Interfaith groups gather for ‘emergency peace vigil’ for Gaza and demand ceasefire

Dozens of members from multiple interfaith groups came together in Manchester tonight (November 16) for an ‘emergency peace vigil’ for Gaza and to call for a ceasefire .

Candles were lit, songs were sung, and a minute silence was held to remember those killed in Gaza during the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The vigil in St Peter’s Square, organised by Jews Against Gaza Genocide in collaboration with the group Mcr4Gaza, came the night after eight members of Sir Keir Starmer’s frontbench resigned or were sacked amid a rebellion over his refusal to back a ceasefire in Gaza.

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Greater Manchester MPs Yasmin Qureshi, Afzal Khan were among those who quit, along with Paula Barker and Jess Phillips, after voting for an SNP amendment to the King’s Speech backing a ceasefire.

MPs voted 293 to 125, majority 168, to reject the SNP’s King’s Speech amendment calling for “all parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire” in Gaza.

At the vigil several speakers called for MPs to ‘use their vote to end the siege in Gaza’ while demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and held banners that read ‘ceasefire now’.

One of the organisers from Mcr4Gaza, who did not wish to give her name, said: “This is not about faith, it's about a humanitarian cause and humanity and speaking out against genocide. This is about love not hate, it's about cohesion and bringing communities together. There’s no space for hate in Manchester.”

An organiser from Jews Against Gaza Genocide, who also did not wish to give her name, said: “There’s a growing number of