Like many people up and down the country, a group of us gathered in Hastings on Saturday 1st February 2025 in support of Palestine. It was a complex event. First and foremost, we were saying STOP ARMING ISRAEL.

But as politicians and the media push us to ‘move on’, just because of an extremely fragile ceasefire in which people are being murdered and illegal detentions and demolitions continue, we wanted to remember the dead, especially the children of Gaza, to mark the on-going suffering of the Palestinian people and to salute samud –- the extraordinary ability of the people of the West Bank and Gaza to pick up their lives and keep going, in the face of decades of injustice and violence inflicted upon them by the illegal occupation.

The meeting

We gathered in the town centre, as the local PSC folks have done most Saturdays since the start of the genocide. We heard from a range of speakers – Olivia, an activist who brought us a very encouraging message from General Dynamics, a local weapons supplier we’ve been focusing on. She told us that in one of the recent court hearings (in which all the activists charged were proved innocent) the Security Officer of that company confirmed that they have been set back by the regular presence of activists drawing attention to their support of the atrocious killing in Gaza, and that their company had materially lost out due to our encouraging the town to use the new name we gave them – it’s true. Most locals now call them Genocide Dynamics.

We heard from local HIP journalist Rod, who put the situation in context by saying, the Blitz of World War 2 lasted nine months with 43,500 civilians killed throughout the UK, whereas the bombing of Gaza has gone on for 15 months in a place a quarter the size of London, with a death toll probably twice as high – at least. And bombing was only one part of the hideous campaign in Gaza. He spoke about the bravery and dignity of the journalists in Gaza, many of whom were targeted by Israel as a result of their work. He pointed out that they were often working without protection, equipment, international presence or communications, and sometimes without food and water – yet they kept going, and brought the realities of life in Gaza to the world.

Mersheda, a doctor, talked about the doctors and other medical workers who have lost their lives, or been imprisoned or otherwise mistreated in Gaza. She reminded us that their profession is supposed to be a protected activity – yet another example of Israel’s extraordinary law-breaking. In particular, she talked about the brave and vitally important work of Hossam Abu Safiyeh, now subject to unimaginably terrible treatment in an Israeli prison for sticking to his duties as a doctor, even after Israel killed his son, even after he himself was wounded, even when the tanks were rolling to destroy the hospital he was still working in.

And some of our local activists who have been arrested talked about their recent experiences. None of them intended any harm. They came along to protest an illegal occupation and stand up for international law and, as one put it, ‘got upset and got arrested’. None has committed any violence. Take Chris Dindar for example – Sainsbury’s are trying to get him done for ‘devaluing their products’, because he was drawing attention to the fact that Sabre Houmous was made in Israel. Please look into Chris’s situation. I believe he still needs help with legal costs. Here’s the story…

[Update: case dismissed!]

Click here to read Chris’s Story (blog from last year)

…and click here to contribute to the crowdfunder.

(There will be more about those excellent speeches in future blogs but for now…)

“Israel is on its knees.”

Perhaps most importantly, all the activists gave their evidence of how well BDS and direct action are working. Israel has been brought close to financial, social and political ruin by the combined effects of its own people not wanting to be led where their atrocious government is going, and our global intolerance of Israel’s racism and apartheid.

By now, Israel would have been forced into its first ever meaningful negotiations with the Palestinians if not for the false strength lent to it in the form of financial and military support from the USA, the UK and Germany. The big message now is that we must keep going. We, the people of the world, brought an end to South African apartheid despite the stubborn resistance of politicians, because we kept going with the protests and the boycotts until the job was done.

The march

Speeches done, we marched through the town to the park, some carrying flowers for the thousands of dead children, others carrying flags and chanting support for the Palestinian struggle. (Chants expertly led by Houmous Man, who stopped when we passed the Morrisons carpark, to point out to Saturday shoppers that Morrisons’ avocados are best avoided.)

Our first halt in the park was the war memorial, where we heard a poem that has never yet failed to speak to my heart.

Oh Rascal Children of Gaza

by Khaled Juma

Oh rascal children of Gaza,

You who constantly disturbed me with your screams under my window,

You who filled every morning with rush and chaos,

You who broke my vase and stole the lonely flower on my balcony,

Come back –

And scream as you want,

And break all the vases,

Steal all the flowers,

Come back,

Just come back…

We also took note, for the edification of those who claim that Palestine has never really existed, that it has its place on our War Memorial.

We then confused ourselves mightily by marching picturesquely through the park to the peace garden, trying to shout quietly (I’m not sure whether that was because of the peaceful environment or our failure to find a Strepsil for our intrepid chant-leader).

At the peace garden

…and finally, flowers for the children of Gaza.

Our mission

Our message to the world today: please do not let all those horrendous deaths have been for nothing. Please keep marching, protesting, boycotting, doing anything you can think of, in the struggle against the corporate war industry, and the politicians who bend our countries to its deathly projects.

Viva Falastina!

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