I am white. I am European. I am a Christian Catholic. If asked to choose between Left and Right, I would choose Right. But race, nationality, religion and political preferences are of secondary importance when faced with the horrendous human rights violations taking place in Gaza.
I am confident when I say that condemning the Israeli human rights violations in Palestine is not something only Arabs and left wing sympathisers support at LSE, but it is indeed a feeling that many people, from many very different backgrounds, share. This was made clear to me by the number and diversity of students who showed up to demonstrate their solidarity with the Palestinian people during the 24 hour settlement of Houghton Street organized by the LSESU Palestine Society.
Of the more than 30 people who, throughout the 24 hours of campaigning, helped raise awareness of the situation in Gaza through the “Blue Land people” metaphor, only two were Palestinian. Out of the many people who approached us, quite a few were Jewish, and agreed with many points we raised. All this helps show that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not only a political crisis, but it is also a humanitarian one. With 1.5 million people living in Gaza lacking the most basic humanitarian needs and settlements continuously being built on occupied Palestinian land, ideologies and convictions are – or at least should be – of secondary importance. I share the belief that last week’s settlement successfully portrayed this side of the argument, and send a warm thanks to everyone who took part in it.
It is events such as the Blue Land settlement which highlight the diversity of student opinion at the LSE, but which also show that dialogue is key to Justice and Freedom, be it in the limited area of our campus, or in the realm of international politics.
Related posts:
- The great Houghton Street thaw out begins
- Houghton Street poster policy change to affect societies
- Campus divided as Old Theatre occupation ends
- Old Theatre occupation ends
- Laski: An occupation for education
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on Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 at 08:37 and is filed under Comment.
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Occupation of Houghton Street
by Joana Santos on 16 Mar 2010 in Comment
I am white. I am European. I am a Christian Catholic. If asked to choose between Left and Right, I would choose Right. But race, nationality, religion and political preferences are of secondary importance when faced with the horrendous human rights violations taking place in Gaza.
I am confident when I say that condemning the Israeli human rights violations in Palestine is not something only Arabs and left wing sympathisers support at LSE, but it is indeed a feeling that many people, from many very different backgrounds, share. This was made clear to me by the number and diversity of students who showed up to demonstrate their solidarity with the Palestinian people during the 24 hour settlement of Houghton Street organized by the LSESU Palestine Society.
Of the more than 30 people who, throughout the 24 hours of campaigning, helped raise awareness of the situation in Gaza through the “Blue Land people” metaphor, only two were Palestinian. Out of the many people who approached us, quite a few were Jewish, and agreed with many points we raised. All this helps show that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not only a political crisis, but it is also a humanitarian one. With 1.5 million people living in Gaza lacking the most basic humanitarian needs and settlements continuously being built on occupied Palestinian land, ideologies and convictions are – or at least should be – of secondary importance. I share the belief that last week’s settlement successfully portrayed this side of the argument, and send a warm thanks to everyone who took part in it.
It is events such as the Blue Land settlement which highlight the diversity of student opinion at the LSE, but which also show that dialogue is key to Justice and Freedom, be it in the limited area of our campus, or in the realm of international politics.
Related posts:
This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 at 08:37 and is filed under Comment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.