At Thursday 15th of February’s full council meeting, the Cambridge Young Greens, the student and youth wing of the Cambridge Green Party, requested a clear statement on whether representatives of the city council consider the recent actions of the Israeli government to be an attempt at genocide, and for the council to promote services that support people suffering in the Middle East.
‘I’ve seen for myself that residents in Cambridge are distressed by what is currently happening,’ said Cllr Elliot Tong (Abbey). ‘Many have friends and relatives living there, and some are even Palestinian themselves. It’s essential that Cambridge City Council takes a clear position on the actions of the Israeli government that acknowledges the gravity of the situation.’
Local student Joshua Morris-Blake, the group’s chair, notes that the war has had a big impact on many students in Cambridge. ‘For many in the Cambridge student community, witnessing the situation in Israel and Gaza hits close to home,’ explained Joshua. ‘It's imperative for our city council to recognize the reality - the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza constitute genocide. Silence is complicity; our community demands accountability and solidarity with the oppressed.’
Chloé Mosonyi, a PhD student and secretary for the Cambridge Young Greens, highlights that many of these students have a direct connection to Palestine. ‘Students with relatives and friends who have been killed, injured or displaced during the Israeli government’s occupation, or are Palestinian themselves, have been facing a particularly difficult time,’ said Chloé Mosonyi. ‘The University of Cambridge has so far failed to name the killing of Palestinians as a genocide. By doing so, Cambridge City Council can send the message that the voices of impacted students are not going unheard by this city’s institutions.‘
The Cambridge Young Greens emphasised that the children and young people of Palestine have been particularly affected by the Israeli state’s violent activities. ‘The impact of recent events in the Middle East on the children and young people that live there has been devastating,’ said Cllr Tong. ‘Around 70% of the people living on the Gaza strip are under the age of 30, with around 50% of them being children. It is no surprise, then, that over a third of the casualties since October have tragically been
children.’
‘From then onwards, we have witnessed the needless waste of nearly thirty-thousand lives, both Palestinian and Israeli,’ continued Cllr Tong. ‘While the Hamas-led attack that took the lives of over 350 children and young people in October of last year was undeniably dreadful, we cannot let that excuse the genocide perpetuated by the Israeli military, which has remained unchallenged by the majority of politicians for decades.’
The Cambridge Young Greens also aim to see Cambridge City Council work harder to promote services that support victims of the current crisis in the Middle East. ‘When Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, the local authority created multiple web pages to let people know what they could do to help the people affected,’ said Joshua Morris-Blake. ‘Why aren’t the people currently suffering in the Middle East being given the same treatment?’
Thursday’s meeting had to be temporarily adjourned after chaos broke out in the council chamber. ‘Several Palestinian rights groups attended full council this week, and nobody was happy with how the council responded to our concerns,’ said Chloé Mosonyi. ‘We were disappointed ourselves, as we were not given a clear position on whether or not the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza are considered to be genocide. It was no surprise, then, that the session had to be halted when some people caused an uproar, frustrated that they weren’t actually being listened to - the city council completely lost control of the situation. Hopefully, now, we’ll begin to see them pay a bit more attention.’ For more information on this release, please contact the Cambridge Young Greens at cambridge@younggreens.org.uk.
