“Of the 2.3 million strong population of Gaza, 1.8 million are displaced from their homes by current events.”
By Logan Williams, Arise Festival
As part of the Socialist Ideas Series, Labour Outlook and Arise Festival recently hosted an informative session entitled ‘Can Palestine be Free?’.
We were joined by longstanding Palestine Solidarity Campaign Executive Committee member and labour movement activist, Bernard Regan, who led listeners through a tour de force of the current situation and its historical context.
Regan began his discussion by highlighting the horrific statistics around the scale of the current Israeli attack on Gaza compared to previous incursions into Palestinian land. He explained that previous attacks over the last two decades had a death toll of several thousand whereas current events had, at the time of Regan’s presentation, a death toll of around 20,000 with 50% of that being made up of women and children (the situation has subsequently worsened with over 24,000 now estimated dead).
He also highlighted that of the 2.3 million strong population of Gaza, 1.8 million are displaced from their homes by current events. He ended this section of his talk by emphasising that these statistics demonstrate current events are a war on the entire Palestinian people.
Regan then went on to outline the role played by a variety of international actors in seeking an immediate ceasefire ranging from a historic intervention of the United Nations Secretary General – an intervention not seen since the fight for independence in the Congo in the mid-to late twentieth century – to the overwhelming vote at the United Nations General Assembly calling for an immediate ceasefire to protect human life.
Regan’s talk presented both labour and socialist movement activists with an in-depth understanding of the context in which the current actions by the Israeli government against the Palestinian people have been undertaken. It is vital that every labour or socialist movement activist works with fellow activists within their union and the wider movement to take up the call of a ceasefire now and, to support the growing marches called by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and others over the coming months.
- ‘Can Palestine Be Free‘ was hosted on December 13th, 2023 as part of the Socialist Ideas Series. You can watch or listen to other sessions in the series on Rosa Luxemburg, James Connolly, the Paris Commune, Huge Chavez and more.
- Logan Williams is a National Education Union activist and an organiser for Arise – A Festival of Left Ideas. You can follow Logan on Twitter/X here.
- You can follow Arise Festival on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter/X; and listen to the Arise Festival podcast on Spotify.
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