Bath residents held a powerful 18-hour vigil in the city center, reading aloud the names of 15,618 children killed in Gaza over the past 21 months. The event began at 7 a.m. on Thursday, July 3, and stretched late into the night, concluding at 1 a.m.
Among the speakers were Bath’s Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse and Matt Owens from the band Noah and the Whale. The vigil solemnly recited every known name, including Israeli brothers Ariel Bibas, age 4, and Kfir Bibas, 9 months, who died after being taken hostage by Hamas on October 7. However, the names did not include children still trapped under rubble or those whose identities remain unknown.
Attendees traveled from across the region, including Bristol, Bruton, Frome, Stroud, and Bradford on Avon. Each speaker read names in roughly 15-minute segments. Charlotte Rushmere from Frome described the experience as “a painful privilege” — a moment to honor the children while finding solidarity in shared grief.
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Notable contributors included Ken Loach, director of I, Daniel Blake, who lives in Bath, and Max Porter, author of Grief is the Thing with Feathers. Loach reflected, “This was an intensely moving way to remember the children killed in Gaza. We shall never forget their terrible suffering or the heartbreaking grief of those who remain.”
Participants were invited to dedicate fabric birds for a commemorative banner. Anne Murray of Refuge Puppets brought a giant puppet modeled on 12-year-old Aboud from Gaza to the vigil.
Local Green Party councillors Joanna Wright and Saskia Heijltjes, representing Bath’s Lambridge area, also read names. Wright shared, “To read only a few of them is painful. I mourn their loss deeply. More than grief, I am consumed by outrage over the disproportionate suffering, stuck in a confined space where our political leaders fail to act.”
Wright dedicated months to advocating for Bath and North East Somerset Council to pass a motion urging the UK government to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Initially rejected for not aligning with council functions, the motion gained unanimous support in July 2024 following heartfelt testimonies from members of Bath’s Palestinian community.
The vigil was organized by Through the Cracks, a Bath-based community collective that uses arts and events to rehumanize and foster connection.