Worthing marches for Palestine

People gathered at Worthing Town Hall where they listened to speeches from local Jewish and Palestinian residents, before marching through the town centre and along the seafront. The diverse crowd, including many families, received lots of support from passersby, with one group of residents joining the march after hearing the chanting from their flats.

At the end of the march, Worthing Councillor Carl Walker and ex-Councillor Emma Taylor-Beal both spoke to the crowds, alongside British Palestinian theatre director, Tanushka Marah. A one minute silence was observed to remember the 34,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza in the last 7 months, including over 14,000 children (this is double the number of primary school children in Worthing). Palestinian poetry and songs were also shared and children painted pebbles for peace.

Alongside the march, an open letter to Sir Peter Bottomley MP and Tim Loughton MP was signed by residents, urging them to end arms sales to Israel and to do everything they can to push for an immediate permanent ceasefire, particularly as Israeli forces invade Rafah, where 1.4 million people are sheltering, including over 600,000 children.

A collection during the march also raised almost £500 for the charity Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), which is operating in Gaza.

The march was jointly organised by Parents for Peace Worthing (a local group established by parents to create safe spaces for families wanting to show solidarity with Palestine) and the Worthing branch of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

For more information, please follow @parentsforpeace_worthing and @worthingpsc