Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand
Rally livestream:
Calls for Auckland Council to demand permanent ceasefire in Palestine
Friday 1 December 2023
PSNA Tāmaki
A march to Auckland Council will take place tomorrow (Saturday), calling on Auckland Council to demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Palestine.
The hīkoi, organised by Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) and Palestinian Youth Aotearoa (PYA), is expected to attract thousands of Aucklanders.
PYA spokesperson stated, “Every week we’ve seen Aucklanders take to the streets en masse to demand an end to the atrocities committed by Israel against Palestinian people, but our political leaders in Wellington have been ignoring us. We hope Auckland Council will show the moral leadership that Central Government has been lacking.”
Earlier this week, on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, Waiheke became the first Local Board in the country to unanimously pass a motion calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and to fly the Palestine flag from their building for one month.
“We’re delighted to see Waiheke Local Board responding to their constituents and standing for human rights internationally, and we hope Auckland Council will do the same”
Stand with Palestine Waiheke spokesperson Susi Newborn, who called for the Waiheke Local Board motion urged other communities across Aotearoa New Zealand to do the same, “While a call for a ceasefire can be seen as largely symbolic, symbols matter. We used a similar approach successfully when securing a nuclear free future, when Waiheke became the first community in New Zealand to declare itself a nuclear free zone” she continued.
More than 15,200 people including over 6,000 children have been killed in Gaza by Israel since October.
Yesterday, Israel agreed to extend the temporary pause in hostilities to facilitate the transfer of Israeli and Palestinian hostages. PSNA Auckland described the development as, “simply not good enough. We need more than a temporary pause in the bombing of civilians in Gaza. A permanent ceasefire across Palestine is urgently needed, so a political solution, overseen by the international community can be put in place. Pressuring our country’s leaders through local government is one way all New Zealanders can help achieve that.”
ENDS
Auckland Peace Action 