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What do Black Lives Matter and Palestine solidarity have in common?
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For the past two weeks, social media platforms have been awash with solidarity posts about the Palestinian struggle. As we mark the anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, it is hard not to draw comparisons with the global Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and the impact it had on the growing international solidarity with the Palestinians.

For 11 days, the world looked on to see death and destruction descend upon Palestinians. Some 248 Palestinians have reportedly been killed, among them 66 children, and more than 1,900 have been injured in Israel’s most recent offensive on the besieged and impoverished Gaza Strip. On the Israeli side, 12 civilians and one soldier were killed. In the bleakness of the past two weeks, since Israeli police attacked worshipers in Al-Aqsa mosque on 8 May, Palestinians have sought comfort from global support. Not necessarily from world leaders, but from ordinary people protesting and using social media to spread awareness.

It started with protesting the forced expulsion of Palestinian residents of the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in East Jerusalem. The residents’ case gained worldwide attention due to the campaigning of young Jerusalemites, who spread the hashtag #SaveSheikhJarrah, despite Israel desperately trying to keep the media’s attention on Hamas.

“Palestinians are in awe. The solidarity is appreciated,” said Ziad Al-Qattan, a 26-year-old Palestinian writer from London. “What’s amazing is that every city in the UK was out protesting, it wasn’t just one or two protests. The march on Saturday in London was amazing, I have never seen anything like it.

The UK witnessed mass protests across many cities over the last two weekends, including London, where organisers said more than 180,000 people attended a rally in Hyde Park on Saturday. The Palestinian Solidarity Campaign and Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, along with other organisations, called for the British government to impose sanctions on Israel.

“This whole series of events has breathed life into our national movement which for so long has felt dead and stagnant,” said Al-Qattan.

Let’s talk about colonialism

Unfortunately, Black communities in the US and the Palestinians living under Israeli occupation have a lot in common. Colonisation, police brutality and discrimination are just some of issues they face.

Could this be a chance for change for Palestinians who have endured aggression from consecutive Israeli governments? The ambition might be overly optimistic, but the BLM movement started the conversation about colonisation, oppression and justice in a capacity that has not been seen before.

[1] Url: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/north-africa-west-asia/what-do-black-lives-matter-and-palestine-solidarity-have-common/