York Palestine Solidarity Campaign presents petition to MP

The petition, bearing the names of almost 400 people from York, has been presented to York’s MP who pledged to present it to Parliament ‘at the earliest opportunity’.

York Central MP Rachael Maskell, who was suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party earlier this week, joined the York Palestine Solidarity Campaign group at their stall in Parliament Street to officially receive the document.

Launched in June, the petition reads: “We UK residents condemn the genocide in Palestine and demand that our elected representatives truly reflect the wishes of the British people by immediately cutting off all cultural, military and economic relations with Israel.”

Chris Brace, from the York Palestine Solidarity Campaign and the York Palestine Assembly, told The Press: “I am hoping the outcome of this is that there will be a debate in Parliament and this Government will do all it can within the international community to prevent the genocide from continuing. That is our sincere hope.

“This petition started in June, and the support has been fantastic. Every time we are here, we have people coming up to the stall.

“It is so important to people from Palestine to see us here and see the flag flying – it means so much to them. Sometimes they are moved to tears to see people standing up for their cause.”

Supporters applauded York Central MP Rachael Maskell as she pledged to present the petition to Parliament ‘at the earliest opportunity’ (Image: Nadia Jefferson-Brown) Richard Murgatroyd, a fellow member of the campaign group, told The Press he had been concerned about Palestine throughout his adult life and the support for the petition meant a lot to him.

“It is hard to think of a more obvious injustice than the situation there and now it has taken a terrible turn. This petition is part of people power. Politicians like Rachael Maskell are few and far between.

“This petition is about getting the Government to listen to the majority of the British people. All they want to see is justice and peace.”

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He presented the petition to Ms Maskell who previously said she had been suspended from the Labour Party for “standing up for my constituents” over welfare reform.

Mr Murgatroyd told the York MP she was ‘one of the rare politicians to have the courage to stand up for her convictions’, adding: “We are so grateful as residents of York that you are prepared to take our voice to Parliament. Thank you.”

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Campaigners and onlookers applauded Ms Maskell while a passing group of young people shouted ‘Free Palestine!’.

Thanking them for their support, Ms Maskell said: “There is no greater cause of our time than to see the release of the people of Gaza.

“This last week I have been spending time with doctors who have just come back from the region and they have shown me pictures that I will never forget – that no human person should ever have to see – of children in immense suffering which they know, if only they had the resources, they would be able to save. But instead, they are dying before them. 

“It is too horrendous to describe and so we desperately need to recognise the state of Palestine, stop the sale of arms, put sanctions on and stop the trade and ensure we see the flow of aid, medical and humanitarian aid, into Gaza and, once and for all, see the Palestinians living freely in their land.”

Ms Maskell then told The Press: “This is a Human Rights city and I am so proud that there are people in our city who give up everything to stand up for others. There’s no greater cause in our time to stand up for than Palestinians who are suffering such extreme persecution.”