In Solidarity with Palestine

Commemorating International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People,
commenced by the United Nations in 1977.

By Orionist, previous versions by Makaristos, Mysid, etc. – Own work using: Law No. 5 for the year 2006 amending some provisions of Law No. 22 for the year 2005 on the Sanctity of the Palestinian Flag, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=433206

“We are witnessing a genocide in real time”
Spokesperson for the Defense for Children International – Palestine

I’m sorry Ahmed, Ibrahim, Sarah and Jana, Mohamad and Jusuf, and all the other 17,400 children killed by Israel in Gaza since 7 October 2023, along with possibly 20,000 of your mothers, fathers, and other family members.

On behalf of the civilised world, I am sorry for the deaths and genocide across Palestine, I apologise that many international leaders are ignoring the catastrophe (or looking the other way for political reasons), or providing military equipment to the aggressor nation in order to empower this genocide.

I am sorry that a national political and military machinery that purports to represent the grandchildren of Holocaust survivors, is itself enacting a new Holocaust. This does NOT reflect the wishes nor morality of many Jewish people in Israel and around the world.

Anti-Semitism

Please understand, kids, that some adults state that your murder is part of a response to a terrible attack on 7 October 2023, during which 38 Jewish children and 1101 other people were also killed. The 7 October atrocity deserved a firm response (one example being the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for the Hamas leadership responsible), but the Israeli response has killed over 40,000 Palestinian civilians and elicited a similar ICC arrest warrant.

We must be careful to avoid inflaming passions on either side of this catastrophe. The hate speech and negative behaviours connected to antisemitism have traditionally focussed upon Jewish people, but Arab people (including Palestinians) should also be protected from antisemitic words and behaviours. Within both Israel and within the diaspora communities of all the world, including Australia, there are strong voices speaking against the war crimes committed against tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians. “Antisemitism” is criminal because it tars all Jews with the brush of genocide, without differentiating. For the same reason, Islamophobia is a crime, because it tars all Muslims as terrorists.

We must be careful that accusations of antisemitism are not trivialised, nor distorted to shut down valid criticism; nor can we ignore the reality of antisemitism and thereby allow hatreds to manifest during this time of division. It must be emphasised that we are all humans with dignity and nobility, and if we want to see humane and just behaviour by those on all sides, then we must set the example.

People in both Israel and Palestine have an equal and inalienable right to live peacefully, freely, autonomously and safely.

Solutions

The genocide against children (and their parents) must stop.

How?

In Humanism and Democratic Criticism, Palestinian-born Edward Said argues:

“Humanism is the only and the final resistance we have against the inhuman practices and injustices that disfigure human history…

“The essence of humanism is to understand human history as a continuous process of self-understanding and self-realization, not just for us, as white, male, European, and American, but for everyone…

“A fair degree of my own political and social activism has assured me that people all over the world can be and are moved by ideals of justice and equality.”(cited in Zakarriya, 2015, 198 – 199).

Israelis and Palestinians must be assisted to sit down together at the negotiation table. It must be made clear that hostilities cannot continue. The ghosts of the Holocaust, and of the genocide in Gaza, demand it.

Palestinian-born poet Mahmoud Darwish has written of Palestine and Israel as a place of both terrible tragedy and incurable optimism:

“This land absorbs the skins of martyrs.
This land promises wheat and stars.”
(Diary of a Palestinian wound)

US President Jimmy Carter has previously called for peace:

“Down through the years, I have seen despair and frustration evolve into optimism and progress and, even now, we need not give up hope for permanent peace for Israelis and freedom and justice for Palestinians if three basic premises are honoured: Israel’s right to exist – and to live in peace – must be recognised and accepted by Palestinians and all other neighbours; the killing of innocent people by bombs or other acts of violence cannot be condoned; and Palestinians must live in peace and dignity, and permanent Israeli settlements on their land are a major obstacle to this goal.”

The Larger Genocide

Palestine is not the only genocide that is being ignored by the world. Other children named Celine, Farah, Ibrahim, Khalid, Sarah and Tala are also dying in Sudan and Yemen and Syria; meanwhile Daniel, Joseph, Marie and Sarah are dying in the Democratic Republic of Congo. One predominant feature of these nations is that the main religion is often Islam (with Christianity as a runner-up); another common feature is the racial/cultural demographics of these children. Either way, our world leaders need to consider why these children (like the children in Gaza) apparently do not currently matter. When seeking to focus on the killings in Gaza, we must not ignore these other deaths. Genocide everywhere must end; the killings must stop.

The world (and the judgement of world history) are watching and judging us all. As Mahmoud Darwish writes about Israelis and Palestinians alike:

“Then what? A woman soldier shouted:
Is that you again? Didn’t I kill you?
I said: You killed me … and I forgot, like you, to die.”
– from In Jerusalem, Mahmoud Darwish, 2007.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Jimmy Carter, 2006. “Jimmy Carter Op-Ed: Colonization of Palestine Precludes Peace, 12 March, Carter Center.

