UK

Beyond the Checkpoints visit of Palestinian children starts this week

Labour Hub Editors

An international youth visit to the UK is fairly normal – but having a youth visit from Palestine under current conditions is extraordinary.  The Camden Abu Dis Friendship Association (CADFA) has has been organising such visits for the last18 years but in the current context this is especially challenging.

Here is a link to the report of the last one it organised earlier this year – a group of ten young Palestinians aged 13 to 16 visited in February and March. Activities included meetings with young people including in schools and youth clubs, sightseeing and other fun activities and meetings with local people.

“It shows why we go on,” says CADFA. “We ask you to support the visit both for the sake of the young people involved and also more widely to counter racism by helping the voice of young Palestinians reach across the country, asserting the importance of equality and human rights.”

“There is worry everywhere: you can smell it in the air,” say CADFA’s friends in Abu Dis. But the children and their parents still wanted the upcoming youth visit to go ahead and everything is now in place to look after them as well as possible. So the Beyond the Checkpoints youth visit goes ahead.

The Palestinians arrive in the northern England this week and will be in Pendle, Blackburn, Bradford, Derby, Birmingham and Cornwallbefore coming to Londonat the end of the month.  CADFA says: “We have great partners on this visit who have been working hard on a wonderful programme, full of great experiences for young people from Palestine and the UK and public community events where you can come and meet the group. We hope you will be able to meet them.”

Information about the youth visit and a full list of public events in Pendle, Blackburn, Bradford, Derby, Birmingham, Cornwall and different parts of London can be found here.

CADFA works in the UK to promote awareness about the human rights situation in Palestine. It works to bring Palestinian voices to the attention of people in the UK through publications, public events, creative projects and exchange visits. It has worked with schools across England and Wales, bringing speakers, visitors and organising  Zoom links with Palestine.