Parents and grandparents of Cardiff gathered in front of the Cardiff castle on monday, urging the British government to take steps to end the sufferings of the children in Gaza.
Cardiff parents demonstrated in front of the Cardiff castle on Monday asking the British government to find a way to stop the war in Gaza and end the sufferings of the children there.
The protest organized by ‘Parents of Cardiff’ is part of an effort by the Stop The War UK Coalition- a joint platform of various anti-war groups trying to create public opinion in favor of a ceasefire. ‘Parents of Cardiff’ – is a member of the ‘Cardiff stop the war’ group, which falls under the broader umbrella.
Frankie Finn , one of the organizers said, “I am a parent as well as a grandparent, and when I put my grandchild in bath and look at his body- all complete and chubby and clean, it moves me and I think about what’s happening in Gaza where the children are being shredded to pieces”.
“It just tears my heart away”, said Frankie while clutching onto a handwritten placard which read ‘44% of those killed in Gaza are kids’.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, the ongoing conflict since October 7, 2023, has resulted in the death of over 43,000 people. The Palestinians claim that the majority of victims are women and children.
The organizers claim that along with the Palestine issue, they are also vocal for Climate action to tackle the climate change and regularly demonstrate against other ongoing conflicts such as the Sudan and the Ukraine war.
On 28th of November ‘Stop the war-UK coalition has called for protests in the colleges and workplaces across the UK demanding the government to stop sending arms to Israel. According to the activists, the Thursday action will be the largest workplace action since the war started and Monday’s protest is a prelude to it.
“All the arms that go to Israel, is rubber stamped by the British government. Any big shipment must be cleared by them. We want the government to stop doing it”, said Frankie, while she waved a Palestinian flag towards a passing car. Most of the demonstrators braving the November rain were armed with hand written placards saying ‘stop killing kids’, ‘Welsh families against killing’ among others.
“Every day my children are witnessing a world where it’s okay to kill Palestinians because they are people of color. That’s what the colonizers think. I don’t want my girls to grow up in such a world”, said Sharifa, a mother of three.
“With whatever capacity I have, I’ll fight against it”, she adds.
Aysun from Turkiye thinks, “When the Israelis finish with the Palestinians they will go after Lebanon, then after Syria, Egypt and Turkiye. This madness has to be stopped”.
The war in Gaza has sparked widespread protests across the UK from the very beginning. Cities like London and Cardiff have remained the centre stage of such movements. On October 11, protestors in Washington DC organized a giant red line using chain flags and urged the US administration to not cross it. The red line reached Cardiff on October 14, with ‘Cardiff stop the war’ organizing the protest march attended by hundreds of people.