Mahmoud Darwish, 1969. Yawmiyyat jurh filastini (Diary of a Palestinian wound). (Poetry Foundation)
– – – – – – – – -, 2007. In Jerusalem, from The Butterfly’s Burden, (Copper Canyon Press). (Poetry Foundation)

Jihan Zakarriya, 2015. “Humanism in the autobiographies of Edward Said and Nelson Mandela: memory as action”, Third World Quarterly, Vol. 36, No. 1 (2015), pp. 198-204.

©2024 Geoff Allshorn

Edited 30 November 2014 to expand and clarify some points, particularly about antisemitism.

Voices of the Silenced

Voices of the Silenced: A Call for Justice

Commemorating 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence.

STAND WITH LGBTIQ PEOPLE
END GBV, STOP THE HATE

In shadows they hide, in fear they stand,
LGBTIQ hearts, crushed by hate’s hand.
Fleeing the violence, they seek refuge and light,
Yet still, they endure the darkest of nights.

On this journey of 16 Days we rise,
To see through their pain, to hear their cries.
For love is not a crime, and neither is their truth,
Their fight for equality begins with their youth.

We stand with the brave, those torn apart,
Who suffer in silence, yet speak from the heart.
The scars they bear, the tears they’ve shed,
Are the stories of warriors who’ve fought and bled.

In every corner, on every shore,
Their struggle for freedom is worth fighting for.
They, too, fall under this banner of change,
As we call for an end to the violence and rage.

The world must listen, it’s time to act,
For love is love, and it’s a simple fact.
During these 16 Days, let our voices be clear,
That no more shall LGBTIQ lives live in fear.

Together, we rise, together we fight,
For a world where all hearts shine bright.
#16DaysOfActivism #LGBTIQRights #EndGBV #StopTheHate

Composed by Joseph K (Him/They)

I am proud to publish this poem by Joseph today, in honour of recognising queer violence and in solidarity with recognising and challenging other forms of GBV.

This blog ©2024 Geoff Allshorn. All rights hereby returned to the poet.

A Line in the Sand

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.” – Abraham Lincoln.

The Decline and Fall…

In 1988, I stood in southern England, at the site of a reclaimed ancient Roman building. Amidst the mosaics, there was a sign indicating that – if I recall correctly – the building was believed to have belonged to a wealthy English man who claimed Roman citizenship and culture, and who had been alive to witness the withdrawal of Roman soldiers from Britain at the end of the Roman occupation.

I stood there, wondering how he must have felt watching the decline and fall of an empire from his distant vantage point, knowing that the empire was collapsing due to internal rot.

That is how I felt at the time as an Australian citizen, watching from a distance the decline and fall of another great empire due to internal rot encouraged by a mediocre President whose claim to fame was a mediocre Hollywood acting history. It’s also how I feel now, watching the election last week of another US President who is clearly unfit to lead.

My human empathy for this unknown Roman citizen in circa 400 CE now compels me (and all of us) to empathise with the coming suffering of millions of people as they face the consequences of possible white supremacist fascism and theocratic Project 2025 in the USA.

The Coming Storm?

Historians of the future will debate why so many US voters chose the lesser alternative of the candidates – or chose to not vote at all – and discuss whether it is a reflection of mediocre mass media monopolies who feed distortions and lies (or withhold truth) from their audiences; a wider culture of ignorant, narcissistic individualism based upon narrow self-interests or (worse) an entitled racist and misogynist hatred of “the other”; or simply that the privileged grandchildren of those who fought a World War against fascism and the Holocaust have forgotten its legacies of human rights and equality.

As Sarah Connor said in the “Terminator” movie, a storm is coming. We need to build and resource storm shelters now.

But we also need to recognise that the storm is already here. We see that in the fact that millions of otherwise good people are prepared to vote for bad outcomes; and in the realities of climate change that the incoming Administration is about to deny and exacerbate.

Anyone who empathises with others, who cares about the welfare of fellow human beings, or who opposes injustice and inequality, should be worried and compelled to action.

The Line in the Sand

How to respond without hatred and anger? We must surely do our best to respond with the better angels of our nature in mind.

This is not just an election where the populist vote won, like a sports game where one team simply beat another. This is an outcome where harm and cruelty and injustice were selected.

This is not an “us versus them” situation. We are all in this together. We must act individually but for the common good.

This includes being willing to take a stand against the excesses and injustices that will start in the USA and spread around the world. For example, our extended LGBT+ family must be prepared to do what they can to oppose the cultural or physical extermination of trans people or others who are targeted.

But we must also remember an important lesson that Trump voters have forgotten: that human connection and intersectionality are important.

I encourage people to join local, national or international activist or support groups as they feel led. LGBT+ support groups. Women’s rights groups. Abortion advocacy groups. Refugee and immigrant support groups. Public education advocacy groups. Civil rights and human rights groups. Groups opposing the death penalty or unrestricted gun ownership. Community groups or other local volunteer organisations that help homeless people, women, school students, elderly citizens, public health or welfare advocacy. Whatever groups you feel led to support due to your passion for human decency and natural justice. Because we are all in this together.

