palestine march 14 oct 23
22/11/23
these were my views as of 22/11/23 and may or may not still represent them today
First things first, I want to make it clear that when it comes to the Israeli-Palestine conflict, I take a completely neutral stance. I will say, however, that I believe nothing in this world can justify a baby being killed by a bomb or a mother being taken away from her children. Nothing. Starting October 7th, this conflict has captured the entire world unlike anything I have seen so far in 2023; everyone I know, from close friends and family to musicians and obscure online celebrities has made their opinions known. Given the state of things at the moment, the sad truth is that even if I held opinions, I wouldn't feel comfortable publishing them online or even discussing them with people around me simply because of the pushback I have seen others receive. Social media especially has been a dizzying place to be; everyone I know has been posting non-stop in support of their chosen side, for me and the people I know that has primarily been Palestine. While I don't feel comfortable commenting on the conflict itself with its deep and complex history that I quite frankly don't know enough about, I feel like I can talk about how the world has reacted and why certain things I've seen recently have made me feel uncomfortable.
I was flicking through Instagram stories the other day when I came across a musician I follow's story that read something like this: 'I have had lots of mates messaging me about the stuff going on in Palestine, and telling me that I should speak out and be on the right side of history, which I want to do now. Please speak out as well guys, trust me when I say you will be on the right side of history too.'. This statement struck me as oddly blasé. Understanding all the facts and making informed decisions is so important, especially if you are a public figure that people genuinely listen to talking about a war which has had such an impact on the world. Speaking out shouldn't be about making sure 'you are on the right side of history' because some of your mates told you so, but standing up for your beliefs.
I'm probably being harsh and I imagine the musician in question knew what he was talking about, but it demonstrates an intense social pressure to speak out publicly. I think it was Ariana Grande who recently got in trouble with large portions of her fans for not making a public statement about the conflict; then, when she eventually did make a tweet saying that she was against the killing of all human beings, she was attacked even more for not condemning a specific side. Is that not enough? We must step back and remember that no matter how much we believe in something, we can't force that opinion on others. Or more importantly, force them to speak publicly about their views. That being said, if you feel strongly against or for something and are well-informed, honest, and well-meaning, I don't see anything wrong with using a platform like Instagram to spread your message. Thanks to social media and the echo chamber it creates, people aren’t interested in a debate. Only you’re wrong, and I’m right; no in-between. We need to avoid mob mentality, and I think it's vital to come to your own conclusions, especially when it comes to any war. But in 2023, what does coming to your own conclusion even mean? The internet is a minefield of fake bullshit that crawls slowly into your head like a parasite; there is nobody with a twit... sorry, x account that hasn't been infected, myself included. The best thing you can do is get out there and speak to people on both sides, listen to what they have to say and try to empathise with them. Both in Israel and Gaza, human beings are going through things we can't even imagine; that's the real tragedy.
I observed and photographed the first pro-Palestine rally in London on October 14th, with hundreds of thousands of people attending. Even though it turned messy towards the end of the day with the riot police getting involved, it was mostly peaceful, and I learnt a lot from people on all sides. There is no easy solution to this conflict, and both sides must make sacrifices if they want true, long-lasting peace.
