Author: Abbi Abbioui

Please see our list of up and coming activities both locally and nationally for people to support . As always please pass onto others . 

1. National PSC Updates 

Next national March – Saturday 2 November , meeting at noon at Whitehall, marching to the US Embassy  . Details on the link below 

https://palestinecampaign.org

Anyone wishing to travel with other CPSC supporters on Saturday to the march , we will let people know which train we are planning to travel on later in the week . Look out for us on the platform with the Cambridge PSC banner!  

2. Local events 

Healthworkers 4 Palestine 

invite everyone to join us for a 

Vigil for Palestine 

Friday 1 November  

6pm 

Addenbrookes Roundabout, Cambridge

Regular weekly Cambridge PSC  stall outside the Guildhall, Market Square Cambridge 

Come and meet us, get information and buy Palestinian products 

Saturdays 

11.30-1.30pm (Weather dependent )

Peaceful assembly with flags and placards, Saffron Walden 

Every Saturday 

12-1pm 

Outside Saffron Walden Town Hall, Market Square 

All Welcome 

Cambridge University PALSOC week of remembrance and action include : 

How can the Palestinian  Digital Economy stay resilient amid crisis? 

Friday 1st Nov 

5.30-7pm 

Lecture Theatre A , Student Services Centre , CB2 3PT 

Further information :  https://decolonisesociology.com/2024/10/15/how-can-palestines-digital-economy-remain-resilient-in-the-current-crisis-fri-1-nov-2024/

and 

Vigil for Palestine

Friday 1 November 

Kings Parade 

Time tbc  

Women in Black silent vigil 

Saturday 2 November 

Market Square, Cambridge 

12pm to 1pm

Please wear black if you can. All welcome to stand with us 

CND protest at RAF/USAF airbase in Suffolk

Saturday 2 November 

From 12pm to 2pm 

For transport options from Cambridge/Ely please email cambridgestopwar@googlemail.com

UK has been sending planes from Lakenheath to aid the genocide of Gaza

The US are planning to bring nuclear weapons to the base. We will be protesting these issues to build for a Peace Camp at the base in April 2025

Balfour Day of Action ( TBC ) 

Saturday 2 November 

Remembrance Day Rally 

Sunday 10th November 

2pm 

Kings Parade , Cambridge 

Palestinian Embroidery with Nawal Slemiah from the Women in Hebron Cooperative 

Saturday 23 November 

Morning session: 11am – 2pm 

Afternoon session: 3-6pm 

Cambridge Women’s Resource Centre, 13 Sturton Street CB1 2SN 

£10 per person . Places limited  

PLEASE REGISTER AT THIS LINK:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeHJg6N4lLf4eHfefYOCR7HYmKwH_dU3UDdTOTfrj-NHoco2w/viewform?usp=pp_url

CONTACT:  07968 665719

Taste of Palestine Christmas Supper

at The Cambridge Junction

Sunday 24 November

 An immersive evening celebrating the rich culture of Palestine through festive flavours, music, and storytelling. Experience the season from a unique perspective as we honour and amplify the often-silenced voices of Christian Palestinians, especially poignant in a year where Bethlehem remains without Christmas celebrations. Let’s come together to savour, reflect, and stand in solidarity to make this holiday season one of unity, compassion, and awareness.

Tickets will be released shortly; there will be options of either cabaret banquet seating or balcony seating both will include traditional Palestinian foods.

We hope you are able to support the events and to share  the information with others to help widen our network and connections.

A number of events were held locally and nationally over the last few days to mark the year since the genocide began and to highlight the increasing attacks on Lebanon in particular . The National March in London  and local events in Cambridge including a silent vigil and rally last Saturday were well attended.

 1. Update on Labour City Council Palestine motion and banking with Barclays.

This is the written answer we have from Cambridge City Councillor Alice Gilderdale, dated 7th October, who met with one of us after we requested an update on the Council’s announcement at a full meeting in May this year https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/news/2024/05/23/motion-on-palestine-israel  regarding their banking arrangements with Barclays.

‘The City Council remains committed to considering alternative banking arrangements and is considering how to go about this. From feedback from officers, changing bank accounts is not simple and the Council will need to go through a procurement exercise to get a new supplier.

