Jasperites gather to get word out about conflict in Middle East

A group of 13 Jasperites gathered Sunday night with candles and posters to march through the townsite in an attempt to raise awareness about the conflict in Gaza.

Organizer Colin Irvine said after reading about what’s been going on over the past few weeks, he felt he couldn’t sit back and not do anything. “Forty-five per cent of the people killed are women and children,” he said. “I couldn’t take it anymore.”

In an attempt to raise awareness and get people thinking about ways to help, Irvine planned the march with the help of girlfriend Robin Westhaver and friend Lili Coyle. “Over coffee and newspapers and chagrin about the world, we decided we needed to do something,” said Westhaver.

The group strolled a few blocks and chatted with passers-by, before stopping on the Information Centre lawn and sharing a few words of peace.

Irvine wants to see Palestinians get their homes back, as Israel has “swallowed up where they used to live” and is choking out their resources. “Living under threat, that’s no way to live,” he said. “We would all like a real ceasefire, a stop to the violence and peaceful negotiations.”

Though it can be tough to put a situation like this into context in a place like this, it’s important for people to look beyond the boundaries of the park, said Irvine, who works in a café in Jasper. “While there are many important issues here in the park, there are far greater and larger things happening in the world around us,” he said.

“It’s important to recognize that there are greater things going on beyond our bubble that we call Jasper, and to keep everything in perspective.”

The same day these Jasperites marched for peace, Israeli officials announced a one-week ceasefire in the assault on Gaza, saying they’ve achieved their objective of disabling Hamas’s military capabilities.

The conflict, which has gone on for just over three weeks, has resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 Palestinians, more than half of them civilians, according to reports by the CBC.

To join forces with Irvine, join the Jasperites for Peace group on Facebook, or call him at 780-852-8542.