On Sunday, May 12th, fifty male cyclists and Palestinian protestors from all backgrounds participated in the Solidarity Ride, an approximately 40-mile cycling challenge across Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield, and Batley, then back to Bradford from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. early in the afternoon.
This was organised by FOA, Friends of Al Aqsa in Yorkshire, for the fourth year, and they have been busy since December planning this event in West Yorkshire.
Their main goal is to raise awareness for the situation in occupied Palestine, where the death toll has now reached over 30,000 Palestinians and nearly 1,500 Israelis, according to the UN, and those figures are only from this month.
The death toll keeps increasing, and the situation keeps getting worse. The UN described the recent malnutrition in Rafah as ‘deeply distressing’.
This cause resonates in many people’s hearts, and FOA has held many events such as this one to raise as much awareness as possible. There are currently three more cycling events regionally to go.
After speaking to Br. Ebraheem, the main organiser and planner of the event, who followed the cyclists along, issued support staff and volunteers to ensure safety. He was excited to speak about the FOA’s goals: ‘The main objective is to raise awareness for Palestine; it’s a fantastic event where families welcome everybody, people acknowledge the cyclists and welcome them; it’s about being in solidarity and calling out against injustices’.
The event had high-profile speakers such as Dr. Ahmed Sabra, a consultant cardiologist from Gaza working at Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield. He accepted an invitation to speak about his experiences and gave an emotional and heart-wrenching account of what the people of Gaza are suffering now after losing family members himself. ‘We’re seeing death every day; we smell death and hear the sound of death, and we feel like we died one hundred times,’ he recalls.
There were refreshments at each stop the cyclists reached, such as sliced watermelon, chopped fruits, sweets, dates, and plenty of water. ‘At every pit stop, they get a massive welcome, and there are flags, and at the end, the cyclists get given medals and certificates, some appreciation that their action is a voice for Palestine’ Br Ebraheem explained.
This next solidarity ride is hosted in Lancashire, taking place in Preston, with 160 cyclists registered, and it is a family-friendly ride, open to all.
Contact Br. Ebraheem for more information on: +44 7793 841749