The Council’s current contract with Barclays is due to end in spring 2026. Due to banking complexities, a procurement exercise is likely to take up to a year, and there may be implications we need to understand better. This timeline does not include implementation time. We will need to be mindful that this wouldn’t just mean setting up and agreeing a whole new contract (via procurement) that we will have to put in place, it’s the entire set up and implementation of the new facilities throughout the whole council.

Currently, the finance team are working on our upcoming budget and budget consultation, but once that has moved on, we will look into how we can set up a procurement plan for the banking relationship going forward, however as I’ve highlighted, we’re very early on in the process.

We have noted that Islington council has also begun a procurement process to bank more ethically. Their contract with Barclays comes to an end in 2025 and therefore we will be communicating with Islington to learn from their experience. Additionally, we will be working with them to consider how we can communicate Cambridge City Council’s reasons for considering a new banking partner directly with Barclays’. 

2. Local events 

Healthworkers 4 Palestine 

invite everyone to join us for a 

Vigil for Palestine 

Friday 11 October 

6pm 

Addenbrookes Roundabout, Cambridge

Cambourne Vigil for Palestine 

Friday 11 October 

4-5pm 

Cambourne Square ( near Morrisons) 

All welcome 

Regular weekly Cambridge PSC  stall outside the Guildhall, Market Square Cambridge 

Come and meet us, get information and buy Palestinian products. We have increased our range of items that are for sale on the stall which is proving very popular. So do pay us a visit !  

Saturdays 

11.30-1.30pm (Weather dependent )

Peaceful assembly with flags and placards, Saffron Walden 

Every Saturday 

12-1pm 

Outside Saffron Walden Town Hall, Market Square 

All Welcome 

Talk Dr Morgan McMonagle & Alex Smith “Surgery in War and Conflict” 

Organised by Friends of MSF Cambridge , PalSoc and CUMLS

Friday 11th  October  

11.30am

Venue : Bateman Auditorium, Gonville and Caius College 

Ticket info :https://fixr.co/event/fomsf-x-palsoc-surgery-in-war-and-conflict-tickets-675487473

Screening of the Film ‘Where Olive Trees Weep’ – organised by Cambridge Artists for Palestine and supported by CPSC

12th October

7pm 

Storey’s Field Centre, Eddington, Cambridge  

Booking information and further details: 

https://www.trybooking.com/uk/events/landing/67686

Rally – ‘Mobilise to demand that the University boycott and divest from all companies complicit in genocide’ 

organised by C4PAL supported by CPSC 

Sunday 13 October

2pm 

Kings Parade 

A busy week of activities are planned as we approach a year into the current conflict in Gaza and the widening of attacks by Israel in Lebanon, Syria and beyond. Please share details of both the national and local events planned to others so we can ensure a good turnout to keep the pressure on the government and to keep people focussed on this issue.

National PSC  March 5 October 

Meeting place : Russell Square 

12 Noon 

National PSC are keen that this is the biggest march yet and encourage as many people as possible to attend .

A contingent from Cambridge will be attending and are meeting at the Railway station to catch the 10.44 train . Look out for the Cambridge PSC banner on the platform if you would like to travel with others .

Updates and route can be found on the following link : https://palestinecampaign.org/

Local events 

Healthworkers 4 Palestine 

invite everyone to join us for a 

Vigil for Palestine 

Friday 4 October 

6pm 

Addenbrookes Roundabout, Cambridge

Regular weekly Cambridge PSC  stall outside the Guildhall, Market Square Cambridge 

Come and meet us, get information and buy Palestinian products 

Saturdays 

11.30-1.30pm (Weather dependent )

Peaceful assembly with flags and placards, Saffron Walden 

Every Saturday 

12-1pm 

Outside Saffron Walden Town Hall, Market Square 

All Welcome 

Cambridge Stands with Palestine – One Year On : Genocide No more 

(We ask people to wear black for mourning) 

Women in Black Silent Vigil , outside the Guildhall, Market Square , Cambridge 

Saturday 5th October 

12-1 plus 

Rally with speeches supported by CPSC and Stop the War 

1.15pm (Gather by the Cambridge PSC stall) 

Dabke Dancing 

Sunday 6th October  

2pm (weather Dependant)

Kings Parade 

The Jenin Horse Reborn Supported by CPSC , Cambridge Artists for Palestine and others 

Come and decorate me with Palestinian Art 

Tuesday 8 October 

Parkers Piece, Cambridge  

10 – 5-pm

All welcome 

One year of Genocide Vigil , organised by Cambridge for Palestine 

Tuesday 8 October 

7pm 

Kings Parade 

Talk Dr Morgan McMonagle & Alex Smith “Surgery in War and Conflict” 

