Supporting Palestine
Trying to catch the deluge in a paper cup.
There is freedom within, there is freedom without
Try to catch the deluge in a paper cup
There's a battle ahead, many battles are lost
But you'll never see the end of the road while you're travelling with me…
Songwriter: Neil Mullane Finn.
I should be clear up front: I wasn’t at yesterday’s protest. At the time, we had a family gathering to celebrate the 21st birthdays of my son, Johnny, and my niece, Anna, born just a week apart. It was a lovely get-together.
On the way home, I started seeing updates and got a message from reader Lafferty who had been there saying:
“Awesome speeches and power from wahine and a guest spot from Neil Finn.”
Feeling like a slacker, it was reassuring to know that hundreds of people had braved a lousy day in Tamaki Makaurau, and thousands more in somewhat better weather around the motu. Joining millions around the globe who are fed up with the inaction of our governments to stand up for human rights.
It was great to hear about Neil Finn being there. Standing in the rain on a protest isn’t always the most fun way to spend an afternoon, although I’ve never regretted going on a march. There is something about the camaraderie and shared purpose that makes me laugh at those who deride such efforts; clearly, they don’t understand that standing up for something you believe in is never a waste of time. Protests leave me feeling pumped like after a rock concert.
But standing in the rain, especially when the wind picks up, does require a certain grim fortitude, and I could imagine how seeing such a well-loved musician stand with them and sing would’ve lifted the crowd.
Lafferty continued: “Great day at the march, feel free to use images if you like. Good to see Neil Finn having the guts our politicians on the right do not have. He sang, freedom within, freedom without, trying to catch the deluge in a paper cup as it was raining. Very apt.”
Lafferty was impressed by the speakers and called it the “Day of the wahine”.
He said:
The speeches were on fire.
One had me in tears,
One had me holding my breath and letting it out
One just stood there looking like she had already won the Tamaki Makaurau by-election. I hope she gets in so she can turn up to parliament in gumboots.There was our version of Kneecap putting his voice forward when our politicians cannot find a spine. Hopefully, also our new Mayor. Chlöe Swarbrick was on fire !!!!!!
All of them are there for the right reason, all of them standing up for their beliefs, while our parliament is sleeping.
Swarbrick said, “It is our duty, all human beings with breath left in our lungs, with the freedom to chant and to move and to demand action from our politicians, to do all that we can to fight for liberation for all peoples.
We know that all of our liberation is connected. The same system that is asking you to turn away from a genocide that is happening on the other side of the world, is exactly the same system that asks you to step over your fellow New Zealanders sleeping rough down the bottom of Queen St. It is the same system that disgraces and destabilises democracies because they are not serving capitalist interests.”
Reader Richelle was also at the Auckland protest and has generously allowed me to include her update:
Richelle said, “Auckland is not letting the weather get the best of us. Unbelievable, you could get arrested for protesting genocide in the UK or deported from the US for speaking up against evil right now. All the more reason to exercise our freedom of speech here in NZ. Starving people and children to death is not ‘war’ or ‘self-defence’.
The time for sanctions and more action was like yesterday. Never again, means never again for anyone!”
Of course, it wasn’t just Auckland; here are some shots from Whangarei, Cambridge, Alexandra, Wellington, Whakatane, and Christchurch.
Here’s a clip from Lyttelton (https://x.com/UnPressed/status/1751143551042547961) :
Journalist David Robie, a great supporter of this newsletter and one of the nicest people you could hope to meet, participated in the Auckland protest and wrote about it here.
At the Auckland protest, Neil Finn said, “I’m going to sing a song for the innocent people of Gaza and all of you who have braved this weather. Well done.”
Congratulations to all those who took the time to protest the oppression of the Palestinian people and their frustration with the lack of action from our government in small centres and large. It warms the heart to see so many good people come together in solidarity over human rights.
Thanks very much to Lafferty, Richelle, and David, too. Much appreciated.
A shorter one today, but it was something important I wanted to cover, even if I couldn’t be there in person. Have a good Sunday, all you lovely people and remember that while some speak negatively about protests, nothing ever changes without them.
Thanks for reading. If you’d like to subscribe, the options are below. This edition is public, so you’re welcome to share it. 🙂
To end, here’s Neil Finn, of course, with Don’t Dream It’s Over.
It was brilliant - and yes, the wahine were on fire. Chloe was simply breathtakingly brilliant. A natural orator.
Excellent pic of Debbie and Chloe !!! Hope x