It has been nearly two years since 7 October 2023, and the subsequent genocidal onslaught against Palestinians; two years of mass murder being broadcast around the world. The majority of people can see what’s going on and are outraged, not only by the actions of Israel, but by the inaction of our own “representatives”. Despite overwhelming evidence of ethnic cleansing, genocide, and other crimes against humanity, world leaders, including the New Zealand government, have failed to offer much more than empty words. Millions have poured into the streets across the globe to challenge this inaction with demonstrations, strikes and civil disobedience – from London, Yemen, and Washington DC, to Pōneke, Ōtepoti, Tāmaki Makaurau, Ōtautahi, and across Aotearoa.
2023: Foundations of the Movement
The oppression of Palestinians at the hands of Zionists did not begin on 7 October, but many decades prior. ISO comrades have been active in Palestine solidarity for over a decade. Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) and other groups have been active for many years. It should come as no surprise, then, that when Israel began its onslaught, swift mobilisations occurred across the country, drawing sizable crowds. These turned into weekly marches across much of the motu, growing in both numbers and determination. At times, tens of thousands took to the streets.
These demonstrations took place under the last Labour-led government, with the party losing the 2023 election in mid-October and remaining in government until late November. Among other things, our side demanded the government advocate for a ceasefire, expel the Israeli ambassador, and cut economic ties with Israel. This was at a time when ceasefire was a dirty word for most politicians, and Labour was no exception. They sent MPs to speak at protests in an attempt to slither into the good graces of the movement (albeit with strict instructions not to participate in the chant “from the river to the sea”). They barely offered empty words, refusing even to call for a ceasefire but instead calling for a “humanitarian pause”, i.e. a few hours of respite to be fed, watered, and patched up before the bombs started falling once again. This resulted in Phil Twyford being shouted down at a protest in Tāmaki Makaurau and Ingrid Leary being chanted over in Ōtepoti.
Eventually Labour, under a great deal of leftwards pressure, finally did the bare minimum and called for a ceasefire. A modest win, especially considering this was after they had lost the election, but a win nonetheless. Labour has shifted its position further over time, largely due to pressure from the movement.
Pushing Labour further towards the side of humanity was by no means the only gain of 2023. The demonstrations of 2023 cut through Zionist propaganda like a hot knife through butter – dousing cities with pro-Palestine posters, marching through the streets with leaflets, covering social media screens with mass marches raising slogans of Palestinian liberation, and even penetrating into the mainstream media to effectively challenge the then-dominant Zionist narratives. With every Israeli atrocity, our voices grew louder and the validity of our positions became increasingly undeniable. In 2023, we turned the tide of the propaganda war. This won more than hearts and minds; it won scores of new activists ready to sustain the movement into 2024 in the face of a thoroughly reactionary, Right Wing government.
2024: Complicit Institutions, New Campaigns, and Steady Advances
By the start of 2024, the Right Wing National, ACT, and New Zealand First coalition had come to power. It was clear this government would be a tougher nut to crack, though that did not stop us trying. Throughout 2024 protests continued. In some cities, these were still on a weekly basis and drawing in hundreds or thousands. We picketed government MPs’ offices, meetings, events, and even their houses. Complicit ministers couldn’t go about their days of ruling for the rich without risking protests that would leave chants demanding visas, sanctions, and more ringing in their ears.
Governments were by no means the sole target of protests and demonstrations in 2024. In April 2024, Students of New York’s Columbia University escalated their campaign for Columbia to divest from Israel. They launched a series of encampments and occupied a university building. They were violently repressed by the police and the university administration. The struggle at Columbia inspired students from across the United States, and then internationally.
In Aotearoa, campuses began to stir. In January, students at Victoria University re-founded a Students for Justice in Palestine group. At the University of Auckland, an SJP already existed and swiftly moved to organise an encampment. At Canterbury, a new SJP was founded. At Otago, the local ISO branch founded Otago Students for Justice in Palestine with a large founding meeting. 2024 was eventful for these groups, with many demonstrations, a large national protest, sit-ins, an encampment, and an attempted occupation. At Victoria, SJP pushed management into divesting from Israeli government bonds and ending its Israeli Embassy Prize. Canterbury won a range of concessions after their encampment, eventually pressuring the university to disclose and divest a large proportion of its armament investments. Otago SJP has been campaigning for the university to disclose the contents of its over $200 million investment fund. This has not yet been achieved, but management has committed to developing an ethical investment and procurement policy, which is hoped to include Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS). The events of 2024 brought many new student activists into the movement.
2025: The Genocide Persists, But So Does the Fightback
After nearly two years, the movement is as strong as ever. On 16 August, thousands took part in a national day of action, and other large demonstrations have continued. It is clear that Palestine is now in the consciousness of the general public. Just the other week in Ōtepoti, a picket of striking McDonald’s workers included chants calling out the company’s complicity in genocide. A heartening sight.
In late 2024, the Green Party put forward a member’s bill that would allow the government to sanction Israel. Te Pāti Māori swiftly signed on. Though Labour still refuses to call the genocide a genocide, they finally agreed to back the sanctions bill in March 2025. This can primarily be attributed to significant pressure, and can be added to the list of wins for the movement. Whether Labour actually intends to sanction Israel when next in government remains to be seen. Nonetheless, having these commitments from all opposition parties gives us something solid to hold them to.
In June, the government announced sanctions against two Israeli ministers and, at the time of writing, is considering recognising a Palestinian state. While these measures are inadequate, they represent cracks in the government’s position on Israel caused by significant pressure from below.
It could be said that the progress of the movement has been slow, given the urgency of scores of people being murdered daily. This has truth to it but, in the face of a ruthlessly Right Wing government, a deeply undemocratic economy, and largely unaccountable institutions, it is a testament to the power of collective action that we have achieved what we have.
It’s a damning indictment of the system that we have had to fight so hard just to uphold basic human decency. Until we can throw this rotten system into the dustbin of history, fights like these will continue to emerge. These fights are hard. That does not mean we should not fight or that we cannot win; it has been done before and will be done again. The fight for Palestinian liberation and against imperialism and colonialism goes hand in hand with the fight against the capitalist system. For socialists, there is no better place to put our energies. We have a genocide to stop, empires to topple, and a world to win.
Banner image: Dunedin Palestine rally 23/08/2025 – photo by Mark McGuire, CC 4.0
