Yet still we come - standing in solidarity with Gaza

The BDS protest on Saturday 23 July 2024 was another great demonstration of solidarity with Gaza and Palestine with excellent speakers with powerful messages.

The creative family protest was "Poems for Palestine". Children wrote poems and drew powerful pictures representing what is happening in Gaza and their hopes for the future.

But ten months into the genocide in Gaza, it's hard not to feel a sense of helplessness, as the death toll reaches 35,000 including almost 17,000 children. Who cannot feel devastated by the inhumanity of our political leaders that allows such slaughter to continue for their own political ends, and the banks and businesses that care more for profit that for human lives?

But looking at the work of the children, their words and pictures, I was moved to write and recite my own poem, ‘Yet still we come’ about the resilience of our support for Gaza and Palestine in the face of what can seem like overwhelming apathy among the general public and the political self interest of the ruling classes. I'm no poet but I think it's important to put feelings into words.

You can see my poem below...

Protest against the BBC 6th April - Do your job BBC without fear or favour

Six months into Israel's genocide in Gaza, SPSC Aberdeen continues to organise protests every week - some promoting BDS, especially the campaign against Barclay's complicity in the manufacture of weapons which are then sent to Israel. The protest today was against the BBC condemning its biased reporting throughout the conflict and calling for it to boycott the Eurovision if Israel is allowed to take part.

This is the first time in a while that I have spoken but I wanted to share my speech. I will create a record of our original protests when I can.

"We gather here six months into Israel’s vicious bombardment of Gaza which has seen the massacre of almost 33,000 civilians – over 14,000 of them children – with many more missing under rubble

Any excuse that Israel has put forward for their slaughter of civilians has long since been debunked by anyone with an ounce of humanity

The International Court of Justice has found plausible evidence of genocide and an interim report by the UN special rapporteur has confirmed that

These are important steps but anyone watching the horror unfold in Gaza over the past six months can be in no doubt that Israel is engaged in ethnic cleansing and genocide

Not just the massacres of entire families through their bombing campaigns which have left so many bereaved, so many with life changing injuries, so many traumatised, so many displaced

A bombing campaign which has targeted so called safe areas – bombing residential areas and even the tents and makeshift shelters that the displaced have been forced into

Not just the destruction of most of the hospitals in Gaza, the targeting and murders of so many health care staff, that our colleagues in Health Care Workers for Gaza, some of whom are here today, remember every Friday evening