A silent vigil was held on Ripon Market Square this morning at which a group of campaigners called for an immediate ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas.

The situation in Palestine has deteriorated since October 7, when Hamas invaded Israeli villages over the border from Gaza and killed an estimated 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostages. It is estimated that more than 12,000 Palestinians – the majority of them women and children – have died in Israeli attacks since then.

Vigil organiser Andy Croft (pictured centre in our photograph) told the Stray Ferret:

“We are not taking sides and are carrying the flags of both Israel and Palestine, as we call on the UK government and opposition to support the growing call for an immediate ceasefire.

“Too many people have already died and it is heartbreaking to hear about the civilian casualties and see television pictures of tiny babies having to be moved from intensive care incubators because the hospital that they were in no longer has the electricity to power them.”

Mr Croft added:

“We have decided to hold a weekly half hour silent vigil by the obelisk at 10am each Monday until there is a ceasefire and are holding it in Ripon so that local residents who want to join the ceasefire call don’t need to travel to Leeds or York.

“Before organising the event, we sought and received approval from North Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Council and also liaised with Ripon City Council.”

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Religious leaders in Harrogate have issued a plea for tolerance, calm and respect as the conflict in the Middle East continues.

Hasan Muhammad, the imam of the Harrogate mosque, Bernard Cohen, the president of the Harrogate synagogue, and Reverend Alan Garrow, the vicar of St Peter’s Church, met local MP Andrew Jones this morning to discuss the ongoing situation and the positions of Muslims and Jews in Harrogate and Knaresborough and nationwide.

Mr Muhammad, who is the imam of the Harrogate Islamic Association, said:

“It is good to stand together with Mr Cohen calling for peace and understanding between faiths and, specifically at this moment, between their followers.

“Harrogate people are well-known for being welcoming and accepting. These are values we should cherish as we live our lives in respect and understanding and celebrate both what makes us different and what we share. As-salamu alaykum.”

Mr Cohen, who is president of Harrogate Hebrew Congregation, said:

“The imam and I meeting today vividly demonstrates that although being of different faiths there is no difference in our humanity and our values of respect, tolerance, community and a desire for peace.

“We call on everyone in Harrogate and beyond to embrace these shared values and to exhibit them in all they do. Shalom.”

The meeting came after a weekend when hundreds of thousands of people attended a Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) demonstration in London on Saturday.

The march was marred by outbreaks of violence and intimidating behaviour, and the Metropolitan Police said that 145 people were arrested, the majority of them far-right counter-protesters.

Seven of these have since been charged with offences including possession of an offensive weapon and assault on an emergency worker.

Mr Jones said:

“I am grateful to the imam, the president of the synagogue and Rev Garrow for coming together to emphasise a message of tolerance, calm and respect. Islamophobic and antisemitic acts are unacceptable and I am pleased that we seem not to be experiencing an increase in this kind of hatred locally.

“This meeting is important because it demonstrates that whatever our beliefs we are compassionate beings sharing humanitarian values and respecting one another.”

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Around 30 protesters stood for a silent vigil at Harrogate War Memorial today with placards that said ‘Palestine needs our help’.

The protest was organised by Harrogate and District Green Party and the Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases.

Organisers said the aim was to show they stood for peace and justice for Palestinians and campaign for an end to conflict.

The escalation of fighting between Israelis and Palestinians in recent days has brought worldwide attention.

Those who attended wanted to take a stand against the conflict in Israel.

The 30 people stood on the grassy verge at the front of the war memorial for around an hour today.

They stood in silence holding numerous placards calling for peace. People read poems they had written about the conflict and gave speeches about what they believe the next steps need to be.

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Shan Oakes, local green party co-ordinator, said:

“When something as dreadful as this is happening in the world, we need to do something about it. We can all do something, write to our MPs and come out here and show we care. There’s a saying ‘evil prevails when good people do nothing’ – people may feel like they can’t do anything by they can.

“Just generally giving solidarity with all the people in the Middle East in this struggle. There are things we can do.”

Lindis Percy, co-Founder of the Campaign for the Accountabity of American Bases, said:

“I think it’s really important that we actually speak out. There are a lot of people that feel desperately about this situation and don’t know what to do. It’s been going on for years but I think it’s very very serious now. It’s terrible some of the stories coming out and we just want peace.”