This is not just a call for people in the USA. Deporting immigrants and refugees based upon their skin colour will kill people around the world, just like it did during Trump’s first Presidency. Encouraging antigay death laws in Uganda or other nations dependent upon US economic support will spread death and hate. Allowing genocide in Ukraine or Palestine or Yemen or Sudan or Congo will diminish us all. Withdrawing humanitarian aid or spreading lies about black people as criminals or rapists will affect the world. Locking children in cages will not build a better world for our children. The rise of Trump populism will encourage a similar rise in other nations.

We can look with horror or disapproval or disgust and abhorrence at those who voted for the diminution of human rights – but what are we going to do about it?

Our collective morality must not equate with those who refused to vote. Inaction is a form of collaboration and complicity for us all.

©2024 Geoff Allshorn.

CHOGM: The Cry for Justice

“As the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister, I deeply regret both the fact that such laws were introduced and the legacy of discrimination, violence and death that persists today.” – Theresa May, 2018.

From 21st to 26th October 2024, a collection of representatives from some of the most homophobic nations on Earth are meeting in Samoa alongside Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and India; and celebrate their collaboration. Welcome to the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

Art by janeb13 on Pixabay

The theme of the event is: “One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth” and the Samoan Prime Minister has declared that its goal is to help: “transform our one resilient family into a Common Wealth.”

And yet the Commonwealth family is torn asunder from within – division and prejudice from Jamaica to Uganda – and beyond.

I give a voice to a gay refugee who has fled Uganda, whose voice is ignored by the CHOGM delegates. Yet his message speaks of the Commonwealth and the wider world:

= = =

The Cry for Justice: LGBTIQ Refugees Deserve Our Help and Protection

In a world that prides itself on progress, compassion, and human rights, it is heart-breaking to see how certain groups remain marginalized, persecuted, and silenced. Among the most vulnerable are LGBTIQ individuals, especially those living as refugees or in war-torn areas, where their very existence is criminalized. These people are not just fleeing poverty, conflict, or oppression like many others; they are running for their lives because of who they are — because of their identity.

The Reality of Persecution

In countries like Nigeria, Iran, Uganda and Russia, simply being LGBTIQ can be a death sentence. Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, passed in 2023, makes same-sex relationships punishable by life imprisonment and, in some cases, even death. This law has emboldened public violence, fuelled hate crimes, and caused countless LGBTIQ Ugandans to flee their homeland in search of safety.

In Russia, LGBTIQ people face continuous state-sponsored repression. From the infamous “gay propaganda” law to arbitrary arrests and brutal violence, the situation for LGBTIQ individuals is dire. These aren’t isolated incidents—across the globe, in many places ravaged by war and instability, LGBTIQ refugees face threats of imprisonment, torture, and even execution just for being who they are.

A Fundamental Human Right

In this so-called civilized world, it is fundamental that every person has the right to live as who they are. Being LGBTIQ is not a choice, nor should it be a crime. No one should have to hide their love or identity in fear of violence. Human dignity demands that all individuals, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, are treated with respect and have the freedom to express themselves safely. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights explicitly states that everyone is entitled to the same rights and freedoms, without distinction of any kind. Yet, for LGBTIQ individuals, especially refugees, these rights are constantly violated. They are left without safe spaces, often hiding in fear, struggling with suicidal thoughts, and feeling completely abandoned by the world.

War-Torn Countries: A Crisis Within a Crisis

For LGBTIQ individuals in war-torn countries, the situation is even more tragic. In places where survival is already a daily challenge, being openly LGBTIQ becomes nearly impossible. They face the double threat of violence from both the general conflict and targeted hate from those who view their existence as illegitimate. Humanitarian aid often overlooks their unique plight, as LGBTIQ refugees are frequently discriminated against even within refugee camps, denied resources, and left without protection. This is a crisis within a crisis, and it calls for immediate action.

The Call to Action: Stand with Us

This is a call for the world to open its eyes and ears to the cries of LGBTIQ refugees. These individuals are not seeking anything other than the right to exist peacefully. They deserve protection, support, and empathy. In this era of human rights, no one should be persecuted for their identity, especially in countries that claim to champion progress and justice. Governments, NGOs, activists, and global citizens must step forward. We need to amplify the voices of those who are silenced and ensure that their rights are respected, no matter where they are in the world. Policies should be enacted to guarantee safe asylum for LGBTIQ refugees, and aid organizations must include protections specifically for them.

It’s not just about saving lives—it’s about acknowledging the humanity of LGBTIQ individuals, standing against hate, and ensuring that every person, regardless of who they love or how they identify, can live without fear.

A World United for Equality

Now, more than ever, we must recognize that the fight for LGBTIQ rights is not over until everyone, in every corner of the globe, is free to be who they are. This is a fundamental human right, one that no law or war should ever be able to strip away. Let us not turn our backs on those who need us most. Every voice matters, every life matters, and together, we can create a world where no one has to live in fear for simply being themselves.

LGBTIQ refugees are calling for our help—let’s answer.

By Joseph.K (He/him)

= = =

Does the world care? Does CHOGM care? Nelson Mandela is recorded as stating that: “The Commonwealth makes the world safe for diversity”. Let’s see these words finally become truth.

This blog ©2024 Geoff Allshorn, all rights returned to the author.