PALESTINE: A GUIDE FOR NEWCOMERS
Written by
Rosie Choo Pidcock
Based on three years of online research and in-person actions for the decolonization of Palestine.
@rosiethemovie (Instagram)
Listen to the audio recording of this document here.
Welcome!! I’m so happy you’re here. My name is Rosie Choo Pidcock (she/they) and I am a filmmaker and teacher residing on the Occupied Territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Wautuh. The colonial name for this land is Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
**NOTE THAT THIS DOCUMENT IS AN ANECDOTAL ACCOUNT BY AN INDIVIDUAL THAT HAS NOT BEEN FACT CHECKED OR EDITED. IT WAS WRITTEN IN THE SPAN OF FOUR HOURS AS AN IMMEDIATE STOP GAP MEASURE TO ACTIVATE PEOPLE WHO SAW THE HORRIFIC VIDEOS FROM RAFAH AND HAVE DECIDED TO JUMP ON BOARD THE MOVEMENT FOR A FREE PALESTINE. IT IS A LIVING DOCUMENT THAT WILL CONTINUE TO EVOLVE, BASED ON THE CAPACITY OF ITS AUTHOR ROSIE CHOO PIDCOCK AND THEIR COMMUNITY, AS THE MOVEMENT FOR A FREE PALESTINE CONTINUES. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST UPDATES PLEASE DM ME ON INSTAGRAM @ROSIETHEMOVIE. THIS DOCUMENT WAS MADE WITH VOLUNTEER LABOUR AND CAN BE SHARED FREELY IN DIGITAL OR HARD COPY FORM WITHOUT MY PERMISSION**
Colonization is very important to catching up on the situation in Palestine, so if you’re shaky on the fundamentals that’s ok! You can consult the Indigenous Inclusion (facilitated by Nahanee Creative) website as they are about to launch a free decolonization mini course. They also have a huge list of resources here.
You can also borrow the Decolonize First workbook by Nahanee Creative from the Burnaby Public Library! I have a hardcopy too if you are local to ‘Vancouver’ and would like to borrow it.
I have provided a self location and quick “what radicalized me” story at the end of this document.
It’s 1:23am Pacific Time on Monday May 28th, 2024 as I start writing this, and the world is reeling from the videos of Palestinians pulling the charred corpses of their loved ones from the rubble in Rafah .You are one of the people that watched the videos, felt your insides spill onto the floor, gasped for air, screamed into your fist, and were at an absolute loss for words.
You want to do something. You don’t know what. Maybe you earn a good salary and want to donate. Maybe you have free time to go to a protest. Maybe you have power in your work place or social space and want to start speaking up and escalating a little. All of those are great ideas! Below is a resource guide for choosing your path and some resources to guide you. Click ahead to the status that applies to you:
PALESTINE HISTORY 101 (via Palestine Academy)
Review this IN CONJUNCTION with taking action – the time for quietly reflecting, listening and learning has LONG PASSED. Non-intersectional white feminists like Brene Brown who take up an enormous amount of space in the culture have condoned this “listening and learning” behaviour, which is why eight months in there have been 40,000 Palestinians killed and countless more disabled. Note that non-intersectional white feminists and others like her are a DISTRACTION to the cause – by centering themselves and their holier-than-thou “listening and learning” behaviour in the narrative, they distract people from the actual task at hand:. Stopping the military operations in Israel, so that fewer Palestinians are killed. DO NOT GIVE NON-INTERSECTIONAL WHITE FEMINISTS YOUR ATTENTION. Nothing can convince them of the humanity of Palestinians in face of a coordinated and intentional murder by the State of Israel, so they will be left behind in the movement. Their humanity, their loss!
DIRECT ACTION is the priority, please trust that a legacy of Palestinian and Jewish organizers and their allies have done the work FOR DECADES to ensure we are speaking from a place of VERIFIED TRUTH. I understand you have been educated to always consider both sides, to know ALL THE FACTS before speaking out. This is a colonial tactic to ensure that people stay silent, and do not challenge the elected officials who allegedly represent our values and beliefs.
The State of Israel (in partnership with Western colonial and predominantly American mainstream media) has coerced you into believing that there are “two sides” in this “war”, and that you are anti-Semitic for speaking out against the State of Israel and its colonial project known as ZIONISM. YOU ARE NOT. Please visit Jewish Voice for Peace to learn about the global movement of Jewish people that have DIVESTED from and DENOUNCED Zionism.
The term “not in our name” refers to Jewish people who are telling the Israeli government that they will NOT murder Palestinians in the name of “Jewish safety”. Saying this DOES NOT negate the fact that anti-Semitism IS A VERY REAL PHENOMENON that has been perpetrated FOR CENTURIES around the world. You can absolutely be against anti-Semitism AND be against the violent war crimes of the State of Israel, which was created with British and American support after WWII as a convenient way for the Western powers to have an ally in the Middle East that would control and kill the populations of the neighbouring countries.
Israelis have been told that the existence of a Palestinian state, and Palestinians themselves, are a THREAT to their existence, which is why we are witnessing such a horrific and violent attempt to literally extinguish them from their own land. This is why you see Israeli soldiers make TikToks of themselves doing war crimes, and why the popular songs on Israeli radio celebrate Palestinian death and call them rats. Please do not get stuck in shock and disbelief. THIS ALL MAKES SENSE based on how history has unfolded.
