As pro-Palestine marches began ‘shrinking’ last year after a huge national surge in the wake of Israel‘s invasion of Gaza, St Paul’s residents Matt and Sasha drew on their experiences community organising with the ACORN union to try a different way of influencing public opinion.
Inspired by their neighbourhood’s history of mobilising against South African apartheid, they hit the streets to knock on doors and chat to shopkeepers, in a bid to make areas of Bristol no-go zones for Israeli produce.
So how’s the new Bristol Apartheid Free Zone been going down? And why start in areas of inner-city Bristol where political activism is already rife?
This week’s guests argue that beginning in places where there is already empathy, grief and anger – and channelling those feeling via their campaign’s simple, concrete ask – offers a strong base from which to build out from.
The initial reception has been strong, with well over a thousand signatures and almost 30 local shops – focal points for many neighbourhoods – on board.
But the bigger questions now are around what this action can achieve, and where the Bristol Apartheid Free Zone sits in relation to high-profile direct action – such as against Bristol-based Israeli arms firms such as Elbit, which the Cable has been covering in depth for the past year.
This week’s episode gets deep into these issues and raises some fascinating and thought-provoking points on how to move the needle on public opinion. Don’t miss this final episode of the season, for a hands-on lesson in how to push for change in your community…
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Well done Matt and Sasha.
Good luck to your campaign. For the sake of humanity, let us hope more and more people will join, so that Trump and Netanyahu do not dare threaten the Palestinians.