Pro-Palestine march organised from Merthyr Tydfil to Cardiff

Martin Shipton

Pro-Palestine activists together with local people from Rhondda Cynon Taf and surrounding areas will join together to walk in peace, solidarity and remembrance of the 20,000 children killed in Gaza.

The walk, on Sunday September 7, will end with ‘Seeds of Remembrance’, an act of hanging tags in trees on seeded paper with the names of children killed in Gaza.

In a poignant act of remembrance, people will come together to walk sections of the 25-mile route from Merthyr Tydfil to Cardiff along the Trevithick Trail and the Taff Trail, passing through locations symbolically ‘twinned’ with Gaza.

The walk begins with an early start at 6am.

Section 1: North Gaza – Trevithick Tunnel to Pontygwaith Bridge – around 5.2 miles

Section 2: Gaza City – Pontygwaith to Abercynon – around 3.3 miles

Section 3: Deir Al-Balah – Abercynon to Pontypridd – around 3.5 miles

Section 4: Khan Younis – Pontypridd to Nantgarw – around 4.3 miles

Section 5: Rafah – Nantgarw to Tongwynlais – around 3.1 miles

Section 6: Tongwnlais to Cardiff – around 5.9 miles.

At each stop more peace walkers will join, and poems, songs and other forms of commemoration will take place.

Act of remembrance

The peace walkers will arrive into Cardiff at around 6pm and will assemble for an act of remembrance at Alexandra Gardens, moving onto the Temple of Peace until around 8pm.

Almost 20,000 Palestinian children are known to have been killed in Gaza since Israel’s brutal assault began, with unknown numbers missing beneath the rubble.

Each of the names of the children that have been killed have been lovingly printed onto seeded paper tags by volunteers from the local area for the act of remembrance in Alexandra Gardens.

In preparation for the arrival of the peace walkers the names of the children will be hung into trees in Alexandra Gardens.

One of the organisers, Hayley Richards, said: “Not everyone feels comfortable to be part of a protest these days and it’s easy to feel afraid of making our voices heard. Everyone in attendance will be invited to take the children home, say their name, plant the seeded paper in their gardens and remember them always.”

‘Unimaginable loss’

She added: “The People’s Peace March ’25 miles through Gaza’ invites us to walk briefly in the shoes of the people of Gaza who, even as they face unimaginable loss, are forcibly displaced up and down the 25-mile Gaza strip over and over again. Walking is our way of showing that we care deeply and draws on the heritage of walks for peace in Wales.

“It is understandable to feel overwhelmed and numb by statistics. The temporary memorial, and act of remembrance, brings home the devastating scale of loss and asks us to connect with the children in a different way. Each child is precious, innocent, irreplaceable and their life horrifically cut short by violence.

One of the walkers, who only gave her first name Angela, explained: “I have never needed to walk that far, what a privilege and a luxury to do it safely and peacefully with friends, in the knowledge that we have food and water and that my children and loved ones are safe.”

Fundraising

Organised by a group of local people with support from Rhondda Cynon Taf Palestine Solidarity Campaign, this peaceful walk is for everyone. Walkers will also be fundraising for Medical Aid for Palestinians and for the Beyond the Checkpoints youth visit organised by Camden Abu Dis Friendship Association, through which Palestinian children from the West Bank will visit Wales between September 28 and September 30.

All are welcome to join Sunday’s events. Ms Richards said: “We are hopeful that the story and spirit of this day will reach some of the people in Gaza so they are aware it has taken place and feel our shared humanity.

“We kindly ask that people register via the Eventbrite link and review the full information before attending.