Vigil held in Slough High Street on Sunday for lives lost in Israel-Gaza conflict

More than 100 people from across faiths and political parties came to a vigil held for the dead in the Israel-Gaza conflict at the Slough’s memorial in the High Street on Sunday.

This followed the Remembrance service in the morning at the nearby St Mary’s Church – with many people attending both.

Attendees included Slough’s MP, its council leader, the deputy leader of the Labour group, the Mayor of Slough and various other councillors and religious leaders across faiths.

The vigil was organised by Councillor Sabia Akram (Lab and Co-Op, Farnham), who opened with a message of solidarity for those currently suffering in the conflict in Gaza, West Bank and Israel.

It was an opportunity for those who could not get to London on Saturday for the ceasefire protest and wanted to come together as a community, she said.

“[I] reminded those who sought to divide us with hate and division, that many Slough residents like myself had family serve for the British Army,” said Cllr Akram.

“Many Slough residents, including those from Commonwealth countries lost family members. We honour them and we will not forget their sacrifices.”

Reverend Scott Lamb from St Mary’s Church then led the vigil, reading from the Bible, and there was a one-minute silence to remember those caught in the conflict.

After this, Cllr Mark Instone (Lab, Langley Foxborough), a representative of the Jewish faith, spoke, followed by a reading from the Quran by Adam Nawaz from Masjid al-Jannah mosque.

Other speakers included the president of Singh Saba Gurdwara on behalf of the Slough Sikh congregation, representatives from Together as One (formerly Aik Saath) and Palestinian Solidarity Campaign East Branch.

Slough MP Tan Dhesi expressed regret for an unfolding humanitarian crisis, especially in the blockaded Gaza, saying he has raised the ‘strong feelings’ on behalf of Slough in Parliament.

At the vigil, he expressed pride in Slough’s ‘very diverse community’ and the fact that the event brought people from all across the borough.

Leader of Slough council, Cllr Dexter Smith, echoed these sentiments and urged a search for political solution, as did Cllr Christine Hulme, deputy leader of the Slough Labour group.

She urged supporting fledgling organisations on the ground in both Israel and Palestine who want to join the work together to achieve peace.

The vigil invited donations on behalf of Global Helping Hands, a charity based in Slough that is currently collecting money for food parcels for Palestine.

With the assistance of Yusra, a local non-profit that assists asylum seekers and refugees, the vigil collected £120.

Afterwards, refreshments were offered by Masjid al-Jannah on Stoke Road.

Tan Dhesi has since faced criticism and defended his choice to abstain from voting for a call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Read more here.