(Hastings loves fireworks)

Hastings, UK, has twin town relationships with Béthune (France), Oudenaarde (Belgium), Dordrecht (The Netherlands), and Schwerte (Germany), and Hastings in Sierra Leone, West Africa.

I think we’re twinned with the first three because councillors have friends or trade links there. I guess with the last one, it’s because of the name, although we aren’t twinned with the Hastings in New Zealand or the Hastings in Ontario.

Over the last few years, some Hastings (UK) people have struck up a friendship with people in Al Mawasi. They have regular zoom meetings, and have shared a range of projects — art projects, aid projects, and activities for children. There must be a lot of local interest because Hastings people have donated over £20 000 to their projects but, when they go to Hastings Borough Council to ask about formally linking up, some councillor or other always blocks it.

They look at all those projects, and they look at Al Mawasi, a coastal town that throws itself with enthusiasm into art and education projects, a town that takes in refugees, a town whose fishing fleet have been having a lot of trouble with big, international bullies and they say ‘no, we have nothing in common with Al Mawasi.’

What do you want, HBC? Would trade links help, because this evening I heard about one.

During its genocidal attacks on Gaza, Israel at one point told the people to head for Al Mawasi, and that that would be a ‘safe zone’ but, after hundreds of people took their advice, and Al Mawasi found itself at the centre of a tent city, Israel, with its usual obscene overkill, dropped a series of massive bombs on the tents.

Here’s a witness account of one of the attacks…

Al Mawasi has been attacked repeatedly — and those refugees — those Gazans who were sent to Al Mawasi because it was a ‘safe zone’? Those who are still alive have been moved on repeatedly, as Israel bombs their temporary homes, then tells them about yet another ‘safe zone’ they have to move to.

What did I learn at the anti-genocide gathering last night? That some of those huge bombs that were dropped on the people sheltering at Al Mawasi were made by General Dynamics, a company that has two factories in Hastings.

We call them Genocide Dynamics, now. Here, GD management – look at the results of your work. Note the speed with which it arrives out of nowhere, and turns a whole area full of families huddled in tents and tin shacks into a fireball. Imagine what it’s like, being on the edge of that, trying to help.

Listen to their voices — those are parents and children, desperately trying to find family members amongst the burning shelters and the smoke.

(I promise you, next time you put on a bonfire-and-fireworks extravaganza, you will think of the people of Al Mawasi, trying to rescue refugees.)

What we have in common with Al Mawasi now

We should come together, when Palestine is finally free, and talk about how we can put things right, maybe see if we can persuade Genocide Dynamics to start making parts for farm machinery, or ambulances, or bakers’ ovens, then we could be proud of our trade links.

Are you laughing? Do you think this is a fantasy? Aren’t you fond of saying that your political parties are ‘aspirational’? Time to think big – twin with Al Mawasi, and let’s address some of the horrible problems our world is facing. Let’s challenge them every way – including with art, education and international friendships.

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