5pm at the Cenotaph in Swindon Town Centre.

Various people, angry at the actions of the Israeli armed forces in Gaza, gathered for a candle-lit vigil to highlight the cause.

Candles were lit, and people with candles and jam jars but no real idea of how to make them work together went on a crash course in how to use molten wax to secure the candle within the jar.

Placards were held up to the passing populace, with slogans like "Stop the massacre in Gaza"

The Swindon Advertiser sent a photographer, who clearly liked what she saw and took lots of photos.

The vigil was concluded with two minutes of silence for the people of Gaza, broken only by the bloke who had been hanging around for the duration, shouting things like "do you support all terrorists or just them?". Even the Adver photographer respected the silence.

Once the two minute silence had ended, the vigil was officially finished, although many of the participants hung around for a while, particularly making new contacts with people who hadn't previously been involved in the anti-war movement, and publicising the national demonstration tomorrow:

Asemble 12:30 at Hyde Park
March to the Israeli embassy for a rally.

The best train leaves Swindon at 10:41 - see you on it?

==============

Here is a poem submitted by someone who couldn't be at the vigil:

WHY?

They are killing hundreds of people without batting an eye
While the rest of the world stands idly by
In Gaza they’re mourning a child blown up in their bed
Whilst by others, it seems barely a tear is shed

Where else in the world could this injustice be done
To people who are trapped with nowhere to run
It’s no longer a case of who’s right or who’s wrong
But a case of the weak being attacked by the strong

So with naked aggression the bombs keep falling
Killing babies and children..it’s just appalling
Why do these innocent lives need to be lost
It seems that the objective is not worth the cost

There must be a way to stop this massacre now
We can’t wait for world leaders to figure out how
The UN has no power, so it would seem
If they had then surely they would intervene

The power in this world is held by a select few
And they will never listen to me or you
They have their own agendas, disregarding the law
And justify murder by dressing it up as a war

So, how many more people are going to die in vain
And how long can these parents bear the pain
Of losing the lights of their lives in this way
I fear that there will be a very high price to pay.

Copyright 2008 Stella Mortazavi