Pictures: Mike Daish.
Around 70 people marched through Southampton on Sunday to take part in a solemn show of solidarity with the Palestinian people.
The march also renewed demands for the UK Government to stop arming Israel and shut down weapons factories, including the Leonardo site in Southampton.
The event, organised by Shut Down Leonardo, came on the weekend of Palestine Independence day and with the backdrop of a supposed ceasefire in Gaza, since which 260 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed, a further 632 have been injured and Israeli airstrikes have destroyed some 1,500 buildings.
Sunday’s event saw demonstrators gather at the Peace Fountain in East Park before marching to Watts Park, where speeches were given and the Palestinian Flag was raised. The march was strengthened by support from local Imam Muslim community volunteers, and stewards, as well as the wider Southampton community.
There was also a charity auction and donations were collected for the humanitarian work of Food4Gaza Southampton, whose local teams are currently providing food, clean water, and baby formula directly to displaced families living in tents along Al Mawasi in Gaza.
As they marched, demonstrators chanted ‘stop killing doctors, stop bombing hospitals, stop bombing schools, killing children is a crime, killing babies is a crime.”
A couple seeming counter-demonstrators were in the park but kept their distance from the march and there were no clashes.
At the flag raising ceremony, one speaker addressed the crowd, saying: “by raising this flag and gathering today, we are celebrating Palestinian culture and history and we are mourning many thousands of innocent dead. We are sending our consideration and love from our small corner of the world to theirs. At the same time, we are all committing ourselves to hope – the hope that their dream of statehood and peaceful coexistence might one day be realised after all, for the benefit of all humanity.”
One of the organizers, Parveen Ishfaq, said: “This is our second march of the year, and with every step we take, our voices grow louder, our unity grows stronger.”
She added: “Whether you boycott, protest, pray, donate, or simply speak the truth you are part of this global movement for justice.”
Renewing the call for the UK to stop exporting arms to Israel she said: “No company should profit from bloodshed. No company should profit from genocide.”
The speech also highlighted injustices across the world, from Sudan to Congo, Kashmir to Yemen.
As the formal programme ended, participants were invited to stay for a warm and welcoming community gathering with food, cake and drinks.
In Common photographer Mike Daish found the event deeply moving. He said: “After seeing and hearing so much on mainstream media, I’d become a bit numb to the devastation and suffering being inflicted on so many innocent people—something I’m honestly ashamed to admit.
“But today changed that. Hearing the raw emotion in the voices of those who spoke, and watching someone break down in tears as they shared their truth, it hit me hard. “These aren’t just headlines or distant reports—they’re real people, just like us. Families. Friends. Lives torn apart.
“It made me stop and really feel the weight of their pain. And it’s not right. None of it is. “Why can’t people just live alongside each other without all this hatred and harm?
“A quote came to mind while I was listening—one I’d heard before but never truly felt until now. I looked it up later and saw it was by Friedrich Nietzsche: ‘Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.’
“It just made sense. The longer we’re exposed to cruelty, the easier it is to lose our own humanity if we’re not careful.
“Today moved me deeply. So much so that I cried when I got home, just thinking about it all. I’m really glad I went. I hope I get the chance to go again.”
- In Common is not for profit. We rely on donations from readers to keep the site running. Could you help to support us for as little as 25p a week? Please help us to carry on offering independent grass roots media. Visit: https://www.patreon.com/incommonsoton
