The 66th vigil held in Salisbury
March 2025
The plan was to hold the final vigil a few weeks ago with the hopeful news of a cease fire and talks being held in Qatar. The recent news is far from encouraging. The death toll stands at 48,000 with more being added to most days.
The situation now has worsened considerably. Aid convoys have been stopped and today, Israel has announced that it is cutting off all electric power. Quite apart from the effects on a state with 2 million people, the desalination plants cannot operate neither can the treatment plants. These moves target the whole population and are using water, aid and now electricity as a weapon of war.
The UK has asked the Israeli government to reverse the decision saying it risks breaking international
law. The Qatari Foreign Ministry says Israel’s actions are ‘a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement and of humanitarian law’.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports that IDF soldiers are accused of using Palestinians as human shields a story also reported on in the Times of Israel. New rules issues by the Central Command enables soldiers to fire on Palestinians in the West Bank whether they are armed or not.
We shall be continuing our vigil and the next one is on Saturday 15th March starting at 5pm.
Main photo: Peter Gloyns
- Zoom meeting on the Uyghur campaign
- Podcast Episode: Xinjiang Forced Labour Campaign
- Slavery was abolished in 1807* – Not in Xinjiang
- Uyghur campaign progress
- Another vigil and is the mood changing in the US?
Zoom meeting on the Uyghur campaign
Well attended meeting added useful insights into the campaign August 2026 Several new topics and concerns emerged from this well attended Zoom meeting including from four Uyghurs living in the West. It is worth reflecting on the wider issues that the repression of minorities in China – of which the Uyghur people are just one…
Podcast Episode: Xinjiang Forced Labour Campaign
Pip: A local Amnesty group in Salisbury posts about Uyghur rights — and suddenly cities across China are reading. That is either heartening or a sign that someone in Beijing is taking notes. Mara: This episode covers Salisbury Amnesty’s recent posts on the Uyghur campaign, from the surprising reach of their online presence to the…
Slavery was abolished in 1807* – Not in Xinjiang
Slavery and forced labour is alive and well in Xinjiang. Major retailers complicit. Welcome to ‘cotton laundering’ August 2026 Many people believe that slavery ended sometime in the 19th Century and many – certainly older people reading this – think that Britain led the way. Slavery continued for many years afterwards. The reality is that…
Amnesty in Salisbury & South Wiltshire 