From the Liveblog of
Thursday, August 14, 2014
150 people packed in boxes in Gaza protest
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleOne hundred and fifty men, women, and children squeeze into wooden boxes outside the British parliament buildings in Parliament Square, London, in a protest aimed at putting pressure on the UK government to help lift the blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The square demonstration is organized by the British Oxfam charity and aims to exemplify the conditions in which that the people of Gaza are forced to live due to the blockade on the territory.
“Under the blockade, the entirety of Gaza’s civilian population is being punished for acts for which they bear no responsibility,” Oxfam says in a statement. “This constitutes collective punishment and is illegal under international law.”
The protest also serves to launch a nationwide action campaign the charity is organizing to help with its efforts to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza.
“The international community will be guilty of a dereliction of duty if it stands by and watches the blockade continue to impose further misery on Palestinians in Gaza,” says Nishant Pandey, head of Oxfam in Israel and the Palestinian territories. “Israel does have legitimate security concerns, but punishing everyone in Gaza will not achieve lasting peace and security for either Palestinians or Israelis.
“Enough is enough — the blockade must be lifted now.”
The Times of Israel Community.