Around 35 people joined an emergency picket in solidarity with the people of Gaza here in Wellington at lunch-time on Friday. The action had been called at less than 24 hours’ notice as news came through of Israel’s latest murderous assault.
Israel is threatening a new slaughter, and the prospects for more death and destruction are frightening. Israel’s mis-named ‘pillar of defence’ is another offensive assault, and one aiming to crush the Palestinians as a people.
But the Palestinians are bound to resist. They will be right to do so. We stand in solidarity with the Palestinian resistance, and remember the words of the great poet Mahmoud Darwish in ‘Silence for Gaza’:
Gaza is not the most beautiful city.
Its shore is not bluer than the shores of Arab cities.
Its oranges are not the most beautiful in the Mediterranean basin.
Gaza is not the richest city.
It is not the most elegant or the biggest, but it equals the history of an entire homeland
Because it is more ugly, impoverished, miserable, and vicious in the eyes of enemies.
Because it is the most capable, among us, of disturbing the enemy’s mood and his comfort,
Because it is his nightmare,
Because it is mined oranges, children without a childhood, old men without old age,
And women without desires,
Because of all this it is the most beautiful, the purest and richest among us
And the one most worthy of love…
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In Auckland there is a march planned from 2pm at Aotea Square on Saturday November 17th.
We will update this page as details of other New Zealand protests become available.
