Lib Dems March for Peace and Justice in Middle East (Bristol East Liberal Democrats)

Bristol East Liberal Democrats <info@bristoleastlibdems.org.uk>

Lib Dems March for Peace and Justice in Middle East

February 13, 2009 12:03 AM

Lib Dems March for Peace and Justice in Middle East

Bristol East Prospective Member of Parliament Mike Popham joined about 300 people in a march through Bristol on Saturday, 7th February to reinforce calls for an end to conflict in Gaza. The march started in Easton and ended on College Green for a gathering and speeches. Liberal Democrats along with other parties have called the military strikes an "outrage that the international community must not allow to continue".

Stephen Williams, Bristol West MP, said: "This is a humanitarian disaster. While I think it's wrong for Hamas to fire rockets indiscriminately at Israeli territory the collective punishments of more than one million people is not the way to handle it.

"Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East and we have a right to expect higher standards from them."

Activists were planning Britain's biggest ever pro-Palestine demonstration as attacks continued in Gaza in defiance of a United Nations resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.

Mike Popham, Bristol East Prospective Member of Parliament said: "Politicians send young people to war and, on both sides, they must live up to their responsibilities to thwart and avoid tensions before they result in human death and misery. The major powers should all come together and apply the political force necessary to stop the killing and maiming of innocent people in Gaza and Israel."

Fourteen of the 15 members of the UN's security council backed a resolution to stop the conflict, with the US abstaining. The official death tolls since the conflict started on December 27 reached 777 Palestinians and 13 Israelis.