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...
