By Community with a Conscience
We live in unprecedented times.
Now, while this may sound like the prelude to a Speech that the Minister of Magic gave in one of the end series of the Harry Potter movies (dated, I know) and while it may be fiction, there is a kernel of truth to it as to what we are seeing happening in the world around us. Hence, I begin with this as an analogy to the constant battle between right and wrong, good and bad that we are witnessing today.
Of course, we don’t subscribe to any otherworldly or magical solution like Harry Potter’s final wand battle, but I believe the fight still resonates with us. So perhaps as an example, we collectively – and I include myself here – need to stop using Hollywood or even Bollywood, or any of the Woods that have nothing to do with trees, as our benchmark moral authority.
Let’s switch it around and look at our real life heroes… a strained, exhausted and dying, one-armed Yahya Sinwar hurling a non-magical stick at a drone… an educated, honest, strong Dr Naledi Pandor bearing the outrageous slings, threats and lies of Zionists with calmness and dignity… a UN Special Rapporteur, Francesca Albanese, armed with truth standing up to power… a fearless journalist of note, Yvonne Ridley, stepping onto the Sumud Flotilla with one purpose, to hand out baby formula and food to starving Gazans… the constantly falsely harangued as anti-semite, brave truth tellers George Galloway and Jeremy Corbyn… a humanitarian-activist, Nobel-Peace Laureate, Judge Navi Pillay, who has always courageously defended the marginalised and who recently and, quite ironically, is being recognized for promoting peace and international law by the institution named after and for the guy who invented dynamite. A rather mind-blowing contradiction, but kudos to the Nobel Committee for sticking to their guns.
And let’s not forget someone who said a whole Mackle-more by saying less. When “Free Palestine” caused White American Oligarchy a whole buttload of hurt. And, of course, Lowkey, who brings the receipts to every rhyme, interview or podcast. Not forgetting, too, Teeny Tots Teacher and YouTuber Ms Rachel, whose non-racist allyship demands that the Wheels on the American/israeli Bus stop driving over Gaza’s children.
Adding to that non-exhaustive list is… You. And Me. Yes. We are all human, we are all compassionate beings and, as we’ve discovered recently, we are all Palestinian.
Each one of us has the capacity to do one small thing for the Palestinians… for the Sudanese… for the Yemenis… for the Lebanese… for the Congolese… for everyone suffering under the yoke of oppression.
Francesca Albanese, in her 2025 Nelson Mandela address, married two terms to hit this message home. Sumud and Ubuntu.
Sumud: an Arabic word meaning steadfastness or steadfast perseverance encompassing both passive endurance and active resistance against occupation.
And Ubuntu, an African philosophy that values community, compassion, and mutual responsibility. The proud legacy, as Ms Albanese applauded, of the father of our Nation, the late former President of South Africa, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. Tata Madiba, as he was affectionately referred to by all, whose famous quote echoes through the ranks of our resistance… We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.
Now you may ask, why does this list not dominate with Muslim names? Well, given that Muslims have the Moral Code Manual on how to behave ethically, be justice-centric, and not kill and maim willy-nilly, this would simply become a case of redundancy, no? I mean, which Muslim would you see sipping a Starbucks Spiced Chai Latte or smirking at a Happy Meal about to be gobbled and washed down with an Iced Cola produced with Stolen water on Stolen Land by Murderers, Rapists and “I don’t choose side-ers”?
It would be remiss, though, for us to ignore the likes of Rachel Corrie and Aaron Bushnell, who don’t fall into any religious category but have given their lives defending Palestinian life and cause. Humanity for the win.
So, you caught me. Segued nicely to Boycotting, wouldn’t you say? Couldn’t pass up this opportunity to introduce you to Activism with a Purpose. Thanx, muchly.
My niece giggles whenever I use that made-up word, telling me to be grammatically correct, but if there’s one thing we’ve learnt during these past 3 years, it’s that language is ever evolving and that this iteration of Palestinian Genocide has introduced many more words to us that we could’ve never in our wildest dreams (or nightmares) have ever conceived of. Words like Genocide, Ethnic Cleansing, Islamophobia, Muslim/Palestinian Holocaust and then these newer words to explain the methods the enemy uses… words like Whitewashing, Art-washing, Educide, Sport-washing, Infanticide, Charity-washing and Femicide, to name a few.
The Israeli (with a small i, I hate giving any legitimacy to the illegal occupier and never the courtesy of a Proper Noun) yeah, their Propaganda Machine or Hasbara, as they call it, is on overdrive, spinning the narrative and obscuring truth to justify and manufacture consent for their heinous killing sprees.
Incidentally, this is not the Israel of the Bible. Or the Quran. Israel in both these scriptures (and quite possibly could be in the Torah too, but don’t hold me to that) refers to Prophet Jacob/Yacoob and has nothing to do with a Jewish Homeland. But just like everything else, they’ve appropriated that too.
So yeah, fooling and foiling logical thought with untruths and spin is this enemy’s modus operandi.
Though most of their lies have been exposed and debunked, to the point of academics coining the phrase “Every accusation is actually a confession”, there are still those who suffer from cognitive dissonance. They give themselves permission to continue living in that bubble of falsity, where the sparring between unrighteous indignation and eternal victimhood mentality fights for control.
Incidentally, 3 of the heroes I mentioned earlier (Francesca, Dr Naledi & Yvonne), have all made the BDS Movement – that’s Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions – a rallying cry for us Activists and Humanitarians.
Boycotting as a tool for Resistance has proven to be a tried-and-tested method that has delivered results. In fact, the pressure of International Sanctions and Worldwide Boycotting of all things South African helped SA to remove itself from the yoke of Apartheid.
Another vital tool of resistance is to not support any political party that not only can’t spell Genocide but actively denies it. If facing up to this truth is so abhorrent to them, why would these Public Servants be motivated to do anything that doesn’t benefit their own racist fantasies of continuing White Ethno Supremacy and Spatial Apartheid?
Luckily for us, South Africans have a choice. Unlike America – Land of the Free, Home of the Morally Abstinent – and the UK too, with their 2-party, non-differentiable red or blue, two cheeks of the same arse, leadership, we have the luxury of choosing between Genocide Deniers, Zionist Funded or Just International Law Followers. Duh, it’s a no-brainer, right? I mean, as GG puts it, “Is the bear Catholic… does the Pope Poop in the Woods?” Wait, that sounds kinda fishy… I know it’s something about defecating bears. Now that would indeed smell fishy.
So, what do we do, People?
We reject silence. We draw the line. We call Genocide by its name. We refuse to whitewash. We centre Gaza coverage by keeping it accessible and uncensored. And we Boycott complicit Companies and Brands.
We are our own heroes. The power is in our hands. With this great power and privilege comes great responsibility. So, we need to use it wisely.
And let the hero Macklemore’s rallying cry resound… Free Palestine ✌