On March 6th this year, the Sheffield Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid presented a petition of 7,500 signatures to a Full Council meeting. Councillors were denied the opportunity to vote on this petition: instead, it will be discussed in a Strategy and Resources Committee – we don’t yet know when. (see Newsletter of March 7th.)
The Leader of the Council, Tom Hunt, offered to produce a cross-party statement of solidarity with Palestine, as the Council Leadership did with Ukraine. That statement was entitled “A statement in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine” and was crystal clear in terms of who it supported (Ukraine) and who was to blame (Russia). It led up to this emotive crescendo: “The Town Hall will be lit in the colours of Ukraine this evening; this gesture is to show our support and to show the people of Ukraine that here in Sheffield we will do all we can to be a light in the darkness.”
What about solidarity with Palestine?
True to their word, the Leaders of the Council’s four parties have now issued a “Cross -party Statement of Solidarity” – the question is “with whom?”
Unlike their response to Ukraine, the Council’s leaders could not bring themselves to issue a statement naming Palestinians in its title.
Why is what is happening in Palestine not “unimaginable military aggression” in the eyes of the Sheffield Council leadership, like the “unimaginable military aggression” of Russia”?
This is not the statement of solidarity and unity with Palestine, in the spirit of the Petition, which we were led to expect.
See the Coalition response here. We have sent our full statement to all Councillors, issued a press release and it will be circulated on social media.
