To wonder why so many pensioners are supporting Palestine Action, even willing to risk prison for it ?

[PrincessSophieFrederike]

Palestine Action showed their true colours a long time ago. I strongly oppose a lot of Netanyahu's actions- I don't object to a protest for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. That wasn't Palestine Action's agenda, though.

I would've thought people 60+ would have, on average, accumulated more wisdom. Young people have often been swept up into radical movements with dangerous agendas (look at 60s protestors who thought Castro & co.were nice etc). It's no excuse..but is a BIT easier to see why young people (student age) might fall for this kind of stuff. Also people now seem to have less media literacy, esp SM.

But why are 60+ year olds getting caught up in it?? Willing to go to prison? What is going on? This hasn't happened before with stuff like BLM or Extinction Rebellion, so what us going on now?

Agree

But I’d buckle up 🤣🤣

To be 100% clear, I am not a pro-Israel poster.

I am a very much an anti-fuckwits on the streets of the UK poster. You can check out my threads on Tommy Robinson too.

Yes, I'm retired and as I don't need to worry about work, I can do much more as I want. I wouldn't protest for this cause but it is easier for pensioners to do stuff like this. When you work you do need to be much more careful what you do.

Except that that is exactly what happened with Extinction Rebellion. I have lots of friends in their 60s who got arrested at XR protests.

My bad 🙂

Palestine Action isn’t Palestine you know. You can wave the banners and protest for Palestine with zero problems, and Palestine is what it’s about. People going all in on one particular action group instead know what they’re doing and it’s all for the clout.

I do have some sympathy for the rejection of the OAP Palestine Action protestors as being described as a “mob”.

More accurate would be “a queue of shouty old Trots jostling to get some lumbago rub”. That they will tell anyone who’ll listen that they were there at Grosvenor Square in ‘68 is met only with quick smiles and eye rolls.

I don't object to a protest for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Who are you to 'object'? You can only give your opinion.

And it's more than a humanitarian crisis, it's a genocide for which the Israeli government deliberately avoided agreeing a ceasefire.

There are plenty of people at the protesting the genocide who don't support terrorism, listen to the below.

Yes, as The Times' Matthew Syed reported, 4 October, he ventured into the Palestine Action protest in London and was met with hostility and aggression when he asked if Hamas were in any way responsible for events in ME. He heard conspiracy theories eg Oct 7 was a false flag operation, and that the terrorist murder of 2 Manchester Jewish men was their come uppance. He concluded that a mob effect was making the protestors share and amplify their hatred of Jews. So worrying.

Haven't RTFT but also has anyone suggested that being in prison means you don't freeze to death over winter ?

Anyone remember the Doris Lessing story ?

I ofc support the anti-apartheid movement

But calling Mandela a terrorist WAS actually accurate. The ANC did embark on a violent campaign and caused many deaths. Whitewashing history does no good.

Condoning suffragette bombers like pp does no good either...

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=omalley.nelsonmandela.org/index.php/site/q/03lv02424/04lv02730/05lv02918/06lv02938.htm&ved=2ahUKEwiDp_Wi_JmQAxVLU0EAHcLMOJcQFnoECBkQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3q6uV2YsyEcDmWsNjkyhFO

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necklacing

I hadn't thought of that - you mean, a bit like homeless people who commit crimes to get a bed for the night in prison? Ofc not quite as dire, but I could believe that for some that could be a motive..

What Lessing story?

she got the Nobel prize for literature but I don’t know the story ???

RedAdmirals ·

"They must be short of daytime soaps to watch "

No they are just against genocide.

It was about a homeless man who'd have a medical episode every autumn and mysteriously be able to leave in spring.

Obviously if it was written for the modern age he'd have been kicked half to death by a bunch of concerned citizens before spending winter on a trolley outside the morgue.

I am surprised we were allowed to read it, aged 14. Mind you the Somerset Maugham story was way way darker.

Maybe because they possibly lived through it before and want to do something to stop another genocide.

I can object, you can object. Who are anyone of us to give an opinion? Citizens, that's what.

And the whole point of being a citizen is balancing reason & empathy to come to measured judgements. Empathy should mean that any right thinking person should want to alleviate the terrible suffering of Gazan civilians. But reason & critical thinking should make people question HOW this should be done. Following a terrorist group like Hamas is ofc nor the way, nor is backing the Hamas-suppporting Palestine Action.

Anyone know the US adult satirical cartoon The Boondocks? This whole situation puts me in mind of the episode 'The Trial of R Kelly'. (This was when Kelly's CSA was known, but many fans supported him- as some still do) . In it, Kelly is tried & despite video evidence of the abuse (which existed IRL), people outside the court shout for him to be freed.

. This feels like that. Grown adults cavorting in support of an organisation whose leaders openly support Hamas. Worse, it seems that some on the protests go further & deny that Hamas are bad.

People who support Hamas, ime, tend to frame it as 'questioning the narrative'. Fine, our government does questionable things, ad well all know. But they don't question Hamas' narrative, that's their sacred cow.

Have no doubt, Hamas are engaged in a war over minds as well. They want to disrupt the West at least, and hopefully win some level of support.

There's evidence they're pushing that agenda in US universities- probably here as well? Besides, SM propaganda will reach people everywhere ofc, unluckily SM aids this osmosis.

Qatar are a key supporter of Hamas, and a big funder of US unis. Coincidence? China is also a big donor, for some reason.
It's disgraceful we had the World Cup there..

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qatari_support_for_Hamas&ved=2ahUKEwiW3OrM_5mQAxXOU0EAHYqgHv4QFnoECEEQAQ&usg=AOvVaw07lu3X4EgsLCHqvtjCskH7

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=www.ft.com/content/d0a16f75-8b05-4ff9-b5f1-d473d7f5a704&ved=2ahUKEwj3qbD0_5mQAxURaEEAHTsHHi4QFnoECCsQAQ&usg=AOvVaw38BgWgzelxwY8de69c2kcE

Furthermore- the protest is in support of Palestine Action, who support Hamas

. If people want to protest the situation in Gaza without supporting Hamas, why do they join this protest for an organisation which supports Hamas ?

Why don't they organise a Hamas-free protest?

I am a pensioner. I don't like bulllies,injustice and starving children. Hope that helps.

Oh yeah, that'll be it. I'm old, I might freeze to death so I'll get of fmy arse and go to a protest.

I think you need to look more at the 75+ for people who voted for Brexit.
Oh and I’m 65 and still working full time, as are most of my office colleagues, defo not pensioners yet, unfortunately!

Some of them hold signs up, saying that they are Jewish. One such man wrote a letter to the Guardian explaining that. You can see that some of the are, because of their distinctive clothing.

Like any group of people, Jewish people have a wide variety of opinions and don't have to follow Netanyahu's every word. It was the same in the UK, during the run up to the invasion of Iraq.

All sorts of people joined the protests, left and right, Muslims, atheists, Christians. Some people were gung-ho for it, too.

But ultimately thank God Mandela existed eh? So that’s why you shouldn’t always believe what a Government tells you to think about people! You would have said “yes definitely a terrorist, lock him up!”’ But S.A needed him, and they wouldn’t have made a peaceful transition out of apartheid without him, pretty much the whole world acknowledged that! We must have people who are brave and unselfish enough to challenge Governments and insist on change. You will have benefited from such people, do you not realise that??

RedAdmirals · Today 04:17

Then the beef is with the UN who for some reason won't distribute the Aid. Protesting in UK won't help.

You should have read your own links; you would have learned that Israel is preventing UNRWA from entering Gaza, or to distribute the food. Israel controls it and does it out, via an American-Israeli organisation.

This.