On International Women’s day (Friday, March 8) women from the local Pro-Palestinian Group Solidarity with Palestine Pembrokeshire & Stop the War Pembrokeshire will lead a rally and deliver a petition to MP Stephen Crabb’s Office.

Organisers of the rally have stated that it is aimed to highlight the 12,300 children and babies as well as the 8,400 women who have so far been slaughtered in Gaza at the hands of Israel’s genocide over the last few months. The rally will assemble at 3 pm on Castle square. There will then be a peaceful procession led by women and children to deliver letters and the petition to Stephen Crabb’s office.

Since October 7, local demonstrations have repeatedly marched on Stephen Crabb’s constituency office as well as targeting Marks & Spencer and Barclays bank over their support for Israel’s war and occupation in Palestine, weekly vigils have also been held.

Weekly letters including invitations to meet with the group to discuss the situation have also been sent to Stephen Crabb. The group have recently set up a Change.org petition urging Stephen Crabb MP to Condemn Bombings and Support Peace in Palestine.

Organisers of the demonstration issued this plea: “On International Women's Day, Friday, March 8 please join us on Castle Square, Haverfordwest at 3 pm to make a stand for Palestine.

“We are asking the women, children and families of West Wales to come together in solidarity with Palestinian women, children and families.

“We want to draw attention to the genocide that is happening in Gaza and we want to hold the local MP in Haverfordwest, Stephen Crabb, accountable for his continued support of the Israeli Government in all if its genocidal actions.

“The United Nations has described Gaza as a graveyard for children. Current figures estimate that 12,300 babies and children have been killed but this is rising every day. Please join us with your children and families for a peaceful protest.

“Bring placards, poems, paintings, banners, letters to read out. But most of all bring yourselves and use International Women's day to come together and show solidarity with women in Palestine.”

Key organiser, Anna Monroe said: “As a new mother myself, it breaks my heart over and over to witness the mass killing of so many people. I especially struggle to cope with the murder of children and babies, nearly 13,000 now!

“I am filled with grief and feel so helpless, so one thing I can do is to go to my MP and ask him how he can support this. Is he ok with killing babies?? If not, why is he not only allowing but actively supporting the violence to continue? Would he support the killing of my baby? If the answer is no, then does he think Palestinian babies are less worthy of life than mine? I hope that us bringing our children to his office might help the gravity of what's happening sink in.”

As part of delivering weekly open letters to Stephen Crabb on Palestine, this week’s letter focussed on Islamophobia from within the Conservative party itself, pointing to the controversy around racist rhetoric coming from key Tories such as Suella Braverman & Lee Anderson, the letter went on to highlight recent incidents of Islamophobic hate speech and attacks locally in Pembrokeshire and asked Stephen Crabb: “Would you support an independent investigation into racism within the Conservative Party?”. 

Urging mothers and families to attend Friday’s protest, local campaigner Tasmin Nash said: “At the time of writing 17,000 children in Gaza are unaccompanied as their parents have been killed or separated from them due to the continuous Israeli onslaught on Palestinians.

“As a mother of four, I am appalled at the disregard for the universal rights of children in Gaza. An unprecedented number of babies and children have been injured and murdered over the last 150 days and despite constantly writing to our local MP Steven Crabb to call for a Ceasefire, our pleas are being ignored by Crabb, the Chairman of the Conservative Friends of Israel. We will continue to voice our opposition to genocide and stand for humanity.”

All details of Friday's demonstration can be found at the group's Facebook Page.