BLACKBURN WEEKLY RALLY 🇵🇸 Hands off Al Aqsa - Masjid Al Aqsa has now been completely shut down by Israeli authorities for 35 consecutive days. This is the longest consecutive, comprehensive shutdown of islam's third holiest, since the 1967 occupation began. The continued closure forms part of a broader policy of tightening control over Jerusalem and its holy sites, aimed at imposing a new reality in Al-Aqsa and asserting full control over the mosque. Official and religious authorities warned of the serious implications of this ongoing closure, describing it as a blatant violation of freedom of worship and a dangerous escalation that requires urgent international intervention. Meanwhile, Israeli groups advocating for the so-called “Temple” continue to incite raids into Al-Aqsa during the upcoming Passover, calling for the mosque to be opened for sacrifices between April 2 and April 9. Stop Palestinian hostages execution law - This law was passed by the Israeli Knesset on March 30, 2026. Its passing marks a dangerous and unprecedented escalation in Israel’s pursuit of Palestinian erasure. This law mandates the death penalty for Palestinians accused of causing the death of an Israeli citizen ‘deliberately or through indifference,’ from a motive of racism or hostility against an Israeli citizen and with the aim of harming the State of Israel and ‘the national revival of the Jewish people in its land’. The wording of the legislation makes clear that it will function as yet another apartheid policy and genocidal tool, in that it will apply exclusively to Palestinians, entrenching Israel’s racial domination, subjugation, and destruction of the Palestinian people. In all cases, sentences would be mandatory, carried out by hanging within 90 days, and expressly exempt from commutation. This puts thousands of Palestinian detainees – including children – at imminent risk of execution. This weekly demonstration serves as a space for raising our voices, spreading awareness, and demanding justice for Palestinians suffering oppression. Your presence is crucial in amplifying the call for freedom. Join us every Friday at 6pm on Whalley Range (opposite Marhaba).