Arakan News Agency
A protest is to take place in Bradford later this month to highlight the plight of the Rohingya people.
Hundreds are expected to gather in City Park, calling on the international community to aid the Rohingya, a stateless Muslim ethnic group living primarily in Rakhine State in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, who are not recognised as citizens by the ruling government.
United Nations officials and human rights groups have reported evidence of severe human rights abuses against the Rohingya, including blocking off humanitarian aid and incitement of anti-Muslim violence.
The event organisers said: “The event is being held to raise awareness and to put pressure on our elected representatives to raise the issue with the government in the hope of it getting in the international spotlight.
“As concerned human beings, we felt obliged to raise awareness on this issue which never makes the headlines. We are expecting thousands.”
Expected speakers include former Bradford West MP George Galloway, Salma Yaqoob, Yvonne Ridley and others.
In 12 hours of an event page being set up on Facebook, over 300 people said they would attend the protest, which is to take place on 20 June at 7pm.
Hundreds of people attended a similar protest in Bradford held at the same place in 2013.
