“We, as a Brent family, stand against all acts of murder and hostage taking. We also stand against the death and catastrophic injury of thousands of innocent people, nearly half of them children.”
Brent Labour Councillors have penned a letter urging for a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza. You can read the letter and demands in full below:
We are appalled by events in the Middle East and are aware of the impact they are having on Brent residents.
As one of the most diverse places in the country, we in Brent have a rich history of welcoming and standing in defence of all peoples, uniting against hate and racism, including antisemitism and Islamophobia, and fighting for justice against oppression and persecution.
From Jayaben Desai and her fight for justice with the Grunwick strikes, through to conferring Nelson Mandela the ‘freedom of the Borough’, we strive to stand on the right side of history.
We, as a Brent family, stand against all acts of murder and hostage taking. We also stand against the death and catastrophic injury of thousands of innocent people, nearly half of them children, the destruction of homes and infrastructure and cutting off of humanitarian supplies that leaves hundreds of thousands living in fear and destitution. We must therefore call for immediate action.
We, the undersigned Brent Labour councillors, ask all political party leaders to urgently:
- Join Dawn Butler MP, Barry Gardiner MP and Sadiq Khan in calling for an immediate ceasefire.
- Join the UN General Secretary in calling for the end to the collective punishment and an end to the blockade in Gaza.
- Join the World Health Organisation in calling for unrestricted, humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza and the immediate restoration of access to water, food, power and medical aid.
- Call for the release of all hostages and illegally held prisoners.
- Call for an end to the illegal occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, which directly violates international law and human rights.
- Call for meaningful peace talks to find a long-lasting solution.
Cllr Abdi Aden
Cllr Ihtesham Afzal
Cllr Iman Ahmadi Moghaddam
Cllr Amer Agha
Cllr Parvez Ahmed
Cllr Ajmal Akram
Cllr Rita Begum
Cllr Teo Benea
Cllr Muhammad Butt
Cllr Saqib Butt
Cllr Jumbo Chan
Cllr Elliot Chappell
Cllr Bhagwanji Chohan
Cllr Saqlain Choudry
Cllr Diana Collymore
Cllr Rita Conneely
Cllr Tariq Dar
Cllr Liz Dixon
Cllr Tony Ethapemi
Cllr Harbi Farah
Cllr Kathleen Fraser
Cllr Erica Gbajumo
Cllr Gwen Grahl
Cllr Ryan Hack
Cllr Robert Johnson
Cllr Sandra Kabir
Cllr Arshad Mahmood
Cllr Tom Miller
Cllr Mary Mitchell
Cllr Ishma Moeen
Cllr Rajan-Seelan
Cllr Jake Rubin
Cllr Sonia Shah
Cllr Ketan Sheth
Cllr Krupa Sheth
- You can view a list of Labour representatives, MPs, MPSs and Welsh MSs who have called for a ceasefire here.
