OVER a hundred people turned out for a vigil for the victims of Gaza in Stratford.
Organised by Stratford for Palestine, the event was held outside the library in Henley Street on Sunday September 28 and called for an end to Israel’s actions.
Since Octber 2023, more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed – almost half women and children – and Israel’s action have been declared genocide by the United Nations and Amnesty International.
Stratford MP Manuela Perteghella attended the vigil and spoke about the need for an immediate ceasefire, and a lasting peace in accordance with international law.
Names of the Palestinian, and Israeli, children killed were read out and poems were read including Michael Rosen’s Don’t Mention the Dead Children.
Organiser Amanda Evans-Waters said, “Hearing the names and ages of so many innocent children, many not even a year old, moved me to tears repeatedly. We were there for an hour and I don’t think we even managed to get to names beginning with ‘b’ in the alphabet, such is the extraordinary number of children killed.”
Sachiko Nakada, who attended the event, added: “It is just unbelievable that we’re watching a livestream genocide take place on our TVs, and there’s nothing we can do.”
