About us

Who are we?

Crystal Palace Friends of Palestine (CPFP) is a South East London based community collective organising cultural events, campaigns, direct action, and political education.

We aim to inform, educate and raise awareness about the ongoing occupation of Palestine and genocide in Gaza. Through a range of Palestine focused cultural activities, CPFP aims to inspire those who currently know little about the Palestinian struggle to raise their voices against the occupation of Palestine and join the growing movement against Israeli apartheid.

We hold regular information stalls, protests, vigils and other events in Crystal Palace and the surrounding areas to engage the public on Palestine. We organise and participate in Palestine focused events, and support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign by taking action to encourage shoppers not to buy Israeli produce. See our events page for what we’ve been up to recently.

We also raise funds for Hope and Play, a UK charity supporting Palestinian children in the villages and refugee camps under occupation in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian West Bank, and in Lebanon.

We have established links with other pro-Palestine groups, locally and nationally, and are supported by the Bromley and Croydon branch of trade union UNITE, who are an affiliate member of our group.

Our History

Crystal Palace Friends of Palestine (CPFP) was established in 2021 to raise awareness about the Palestinian struggle against Israeli apartheid and settler-colonialism.

We held an inaugural fundraising event in April 2022. The funds raised enabled us to put on our first public cultural event, an afternoon of Palestinian music and food, in Crystal Palace in September 2022. Later that year, we participated in the Penge Festival and engaged in awareness raising activities in a variety of local areas. In 2023, we continued our awareness raising participated in more festivals, put Palestine on the agenda at the local Women’s Institute and held a successful community event showcasing Palestinian culture.

Our activities changed significantly in October 2023 in response to Israel’s brutal genocide in Gaza. CPFP has since been primarily involved in national protests and direct actions; has organised local protests, actions and a monthly vigil; raised money for Medical Aid for Palestinians and PalMusic’s emergency fund for displaced music teachers and students. In April 2024, we arranged training for almost 30 South London activists to enable them to better advocates for Palestine.

Join us

We have encountered overwhelming support for Palestine in South London and as a result we have grown quickly into a large and diverse group of local activists. Local trade union branch Bromley and Croydon Unite is affiliated to CPFP and we are keen to form links with other trade union and community groups. If you or your group would like to join, affiliate or simply find out more about us please get in touch or join our mailing list.