A DEMONSTRATION against military persecution of the Rohingya people in Myanmar took place in Leeds on Saturday.

The protest was organised by GMB branch secretary and Leeds Labour councillor Javaid Akhtar, who called on Myanmar’s head of government Aung San Suu Kyi to intervene.

Speakers included Labour MPs Rachel Reeves (Leeds West), Alex Sobel (Leeds North West), Tracy Brabin (Batley and Spen), Paula Sherriff (Dewsbury) and Imran Hussain (Bradford East).

Mr Akhtar said: “Over the last several weeks we have seen the increase of attacks on the Rohingya communities in Burma [as Myanmar was formerly known].

“Families have been torn apart and hundreds of innocent lives are being slaughtered in the name of ethnic cleansing.

“Entire villages are being wiped out because of their faith.

“The failure of Nobel Prize winner and leader Aung San Suu Kyi to even acknowledge the brutal killings is totally unacceptable.

“We call for change in the situation for these Rohingya people now and we will not stop until our voices are heard.”

The United Nations has described the murder, persecution and displacement of the Muslim-majority Rohingya as ethnic cleansing.