Despite the heavy rules and regulations imposed on the foreign media, the washed out news reports we were fed throughout the duration of the war, and despite the fact that all the TV reporters seemed to be reporting from the same hill-top in Israel, Israels barbaric bombardment of the Gaza strip for 22 days seemed to be receiving more media attention than ever before. I could easily get into a post about media bias, I have plenty to rant about in regards to that subject matter, but instead, I want to talk about demonstrations.
When 2009 rolled in, one of my many plans on my "Must do this year" list, was to attend a demonstration. I'd never been to one as an adult, had often been pressurized into attending them with friends, and kindly refusing, I believed these demonstrations made no difference. Especially ones to do with Palestine. I can't count the amount of times I'd toss my phone aside after receiving yet another text message with demonstration assembly plans, for Palestine. "Hopeless cause" I'd often mutter to myself and as hypocritical as it may sound, with what I am writing below, I still stand by part of my initial POV.
The attacks on Gaza almost instantly resulted in thousands of protests across the world. At work, through the APTN subscription we received, we averaged 15 demonstrations a day, from all over the world. I think the biggest shock for me was seeing a bunch of old ladies, somewhere in their 70's or 80's huddled together on a corner of street, iced with snow and holding up placards saying "Save Gaza". It was filmed in Bosnia. The shock wasn't so much about the fact that they were old ladies protesting, but more to do with the fact that in my two years of video archiving, I have seen less than five videos from Bosnia on APTN. Videos poured in from Kenya, Egypt, Syria, England, Dublin, Tunisia, South Korea...you name it, it was there. Thousands and thousands of people demonstrating in solidarity with the people of Gaza, and calling for an end to Israels brutal actions.
A few days in, and I was sold. Maybe the demonstrations weren't going to stop the war, but for one ; they were raising awareness. Every single person who has to sit in front of a video archiving system, every single editor, every single camera man, and every single news reporter who has to see the footage being played again and again...surely they would wonder why on earth every country on the earth had people reacting in such a manner? Something like this, you can't ignore. It's right in your face.
Surely every single one of those people who switched on their travel news as they drove through Central London and heard that their route was affected because of a demonstration taking place would become more aware of their surroundings in someway (granted...only after they've had their fair share of an angry rant at the disruption & re-set their sat-nav device). What about the people wandering about the city and being passed by 200,000 demonstrators clad in similar colours and chanting for an end to the siege and violence?
It was raising awareness, on a universal scale.
That was my motivating thought. Sickened by the images I had been forced to edit during the beginning of the war (well..throughout the whole duration of it...), I called a friend and we planned our journey to one of the large demonstrations.
The sheer number of people as I emerged from the underground station left me speechless for a while. I'd seen large gatherings of people before, but I'd never pictured the demonstration to be so huge. People, from all walks of life, gathered for this one cause, no exceptions. Muslims, Jews, Atheists, black, white, gay or straight, none of it seemed to matter, all calling for an end to the war. I let out a breath of relief, there were still decent people living in this world. With each week that passed, the demonstrations seemed to be growing larger in number, people who didn't seem to realize there was a world outside their selfish lifestyles, began remembering the word "Gaza".
While the demonstrations never bought an end to the war, I still believe they served a purpose. The tearful cries of an old lady living in Gaza who had called into one of the live programs at work one night, rang in my ears "Thank you, thank you for showing us the world hasn't forgotten us!"
If anything...
--
Images above taken in demonstrations I attended in London.
When 2009 rolled in, one of my many plans on my "Must do this year" list, was to attend a demonstration. I'd never been to one as an adult, had often been pressurized into attending them with friends, and kindly refusing, I believed these demonstrations made no difference. Especially ones to do with Palestine. I can't count the amount of times I'd toss my phone aside after receiving yet another text message with demonstration assembly plans, for Palestine. "Hopeless cause" I'd often mutter to myself and as hypocritical as it may sound, with what I am writing below, I still stand by part of my initial POV.
The attacks on Gaza almost instantly resulted in thousands of protests across the world. At work, through the APTN subscription we received, we averaged 15 demonstrations a day, from all over the world. I think the biggest shock for me was seeing a bunch of old ladies, somewhere in their 70's or 80's huddled together on a corner of street, iced with snow and holding up placards saying "Save Gaza". It was filmed in Bosnia. The shock wasn't so much about the fact that they were old ladies protesting, but more to do with the fact that in my two years of video archiving, I have seen less than five videos from Bosnia on APTN. Videos poured in from Kenya, Egypt, Syria, England, Dublin, Tunisia, South Korea...you name it, it was there. Thousands and thousands of people demonstrating in solidarity with the people of Gaza, and calling for an end to Israels brutal actions.
A few days in, and I was sold. Maybe the demonstrations weren't going to stop the war, but for one ; they were raising awareness. Every single person who has to sit in front of a video archiving system, every single editor, every single camera man, and every single news reporter who has to see the footage being played again and again...surely they would wonder why on earth every country on the earth had people reacting in such a manner? Something like this, you can't ignore. It's right in your face.
Surely every single one of those people who switched on their travel news as they drove through Central London and heard that their route was affected because of a demonstration taking place would become more aware of their surroundings in someway (granted...only after they've had their fair share of an angry rant at the disruption & re-set their sat-nav device). What about the people wandering about the city and being passed by 200,000 demonstrators clad in similar colours and chanting for an end to the siege and violence?
It was raising awareness, on a universal scale.
That was my motivating thought. Sickened by the images I had been forced to edit during the beginning of the war (well..throughout the whole duration of it...), I called a friend and we planned our journey to one of the large demonstrations.
The sheer number of people as I emerged from the underground station left me speechless for a while. I'd seen large gatherings of people before, but I'd never pictured the demonstration to be so huge. People, from all walks of life, gathered for this one cause, no exceptions. Muslims, Jews, Atheists, black, white, gay or straight, none of it seemed to matter, all calling for an end to the war. I let out a breath of relief, there were still decent people living in this world. With each week that passed, the demonstrations seemed to be growing larger in number, people who didn't seem to realize there was a world outside their selfish lifestyles, began remembering the word "Gaza".
While the demonstrations never bought an end to the war, I still believe they served a purpose. The tearful cries of an old lady living in Gaza who had called into one of the live programs at work one night, rang in my ears "Thank you, thank you for showing us the world hasn't forgotten us!"
If anything...
--
Images above taken in demonstrations I attended in London.
