Dykes Against Airstrikes aim to raise £5,000 by walking 26 miles
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY @HANNAHDINGLE
On 20 September, Dykes Against Airstrikes – which is run in association with the wildly popular group Dykes Who Hike – are planning to show solidarity and raise money to send essential resources to Palestine. Walking 26 miles across Norwich, Manchester and Leeds, the group will be fundraising for the Palestinian-led, grassroots organisation Gaza Sunbirds.
The dyke-run movement has been clear in its mission: to fundraise for essential aid distribution, educate about the scale of the violence and advocate for the end to the ongoing genocide and a free Palestine.
Since 7 October 2023, over 60,000 Palestinians have been killed, and Palestine is now ranked the deadliest place in the world for children. Alongside unimaginable violence, Palestine now faces a famine due to aid blocks by Israel.
Nic Mitchell and Lizzie Byrne, organisers of Dykes Who Hike Norwich, commented: “The utter destruction and devastation of the Gaza Strip and the killing of thousands of Palestinian civilians living there, conducted by the Israeli military, is a breach of international law. Dykes Who Hike supports calls to end the genocide and stand in solidarity with Palestine. Through Dykes Against Airstrikes, we are committed to making a tangible difference by supporting Gaza Sunbirds distributing aid on the ground in Gaza.”
Dykes Against Airstrikes is aiming to raise £5,000 for Gaza Sunbirds to provide community-led aid in Gaza. Gaza Sunbirds was initially founded to support the growth of a professional para-cycling team, but has since focused its efforts on providing essential resources to those in Gaza. Sourcing food from remaining farms, warehouses and supermarkets, they distribute these resources in areas which traditional aid organisations have not been able to reach. So far, they have distributed over $400,000 worth of aid.
Last month, over 100 aid organisations called out Israel for blocking essential aid into Gaza. The UN has stated that over 600 trucks of aid are needed in Gaza every single day, something which has not been possible due to the strict regulations that Israel has placed on aid coming into Gaza.
In their official statement this May, the UN stated: “No one is spared – not the children, persons with disabilities, nursing mothers, journalists, health professionals, aid workers, or hostages. […] This is one of the most ostentatious and merciless manifestations of the desecration of human life and dignity.”
Founded in 2024, Dykes Who Hike aims to create a safe space for dykes to find community. The initiative has spread across the UK, with groups appearing in London, Manchester, Leeds, Norwich and Shropshire.
You can donate here: justgiving.com/page/dykesagainstairstrikes
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