A 16-day walking Pilgrimage 4 Palestine will stop in three Berkshire towns as it makes its way from Bristol to London. Members of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign are marching to raise attention to the ongoing conflict.
The route includes public events in Reading, Slough and Maidenhead. Participants have called for "a free Palestine with equal rights from the River to the Sea."
Peter Oswlad, a playwright, and Nick Bilborough, a writer, founders of the Hands Up Project, are fasting as they walk in solidarity with Muslims during Ramadan. The pilgrimage will pause in towns for poetry recitals and other performers are welcome to join.
Reading poetry event
Time: Sunday, March 15, starts 7pm onwards
Location: Reading International Solidarity Centre, 5-39 London Street, Reading RG1 4PS
Slough poetry workshop
Time: Tuesday, March 17, starts 3pm
Location: JMIC, 83 Stoke Poges Lane, Slough SL1 3NY
Maidenhead poetry and film event
Time: Wednesday, March 18, starts 2.30pm onwards
Location: Maidenhead Quaker Meeting House, 14 West Street, Maidenhead SL6 1RL
Councillor Mandy Singh Brar (Liberal Democrats, Bisham and Cookham), the mayor of the Royal Borough, has accepted an invitation to attend the Maidenhead event. Cllr Alice Mpofu-Coles (Labour, Whitley), the mayor of Reading, and Cllr Siobhan Dauti (Conservative, Northborough & Lynch Hill Valley), the mayor of Slough, have been invited to their local events.
Sue Sibany-King, spokesperson for the East Berkshire Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said: "The Pilgrimage is a reminder that the horrors in Gaza and the occupied territories have not ended.
"Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed since Donald Trump claimed to have created peace. The failure to find a just solution for the Palestinians is a root cause of the war now engulfing the Middle East."
You can find out more on the Pilgrimage 4 Palestine website.
James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter
