By Samar Jamal, 20 April 2025, Greater Govanhill magazine
“In Bradford you can’t be caught anywhere drinking or selling Coca-Cola,” Jan explains. “That’s the kind of community awareness that leads people to take a stand and advocate for change.”
Speaking to me is Jan Baykra, one of the organisers behind Govanhill Apartheid Free Zone (GAFZ). This is a community-led initiative, which began organising in December last year, working to help the people ‘end their complicity in the Israeli apartheid state and amplify their solidarity with Palestine.’
I sat down with Jan, along with Miriam Ali and Tony Boardman, who are part of a wider team of organisers, to find out more.
Talks for GAFZ were born from a Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (SPSC) meeting at The Ark, Tony recalls: “Conversations for an apartheid-free zone were going around in lots of places. People were saying different places have tried this, including Aberdeen, as well as further afield in Belfast and Bristol. But we knew it wouldn’t work if just three people were involved. It had to be a community thing.”