On Saturday, I stood alongside members of the Preston community at a march demanding a free Palestine and a ceasefire agreement, and on Sunday, I stood alongside Preston’s Jewish community in memory of the hostages that were taken a year ago today in the horrific attacks conducted by Hamas on Israeli people. These last two days have been a vital learning experience for me and very emotional.
Being a young activist, it’s clear to me that there are many overlapping perspectives, and it’s rarely as simple as choosing one ‘side’ over another. As a young activist, I also must ensure that I preserve my moral integrity in what I do and that any act of solidarity is true to how I feel and considerate of the impact it may have on the communities involved. The reality is that in these unfortunate circumstances, it is hard to know what the “correct” argument is but what is clear to me is that regardless of what side you support, what colour you wear or which slogan you chant… people are still dying. As I continue to learn, I aim to offer my solidarity thoughtfully, recognising that it’s essential to remain open and sensitive as new insights and perspectives arise.
I’ve seen two different communities in grief with unique and deep histories of trauma, struggle and resilience, I have seen two different ways of expressing this grief. Does it make the suffering of one community more important than another? No. Any form of suffering should be treated with the utmost sensitivity and people unaffected like myself should express their full solidarity with any person who is suffering. This is why it was a shame to see so few of my local labour comrades at either of these events because this is an issue that extends much further beyond party lines and factions - preventing the suffering of people should always be a cause to unite behind. The desire for a safe and peaceful future for all is a vision that I believe can unite us, even amidst our differences.
A Palestine that is free from war and the release of hostages held by Hamas are not incompatible ideas, these outcomes can exist at the same time. It can be difficult to remember this sometimes with the constant stream of emotional images on television, but our desired outcome should never be for the destruction of the other side for “we must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools” – Martin Luther King Jr.
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