by the amazing Sahar and some donated by generous business people around Sheffield and Rotherham ( see below)

We also showed a moving tribute to the samud of Gaza’s fishing community who in spite of the threat from Israeli gunboats would go out every day to fish. Thy have of course now lost all their boats and fishing equipment after the bombing of Gaza port.

The money raised means nearly 12000 people can be given meals.

Contributors from Sheffield and Rotherham

Many thanks to all these people without whose help this would not have been possible

  • Elif, Wickersley : Turkish bread, tzatziki, humous
  • Ismael , Diyafa : meat stew
  • Laoui, Shaz : falafel
  • Professor Shahd Salha, Mums United: falafel, humous, salad
  • Sarah Latif, Bake.BakeBake (instagram) : Nutella filled cookies
  • Mohmmead Ayub, Kebabish : rice and helping us serve throughout the night
  • Arfan, Imran’s diner: pizzas, and cans of drink
  • Abdelrahman, Damascus Bakery: baklawa
  • Ahmad: spinach, cheese pastries and sausage rolls
  • Tia at Tia’s Treatz (instagram) : Russian Honey Cake
  • Nada Muflih: tabbouleh, humous, and couscous
  • Sheffield Bakery: flatbreads

Sheffield demands “Ceasefire Now!”

On November 11th, at lest 10 coaches, put on by various organisations, went from Sheffield to London; meanwhile at least 1500 people marched from Ellesmere Green to the Town Hall to demand a ceasefire and an end to occupation preceded by two minutes of silence at Ellesmere Green.

Some very good speeches from people from many different communities exposing the lie of this being a hate march.

We were lucky to start the rally with some magnificent and emotional singing from different Sheffield choirs.

The children are always ours

It was magnificent to welcome back Musheir El Farra who, with his son Qasem, did such a lot of amazing work while they were trapped in Gaza

Telling how it is

Council passes landmark motion

Amazing achievement yesterday at Sheffield council meeting through the combined pressure of wonderful work by Sheffield Greens and the relentless, continued protests, letter writing etc by Sheffielders.


The council voted almost unanimously ( only one vote against?) for an immediate ceasefire and a statement that Starmer was wrong to speak about the right of Israel to withold water, food and electricity and should retract.

They also voted to call on UK govt to cease all arms sales to Israel, and to consider joining the Coalition.

The chief exec has to send the whole motion to UK government. Let’s hope that letter is published!