Orkney’s Peace Vigil for Gaza will take place today, Saturday 9 May between 1 and 2pm on the Kirk Green, Broad Street, Kirkwall. A warm welcome is extended to all those who wish to join the islanders in their vigil for Peace in Gaza and across the Region.
The 8 and 9 May has been set aside by the United Nations to remember all of those who lost their lives in the Second World War. The United Nations was established as a forum for nations to work out their differences without resorting to violence, and to work together to improve health, education, and human rights.
In 2010, The Secretary-General of the UN, António Guterres said that the Second World War was “one of the most epic struggles for freedom and liberation in history,” adding that “its cost was beyond calculation, beyond comprehension: 40 million civilians dead; 20 million soldiers, nearly half of those in the Soviet Union alone.”
Today, how easily the leaders of nations have forgotten the lessons which should have been learned from that world conflict which saw the defeat of Fascism, and the bringing to justice of those who committed the appalling crime against humanity of the Holocaust.
In Gaza, the genocide continues, and violence in the Israeli illegally occupied West Bank has increased. The US/Israel war of choice with Iran, has plunged the world into economic chaos, and has no end in sight. The US/Israel Iran war has meant that millions of people have had to flee their homes in Iran and Lebanon. Israel, despite a ‘ceasefire’ being in place, has waged death and destruction on Lebanon with whole communities obliterated.
In Lebanon more than one million people remain displaced. UN Peacekeepers, medical workers, and journalists are being targeted in the Israeli attacks.
In Gaza the most recent report from the United Nations Relief Agency UNRWA has recorded airstrikes, shelling, and gunfire continuing across all areas, resulting in civilian casualties and damage to critical facilities. Death does not just come from bullets and missiles – there are wounds and conditions left untreated. There are increases in ectoparasitic skin diseases such as scabies, in addition to chickenpox. Rat bites have also been increasingly documented by multiple health clinics.
In The West Bank and East Jerusalem from 7 October 2023 and 23 April 2026, 1,088 Palestinians – at least 238 of them children – were killed. Forty-two of them have been killed since the beginning of 2026. The first four months of 2026 have seen the most violent start to a year since monitoring of settler violence and harassment began in 2013.
The most powerful nation in the world is being led by a President who posts memes of himself on social media, dressed as Jesus, or carrying weaponry – a man who has never served his country in active duty but is keen to send others in to the conflicts he creates.
This is why the islanders in Orkney feel it is important to continue with their vigils. The articles and films of them being interviewed are seen in the refugee camps in Gaza and The West Bank. The civilians suffering there know that as far away as Orkney is , that there are people here in the islands who care about what is happening to them.
We remember over 8/9 May the horrors of World War Two and the sacrifices made by the greatest generation we have ever had in this country who fought the scourge of Fascism. We also reach out to all those suffering in Gaza, Palestine – and the regions across the world where powerful men are inflicting death and destruction, obliterating whole communities, bombing little girls at school – so that they can boast and posture across social media about how strong they are.
Our world is suffering the impact of conflict. We need to remember the lessons of World War 2, and as Antonio Guterres remarked in 2020 ” build a future of peace, safety and dignity for all.”
Fiona Grahame