On Saturday 10 February, Bristol will see the seventh local Palestine march organised by “Bristol Palestine Alliance” (BPA). This time, the theme is ‘educide’ – as Israel deliberately wipes out Gaza’s education infrastructure, denying hundreds of thousands of children a future. It comes as local UK rallies will be happening again.
Israel: carrying out educide in Gaza
Times Higher Education reported that academics have accused Israel of deliberately targeting schools, universities and academics in Gaza as part of a strategy branded educide. 90% of Palestinian Authority schools have been subject to damage. Centres of higher education, including universities, have been completely shut down. Twelve higher education institutions in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed.
Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said Israel is systematically destroying every university in Gaza. Israa University, located in the south of Gaza city, was mined and deliberately demolished by Israeli forces.
231 teachers and administrators have been killed along with 94 university professors.
In the occupied West Bank, which is not controlled by Hamas, students are attacked by the army and armed settlers so schools and universities have had to shift to an e-learning model with online classes.
So, in Bristol this is the focus of 10 February’s action.
The march and rally
People will assemble for preliminary speeches and placard-making workshop at 12.00pm on College Green, BS1 5RT and the march will move off at 12.30pm
The march will make its way through the Centre leaving via Baldwin Street. At Bristol Bridge it will turn left onto High Street and then Wine Street before descending Union Street into Broadmead. The march will loop around the shopping centre and finish at the Bandstand BS2 0HQ in Castle Park for the rally.
Speakers will include:
- Professor David Miller, who this week won a landmark case against University of Bristol.
- Noor Khashaba, chair University of Bristol Friends of Palestine.
- Dr Eldin Fahmy, senior lecturer in Policy Studies at University of Bristol.
- Aisha, young school pupil-activist.
- Tom Bolton, Bristol National Education Union (NEU) branch secretary.
- Muneera Pilgrim, poet.
A spokesperson for Bristol-Palestine-Alliance said:
The death toll in Gaza has passed 27,500. The UN says 100,000 people in Gaza have been killed, injured or are missing. Israeli troops are destroying every aspect of life, housing, infrastructure, health services and education. After seeing the deliberate blowing up of the university buildings in Gaza we have to add the word ‘Educide’.
Featured image via Times Now – YouTube
