‘How can we live with ourselves and stand by and do nothing?’– www.glamourmagazine.co.uk It was exactly 11 years ago that I first joined a protest in support of Palestine. In 2014, tens of thousands of ordinary people took to the streets of London to protest the Gaza War – a 50-day conflict during which 2,251 Palestinians, including 1,462 civilians and 551 children, as well as 66 Israeli soldiers and five civilians, including one child, were killed (per the UN). Where many might not remember the 2014 conflict, few can escape the current horror in Gaza. Since the Hamas attack on Israel, on October 7th 2023, the Israeli military response has killed nearly 65,000 Palestinians (per the Palestinian Ministry of Health), although real figures could be much higher. Many human rights organisations, charities and genocide scholars have described the situation as a genocide. But while there were politicians such as Diane Abbott speaking out at that first rally I attended back in 2014, many celebrities stayed silent. Those who did show support, such as Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Selena Gomez and Rihanna, were lambasted or ordered to backtrack by industry peers. Speaking out against the injustices in Palestine has always come at a price, but finally, more and more artists are stepping away from silence.
