New Hampshire Democrats urged to write-in ‘ceasefire’ instead of Biden in primary

A US grassroots organisation encouraged Democrat voters in New Hampshire to write “ceasefire” instead of Joe Biden as it looks to put pressure on the government to restrain Israel in its war on Hamas in Gaza.

“Vote Ceasefire”, an offshoot of the campaign group Action Network, posted dozens of pictures of New Hampshire voters holding up their ballots, on which they have written “Ceasefire”.

A statement on Instagram read: “Our volunteers have been out at the polls all morning, and will continue to talk to people about writing in CEASEFIRE until polls close!

“If you’ve seen our stories, you know just how many Granite Staters have already gone out today and cast their ballot for a ceasefire!”

Incumbent US President Joe Biden was not on the ballot after the Democratic National Committee decided last year to make South Carolina the first voting state of the primaries with New Hampshire scheduled for a later date.

But New Hampshire decided to push ahead with its own contest, leading Mr Biden's campaign to swear off the state's primary

His allies subsequently launched a vigorous write-in campaign in support of his re-election, meaning voters could choose to write his name at the bottom of the ballot paper.

The group “Vote Ceasefire” sought to use a similar tactic to highlight a push for an end Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, which started the wake of the Hamas attack inside Israel on 7 October in which killed 1,200 people and saw more than 240 more taken hostage.

In response to the attack by Hamas, Israel has vowed to eradicate the militant group and has launched airstrikes and ground operations inside Hamas-controlled Gaza, backed up by a blockade. Health officials in Gaza say more than 25,000 people have been killed