After watching the war between Hamas and Israel unfold, a group of strangers joined together to build Parents For Peace Worthing, hoping to incite change and a sense of community.
Parents For Peace Worthing is an action group based in Worthing, West Sussex. The group was born out of a shared desire to promote peace in Palestine due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. This followed Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. The group’s conception came from two sisters who wanted to promote diversity and peace in the town where their children would grow up.
Emma Rafferty, 44, and Rebecca Sinclair, 42, saw a lack of action in Worthing. They felt there was a lack of community coming together to make sense of what was unfolding in the Middle East. They realised there wasn’t the same level of multiculturalism as in London, where they had previously lived and had protested Israel’s occupation of Palestine.
“Whole groups of people were not engaging, such as parents, and we felt like we needed to do something,” says Emma, a former teacher. This is what really inspired them to take action, resonating with the families in Palestine that had been impacted. Now, alongside her sister, Emma consults on fundraising and charity organisations.
“We decided to do a vigil and get children to paint pebbles for all victims of the conflict. At the time, it was controversial to speak out about Gaza. From one little vigil, it’s built and all these things are happening.”
According to the UN’s Human Rights Office, 70 percent of victims between November 2023 and April 2024 were women and children mainly due to airstrikes on densely populated residential areas. Between October 2023 and January 2025, at least 46,700 people have been killed in Gaza, including over 18,000 children.
The UN has repeatedly condemned the high number of civilians killed in the war in Gaza, and a report published by the agency in November 2024 addressed concerns over the magnitude of international law violations and the possibility of war crimes committed by Israel.
After their vigil in November 2023, Emma and Rebecca organised more events, including a family day in January 2024. The aim was to engage schools and parents, create a safe space, and advocate for Palestinian children. Half the population of Palestine is now under the age of 18.
Soraya Hatami, 45, an interior architect, stumbled upon the group by chance when she was picking up Palestinian olive oil and dates, and saw that helpers were wanted for the upcoming event. Coming from both a South African and Iranian background, Soraya had always been aware of the Israeli occupation, but it was the escalation in violence across the end of 2023 that pushed her to want to make a difference.
“I took the number down and as soon as I got home, I rang and said I haven’t got kids but I’ll do whatever you need – we’re going to do this.”
She joined the Parents For Peace Worthing (PFPW) event, and was blown away by the amount of people that had come together for the same cause. Over 200 people gathered in solidarity, bringing their children to decorate watermelons – a global symbol for the Palestinian resistance – and learn about its history.
“Doing this event felt like a family of people coming together to educate the next generation.” says Soraya.
“To take action is to make sure the next generation doesn’t repeat mistakes. We have responsibilities to make sure they know what’s happening and never have this hate in their hearts or minds.”
Kiran Harrison, 49, became involved after attending a vigil organised by PFPW. Kiran, a lead performance practitioner at Worthing-based charity Superstar Arts, found comfort in the fact that she could take action within the group, a family-friendly environment, and had found a space to educate and involve her six-year-old son in.
“Finding Parents for Peace Worthing was a lifeline; I needed a way to help that was proactive and constructive, and I could involve my family,” Kiran says.
“It’s been lovely to have a space to talk to my six-year-old about big issues safely, surrounded by other parents and kids. It normalises those conversations.”
Since its creation, PFPW has organised many events in Worthing and the surrounding areas. One of their most notable was wrapping the Palestinian flag’s colours around Worthing Town Hall.
PFPW has been vocal towards the local council and has attended many meetings. When Labour councillor Dr Beccy Cooper was voted in as MP for Worthing West, they had hoped she would take their concerns to Parliament, unlike former MP, Conservative Sir Peter Bottomley.
When Bottomley was MP for the constituency, PFPW organised a children’s march to his office to deliver an open letter regarding the safety of children in Gaza, part of a day of national action across the UK. They had helped children decorate baby grows with the word ‘ceasefire’, and were met with a dismissive response. Bottomley closed the shutters on his office, locking himself and his staff inside, and publicly announced in Parliament that he felt threatened by what he called ‘a flash mob’.
Cooper was a doctor before she was an MP, so the group had banked on having her as an ally, appealing to her medical background by directing questions about medical aid towards her. They have had very little response from Cooper’s office.
Access to medical care in Palestine has been an alarming challenge, as there are very few functioning hospitals left in Gaza. Dr Hussam Abu Safiya was detained after a raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital, one of many physicians that have been arrested by the IDF. Israel faced pressure to release Dr Abu Safiya, as he is one of the only hospital chiefs left in northern Gaza, but they have accused the paediatrician of having links to Hamas.
IDF military operations have targeted hospitals across the Gaza Strip since the war began, with Israel claiming many hospital facilities have been Hamas strongholds. al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, regarded as the last functioning hospital in Gaza by British doctors, was hit by an attack by the IDF that killed at least four people, injuring countless others. It was alleged Hamas was operating out of tunnels beneath the site, but this remains unverified.
The group is drafting a letter urging Dr Cooper to recognise Palestine as a human rights issue in Worthing.
“We recently asked the council to recognise Palestine as a human rights issue in Worthing. It’s affecting people’s lives and is a human issue in Worthing as much as climate change or women’s rights issues. We haven’t heard anything since,” says Soraya.
Going forward, Parents For Peace Worthing still has lots of actions planned. The group held a Hearts For Palestine event on Valentine’s Day, and organised a children-led march to Dr Cooper’s office to deliver an open letter demanding she push for medical evacuation for injured children in Gaza. At the beginning of May, they held a kite flying event that included a bake sale, raising over £500 for their cause. In July, they will be hosting a three-course fundraising meal for 80 people in collaboration with the Brighton Palestine group and Soraya’s cooking project Taarof.
“Our strength lies in solidarity as families united in action, refusing to stay silent despite the challenges,” says Kiran.
“We’ve realised this is a long game about consistently raising awareness, lobbying, and taking thoughtful action. The entity we’re against is bigger than us, but we won’t stop.”
As more developments emerge from the Middle East, PFPW continues to advocate for change, and create a safe, welcoming space that encourages open-mindedness, conversation and awareness.
“The biggest form of resistance is love,” says Soraya, a sentiment that the whole group lives by, in everything they continue to do.
Find out more about what the group is planning here.
