Campaigners from Bolton were amongst thousands to take to the streets of London last Saturday to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Demonstrators came from all over the country to attend National March for Palestine, the seventh to have been organised since last October.

Representing Bolton was a group from the town’s Unison branch, who had travelled down for the day.

Bolton Unison branch secretary Andrea Egan said: “It was so important for us to be there, when we’ve got Unison members who have friends in Gaza through their international links.

“What we were doing by going to the rally was showing to people in Palestine that we are your voice, because it feels like they would have no voice at all at this this time otherwise.”

The Bolton News: Little Amal, a giant puppet of a Syrian child refugeeLittle Amal, a giant puppet of a Syrian child refugee (Image: PA)

She added: “People feel they need to make their voices heard at a regional and national level and we won’t stop until there is a ceasefire.”

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which organised the event, said that 100,000s of people from all around the country attended the march while around 1,700 police officers were on duty.

The march also featured “Little Amal”, a giant puppet of a Syrian child refugee that joined a group of Palestinian children.

Palestine Solidarity Campaign director Ben Jamal said: “Israel has tried to ensure that Palestinians feel nothing but despair as they conduct a genocide in Gaza.

“But the world stands in solidarity with Palestinians and millions of people will protest this weekend in cities around the world.

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“Amal means hope in Arabic, and her presence in London on the March for Palestine, as part of a Global Day of Action, gives us not just hope but determination to continue our campaign not only to end Israel’s current bombardment of the Gaza Strip, but to end the decades of military occupation and the system of apartheid under which Palestinians have lived for over 75 years.”

Bolton has also hosted several protests in support of the embattled region in recent months after the last stage of the conflict erupted last October.

Last November, grandmothers Bernadette Gallagher and Florence Hill held a vigil on the steps of Bolton town hall for the children caught up in the conflict.

The following December, a motion calling for a ceasefire was passed by Bolton Council.