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...

One child dies in Gaza every 15 minutes... the protests continue 21 October 2023

Welcome. It's so good to see so many people here again. I'm Kate Ramsden, from SPSC Aberdeen and it is my privilege to chair this solidarity demo with Gaza.

Because what is happening in Gaza is unbearable

For all of us who care about human rights

For all of us who value every human life equally

And for the avoidance of doubt I do not include Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer amongst us

Their support for Israel shames us all

But if it’s unbearable for us what must it be like for the people living in Gaza

For the people dying in Gaza – over 4000 civilians since this Israeli bombardment began

For the people mourning in Gaza for their families, friends, colleagues, neighbours, and God help us, for their children – one killed every 15 minutes since this began

Think about that. In the time we are here, 4 more children will die in Gaza

For the people displaced in Gaza

For the people made homeless in Gaza

For the people starving in Gaza, deprived of water, food, fuel and medicines in the most brutal of collective punishments – a war crime

Whilst the world looks on and the west is complicit

Gaza solidarity protest 14 October 2023 - And so it begins...

My name is Kate Ramsden and I’m a member of Aberdeen Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign. I have the privilege of chairing this event today.

Welcome to this Call to Action in solidarity with the people of Palestine and specifically the people of Gaza, under such terrible attacks from the state of Israel with the loss of so many lives, many of them children

This is not the first time we have gathered in solidarity with the people of Palestine and Gaza

Over many many years, the people of the North East of Scotland have come together to bear witness to the ongoing oppression, killings, occupation and state terrorism by the government of Israel and to give Palestinians a voice

Because the events of last weekend, tragic though they are, have not come out of nowhere. The killing of innocent civilians has been going on for many years – only those innocents have been Palestinian.

There has been a silent slaughter of Palestinian men, women and children by the state of Israel since the Nakba but growing in intensity over recent years

The people of Palestine have been oppressed and yes, terrorised by Israel, with home invasions, the taking of Palestinian land, restrictions on work and travel, the imprisonment of their people, including their children, the siege of Gaza, frequent bombardments and the killing of civilians.

Even before the terrible bombardments of this past week, this had been the deadliest year for Palestinians since 2014.

This oppression has been supported and also masked by Western governments including our own, who bear massive responsibility for it. Our government has continued to sell arms to Israel and has totally failed to call them out for their oppression of the people of Palestine.

One of the most grievous things about the situation today is how the media and politicians describe the tragic killings of Israeli civilians and children, when they have been all but completely silent on the murders of Palestinian civilians and children by the Israeli army and Police and through settler violence.

There are huge double standards at work here and there always were

That is why it is so important for us to come together here today to give Palestinians, to give Gazans a voice.

Come along to SPSC's online event and find out how you can support Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions

ATUC is supporting a series of events organised by Scottish Palestine Solidaroty Campaign (SPSC) Aberdeen, focused on Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS). 

We are urging all our delegates, associates, family and friends to get along to the first event on Zoom on Thursday 27th October 2021 from 6.30-8pm. 

You can find out more by clicking HERE And you can register on Eventbrite HERE

The series will explore the divestment campaign against Caterpillar (via HSBC) and Israel's demolition of Palestinian homes, IHRA (Right to BDS), Puma and sport apartheid.

The first event is the re-launch of our divestment campaign against Caterpillar (via HSBC) and Israel's demolition of Palestinian homes.

Aberdeen joins hundreds of thousands standing together to defend democracy

I was proud to speak on behalf of UNISON at today’s Defend Democracy demo in Aberdeen yesterday, 31st August 2019. Almost 500 joined the hundreds of thousands across the UK to slam Johnson’s assault on democracy for his own ends and to tell him that ordinary people will stand against him and will not allow a no deal Brexit.

Other speakers came from all the political parties standing against this outrage and from citizens groups representing those who have already suffered most from austerity, including Disabled People against Austerity, who gave powerful and moving testimony.

With thanks to Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary for some of my lines, and thanks to Fiona Napier, Alison Evison and John from Scottish Labour for the photos and recording. Unfortunately I can't get the video to load here.

The full content of my speech is below. Let's hope Johnson is listening to the hundreds of thousands of voices slamming his abuse of power and demanding he gets his hands off our democracy.

But this is just the start. We need to keep up the pressure. Johnson and his accolytes think they are untouchable. We need to make it absolutely clear that they are not.

Hope and love will conquer hate

I attended a very moving vigil this evening to remember the innocent victims killed in the terror atrocity in two mosques in Christchurch and to stand in solidarity with our Muslim communities.

Over 100 people came along to send our condolences to all those who lost loved ones and to pledge to fight the politics of hate with hope and love.

I was proud and privileged to speak alongside friends from the Muslim community, trade unionists and local politicians. I feel passionately about the need to call out racism and Islamophobia and to do all we can to challenge the politics of hate and the rise of extremism and the murder of innocents which result.

These are my words:
 
"The murder of innocent Muslim worshippers in Christchurch has been devastating. It was an act of hate, pure and simple, like many such acts we’ve seen over recent years.
 

Like most people I have gone through several emotional phases 

Feelings of deep sadness at the loss of life, especially the children and young people who had their whole lives in front of them