Ceasefire Now
When: 12pm – 4:30pm on Saturday 30 March 2024
Start: Russell Square, London WC1B 5EH
End: Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DS
The route is a 1.3 miles long march, starting from Russell Square, marching south to Trafalgar Square. It’s normally a 30 minutes walk, so we expect this march to take more than 2 hours with the large crowd. The last march had more than 500,000 people, and the expectation is to have a similar marching again this Saturday.
Organised by: Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Friends of Al-Aqsa, Stop the War Coalition, Muslim Association of Britain, Palestinian Forum in Britain, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
Coach to London & return
Reading Muslim has organised a coach from Thames Valley Park & Ride to go to London, and return after the march. Coach booking link.
The bus journey from TVP to Russell Square is 42 miles (and the march is 1.3 miles), so unless you’re joining us from further away, you would not be classed as a traveller (over 48 miles) for the purpose of shortening your prayers.
Tickets are £20 for adults and £5 for children 7 years old and younger and MUST be pre-booked and pre-paid. You will need your QR code to board the coach. You do not need to print it out, but make sure your phone is charged up!
Outbound coach
When: 9:30am, Sat 30 Mar 2024
Where:
Thames Valley Park & Ride
Thames Valley Park Drive
Earley
Reading RG6 1PT
If you’re parking up at TVP&R, parking is available all day for £4.50. It’s RingGo location 2102.
Return coach
When: Around 4pm, Sat 30 Mar 2024
Where:
TBC
Important
- Please be at the location at least 15 minutes before departure both outbound and inbound, so that we can leave on time!
- We ask you to join the “Reading Palestine Rallies” group inside our WhatsApp community for updates and instructions, and to be able to communicate with the Reading community marching in London on Sunday
- ☝️ We’ll send a location pin drop map in the WhatsApp group, so please make sure you join!
- Try to not engage with any pro-Israel supporters or hecklers, keep yourself and families safe & look after one another
- Dhuhr start time will be 12:10pm
- Asr start time will be 3:36pm (1st Mithl) / 4:30pm (2nd Mithl – Hanafi)
- Maghrib/Iftar will be at 6:34pm
- You will have difficulty getting a phone/data signal on the day because of the overloading of networks due to the large crowds, so please do keep trying, and remember that when your phone signal is weak, your phone will try to boost power usage to get signal, so it will drain more battery
- It’s worth bringing cash and coins for any food/public toilet usage – remember that most shops will be hard to access due to large crowds, so they will close off their toilets. You may have to walk a bit away from the marching route to be able to find suitable places.
- We don’t expect to have coaches with toilets, so please make sure you’re feeling fresh before boarding the coach
What to bring with you
- Palestine flags, placards, clothes
- We will sell 5 ft x 3 ft flags/poles on the coach for cash only, £10 for flags or £15 for flags with an extendible pole. Please bring cash with you if you wish to purchase. Subject to availability.
- Backpack, rucksack
- Warm clothing, ideally layers, gloves, scarf
- Check the weather forecast on Saturday morning
- It is not currently expected to rain, but if it does, then waterproof poncho & umbrella
- Expecting temperatures between 12-15 °C and a sunny outlook
- Comfortable footwear (wudhu socks/khuffs optional)
- Snacks, drinks, water
- Lightweight prayer mat (the masajid are likely to be packed, we will likely need to pray outdoors)
- Recommended: powerbank + cable to charge your phone
- Any necessary medication
What to do if you need help or are running late
- Send a message in the “London March” WhatsApp group
- Call one of the admins in the WhatsApp group
- You will have difficulty getting a phone/data signal on the day because of the overloading of networks due to the large crowds, so please do keep trying. You may have to leave the more crowded areas to get a better signal.
Advice on arrest bust card
Hopefully this won’t be necessary; but just in case. Always say “no comment” to all questions. Ask the police to contact for your free legal advice:
- Kelly’s: 01273 674 898 / 0800 387 463 (out of hours)
- HJA (Hodge Jones & Allen): 0808 274 8226
You have the right to have someone informed of your arrest (make that the Protest Support Line unless otherwise arranged: 07946 541 511).
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