Today we joined some local peace campaigners in a vigil for Palestine by Leicester's Clock Tower. Melanie Wakley spoke on behalf of Leicester Friends of the Earth. Here is what she said:
"Leicester Friends of the Earth comes to this vigil in solidarity with Palestine Friends of the Earth, also known as PENGON. PENGON is made up of 14 grassroots organisations working in both the West Bank and Gaza, and is the foremost environmental NGO network in Palestine. They have suffered terribly since the start of the war and continue to. Five PENGON members have been killed in Israeli airstrikes.
The most recent escalations in violence are happening amid a decades’ long occupation and oppression of the Palestinian people. For years, our colleagues in PENGON have shared with us the huge challenges of living under occupation. They now find their work hugely hindered, including in the West Bank, but they carry on despite the challenges. We stood with them before the war and we stand with them now.
Friends of the Earth is the largest grassroots environmental justice network in the world. We know that to respond to the environmental crises we face, we must act on a global stage. We do this through our international network. That network’s strength depends upon its bonds of solidarity. Environmental justice means standing against injustice where we see it. The war on Gaza, and the Occupation, are towering, historic injustices. As an environmental justice network, we stand against oppression wherever we see it.
We also want to grieve the environmental impacts of the war and the occupation. As much as 50% of Gaza’s agricultural and farmland has been damaged and 70% of its trees destroyed. 100,000 cubic meters of sewage and wastewater are daily dumped into land and sea. Between October and June 2024, more than 2,000 agricultural sites — including farms and greenhouses — were demolished in Gaza. There is reportedly 37 million tons of rubble in Gaza, increasing the risk of exposure to harmful substances like asbestos and pollutants released from facilities containing hazardous materials. The scale of destruction is simply staggering.
Damage to the environment may seem secondary to the loss of life, but it is entwined with the humanitarian crisis. The people of Palestine live in their environment. Harm to water and sanitation, access to food, land pollution, the destruction of environmental projects, all affect the current and future liveability of Gaza. The Latest PENGON research from October 2024 has identified:
● 63 unregulated landfills with 1.2 million tons of solid waste causing an imminent public health disaster with transfer of diseases
● Hepatitis, vomiting, yellow fever, trachoma, malaria, cholera, have all emerged, more than 50% of children are infected with Hepatitis A
● A 68% decline in Gazan crop yields
● 93% of the groundwater wells are inoperable – ‘there is no clean water in Gaza and the luckiest people can access 3 litres of drinking water a day’. Water for other purposes has decreased from 80 to less than 20 litres
The UK could be doing so much more to bring peace. Our government provides crucial diplomatic support to Israel and continues to supply arms. This is despite an appallingly high number of civilian casualties and the vast destruction of Gaza, as well as accusations of violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, war crimes and genocide. The UK is at risk of complicity in the accused crimes and could make a significant difference. We are calling for a full arms embargo. We must stop arming Israel."
