COMMUNITY members gathered at the Eureka Stockade Memorial Gardens last Saturday to call for action to support peace in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
The picnic aimed to encourage the community to speak against violence and to show support for the application made in the International Court of Justice by South Africa to punish those who commit genocide.<\/p>\n
Those at the event also paid their respects to lives which have been lost in the conflict and discussed ways a peaceful resolution may be reached.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re hoping people will discuss the ICJ cases happening at the moment because we\u2019ve had South Africa\u2019s case and Israel\u2019s very dynamic and interesting response,\u201d said Free Palestine Ballarat member Kristy Fox.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was actually a global call for peace today and this is not a two-side issue, killing people is bad, bombing people is bad and genocide is bad.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should all be here because we care about people and a ceasefire is the only non-insane option.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another member of the group, Mark Oughton, said the Eureka Stockade Memorial Gardens was a good location for the picnic.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the perfect place to do it as this was the place where people made their voice heard to the authorities that they wouldn\u2019t stand for oppression,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis flag belongs to the people of Ballarat, it doesn\u2019t belong to people who hide their faces, who call for our neighbours to not be welcome here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Oughton said he hoped the picnic sent a message to representatives that they need to take action.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe feel our representatives should hear our voice and that they need to use all the tools available to stop the war, stop the genocide and free Palestine,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
COMMUNITY members gathered at the Eureka Stockade Memorial Gardens last Saturday to call for action to support peace in the Middle East. The picnic aimed to encourage the community to speak against violence and to show support for the application made in the International Court of Justice by South Africa to punish those who commit […]<\/p>\n