Residents in Milton Keynes call on councillors to pass ceasefire motion on Palestine

Hundreds of residents gathered outside Milton Keynes’ council offices on Saturday to demand councillors pass a motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Palestine.

The rally took place in response to the city’s two MPs voting against calls for a ceasefire on Wednesday last week, as reported in the Citizen despite a recent poll showing 76% of the public supported an immediate ceasefire.

Thousands of people in Milton Keynes have attended local, regional and national rallies since Israel’s latest invasion of Gaza began following the attack and kidnapping of Israeli hostages by Hamas on October 7.

Kevin Vickers, who helped organise Saturday’s rally outside the council offices, said: “We are calling on all Milton Keynes’ councillors to pass a motion demanding that their respective political parties back an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

"Thousands of Palestinians are dying every day, not only from violence, but from lack of access to water, food and healthcare. As well as a ceasefire, humanitarian corridors must be opened for urgent aid and adequate provision of food, fuel, medicine and other humanitarian assistance, as well as the restoration of water and electricity to Gaza.

"People across Milton Keynes and around the world, including experts, agree that the devastation and loss of life is catastrophic and it must end.”

He added: “We gathered at the council offices, because as members of national political parties that either govern us, or aspire to govern us in Parliament they must represent the views of people in Milton Keynes.

"If our MPs won’t do it we need our councillors to stand up on this vital issue. If they stay silent on matters of life and death then how can we trust them to vote in our interests on other matters?”

The action in MK was one of more than 100 vigils, rallies and demonstrations that took place across the UK on Saturday, ahead of the next national demonstration to be held in London on Saturday, November 25.

> Milton Keynes Peace and Justice Network (MKPJN) is a focal point for people in Milton Keynes area concerned about the world issues such as world poverty, environmental destruction, threats to peace and denial of human rights.