Organised by Friends of MSF Cambridge , PalSoc and CUMLS

Friday 11th  October  

11.30am

Venue : Bateman Auditorium, Gonville and Caius College 

Ticket info  https://www.instagram.com/cambridgepalsoc/

Screening of the Film ‘Where Olive Trees Weep’ – organised by Cambridge Artists for Palestine and supported by CPSC 

12th October

7pm 

Storey’s Field Centre, Eddington, Cambridge  

Booking information and further details: 

https://www.trybooking.com/uk/events/landing/67686

We, at Book Club on Palestine, will be starting a new online book discussion series on the 2 October. The first session will feature a live conversation with the author himself, the renowned Prof Rashid Khalidi. The host will be the former Israeli and anti-Zionist activist, writer, and psychotherapist, Avigail Abarbanel.

Our objective is to help raise awareness and anchor activism in knowledge.

We kindly request your support to share as much as you can and encourage people to register and join. Here are useful links you could use:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DAYHjBoqIj3/?igsh=MTgzbXFmdHh3MTNuZg==

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/BfYEK116XnMgyEkg/?mibextid=adzO7l

Don't miss this insightful event on Wednesday, October 2 at 6PM UTC!

Register to join the conversation here: https://t.co/TZVj7jhLZd pic.twitter.com/CoAVaZO9xx

— BookClubonPalestine (@BookClubPal) September 26, 2024

We hope you are able to support the events and to share  the information with others to help widen our network and connections.

1. National News 

National demonstrations were held on 7 and 21 Sept in London and in Liverpool to coincide with the Labour Party Conference . Over 125,000 were estimated to have attended the London March, in spite of all the last minute changes imposed by the police, and around 15,000 attended the march in Liverpool  . 

The next National demonstration ,’One Year On – End the Genocide , Stop Arming Israel’, is planned for Saturday 5th October,  ( note change of date from 12 October ). National PSC want to make this the biggest march in months and encourage as many people as possible to attend. The route is now confirmed from Russell Square to Whitehall. 

Further details and updates : https://palestinecampaign.org/

Details of the PSC Trade Union Conference and Student Conference in the autumn are also listed there. 

Saturday 28 September is designated a Day of Action for  Palestine – Stop Arming Israel 

2. We are All Palestinian Fundraiser – September 5th 

Thanks to everyone who supported the joint event at St Pauls with Cambridge Artists for Palestine on the 5th September.  We are very happy to report that an amazing £2205.56 was raised for the Amos Trust Emergency Gaza Appeal 

Watch out for the next ‘We are all Palestinian Event’ – provisional date 28 November ( tbc ) 

3. Local Events

Healthworkers 4 Palestine 

invite everyone to join us for a 

Vigil for Palestine 

Friday 27 September 

6pm 

Addenbrookes Roundabout, Cambridge

Cambourne Vigil for Palestine 

Friday 27 September 

4-5pm 

Cambourne Square ( near Morrisons) 

All welcome 

 Regular weekly Cambridge PSC  stall outside the Guildhall, Market Square Cambridge 

Come and meet us, get information and buy Palestinian products 

Saturdays 

11.30-1.30pm (Weather dependent )

Peaceful assembly with flags and placards, Saffron Walden 

Every Saturday 

12-1pm 

Outside Saffron Walden Town Hall, Market Square 

All Welcome 

The Battle of Ideas: Racism and Resistance . The role of the Media in State Propaganda .

Organised by Essad_48 and ACFFL and supported by Cambridge PSC and other local organisations 

Tuesday 3rd October 

Tickets and Further information available :  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-battle-of-ideas-racism-and-resistance-tickets-1021844523477?aff=ebdsoporgprofile&keep_tld=1

Screening of the Film ‘Where Olive Trees Weep’ – organised by Cambridge Artists for Palestine and supported by CPSC 

12th October

7pm 

at Storey’s Field Centre, Eddington, Cambridge  

Booking information and further details: 

https://www.trybooking.com/uk/events/landing/67686

Cambridge Stands with Palestine

Women in Black Silent Vigil, supported by Cambridge PSC  , outside the Guildhall, Market Square , Cambridge 

Saturday 5th October 

12-1 plus 

Rally 1.15pm (Gather by the Cambridge PSC stall)