The documentary ISRAELISM provides a Jewish American perspective on this issue – visit their website for info on screenings and to watch the trailer. Let’s Talk Palestine and So.Informed collaborated on an excellent set of written data points to debunk Zionist talking points. This Instagram Live recording from Chani Nicholas, Esther Farmer and Asher is a video/audio option.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8Fi8qkvPpa/?igsh=MW1ha2YxY3ZydTNwMw==
To quote my friend Safeena, “I find that these data points are only useful when someone is genuinely interested in hearing you. If they just want to defend Israel’s actions, then no amount of facts will work. Godspeed friends.” I echo this, and encourage you to focus your time and efforts on well-intentioned folks who are open to unlearning their pro-Israel bias. If someone is still screaming in the comments eight months later to “bring the hostages home!” while refusing to recognize that Israel has killed its own hostages and rejected multiple ceasefire deals from Hamas, then they are absolutely 1000% not worth your time.
BIG LOVE!! YOU GOT THIS!! GO TEAM!!
SITUATION #1: YOU HAVE $$ MONEY $$ (BUT ARE SHORT ON TIME):
Lovely! Capitalism is still how our society operates, and money is the grease that oils the machine.
DONATE
Palestinians in the diaspora have created grassroots campaigns on GoFundMe that directly benefit families trying to survive in Gaza OR who are attempting to evacuate:
GazaFunds.Com
An aggregated list of active fundraisers across various platforms. Most of them are for medical aid, some are for evacuation, still others are for rebuilding infrastructure. An amazing group of volunteers put this together and consistently monitor all of them to ensure they are not losing momentum
Visit author Sim Kern’s Instagram page as they are constantly doing fundraisers for Palestine via , and ensure they are working with vetted GoFundMe campaign organizers. Also they have great insight on parenting, teaching, Jewish culture, and the history of Israel.
Donate to the Palestinian Youth Movement
These are the youth that organize all the protests in cooperation with other local Palestinian-led oranizations! Protests cost money – you need signs, a sound system, safety vests, water, snacks, all sorts of things. Plus wouldn’t it be nice to pay the people who are organizing them? I’m not an expert on this, but I imagine you also have to pay for a permit…or also for the cops that show up to “direct traffic”, “keep the peace” and “enforce safety measures”
**Note that money is one of the less effective solutions right now because Israel has blocked all aid from entering Gaza. Even if aid trucks are able to enter, Israeli settlers are intervening to destroy the supplies on the trucks. The most effective solution is to USE YOUR VOICE and SPEAK UP PUBLICALLY, especially if you are privileged, wealthier and have white skin. You are better positioned to take risks. Money alone cannot buy us out of this genocide.**
***BOYCOTT, DIVEST AND SANCTION***
The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement works to end international support for Israel's oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law. Learn more here.
The major brands to boycott are HP, Puma, Ahava, Soda Stream, Siemens, Starbucks and McDonalds. The full list is here.
This website frequently issues SPECIFIC CALLS TO ACTION. Currently they are amplifying the call from Palestinian civil society for a MILITARY EMBARGO AGAINST ISRAEL. Right now the only thing that can stop the bloodshed is if we stop arming Israel.
Note this demand is different from calling for a ceasefire. We are WAY BEYOND calling for a ceasefire. In every space you’re in SPEAK UP and DEMAND a COMPLETE military embargo against Israel.
SITUATION #2: YOU HAVE TIME AND MONEY:
Maybe you have a partner who is the breadwinner. Maybe you are intergenerationally wealthy and have decided the 9-5 isn’t for you, and are trying to figure out your next steps. Maybe you’re between lucrative freelance gigs and want to put your skills to work for the movement. Maybe you have quiet quit your job at a large, soulless corporation and are feeling unfulfilled – amazing! We’d love to see you do some movement work on the colonizer’s dime!
You are the movement’s MOST valuable resource! Given the movement exists within capitalism, you have double the power of everyone else! You can do the actions above with your $$, and the actions below with your time. We are grateful and happy you’re here!
SITUATION #3: YOU HAVE TIME, BUT ARE SHORT ON $$ MONEY $$
YOU are some of my favourites. You are the people showing up to protests and rallies, and available to do escalations that AGITATE. If that’s not for you and you’re more of an introvert, or face accessibility challenges to being physically present at rallies, there’s also the wonderful task of contacting your elected officials.
VISIT YOUR LOCAL ENCAMPMENT
You might have heard there are these AMAZING students occupying campuses around the world for a Free Palestine! Their main role in the movement is pressuring universities to cut ties with Israel. Their demands are quite simple:
- Stop using university money to buy Israel weapons
- Stop partnerships with Israeli universities (research projects, study abroad programs, etc) as many of them involve testing weapons on Palestinians or otherwise illegally exploiting Palestinian land and resources.
- Make an OFFICIAL statement calling for a ceasefire.
- I think there’s a fourth one but I can’t remember - it’s 4:45am….will update this later.
If you live in a major urban area, there may be an encampment you can VISIT to participate in teach-ins, chant or sing, or possibly practice drills for physically resisting the police or Zionist counter protestors. Most encampments have a LIBRARY where you can read books about Palestine FOR FREE.
If you don’t live near an encampment, most of them maintain an active Instagram and TikTok presence. I would start with the UCLA account if you want the US context, the University of British Columbia account and the University of Toronto account.. Some of them follow each other, so scroll through the “following” lists to find more. My personal favourite is the Cal Poly Humboldt account, this is the birthplace of the iconic BONK THE POLICE meme. A brave group of 20ish freedom fighters, armed with only each other, successfully pushed a group of cops in riot gear out of the campus’ main administrative building. One of the youth banged on an empty water cooler container as the cops approached, as the group chanted “1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11 FUCK 12!!!”. As the cops advanced on the students with riot shields, and started whacking them with batons, the student with the water cooler reached over and https://www.instagram.com/occupycalpolyhumboldt/?hl=enBONKED the cop, making a loud and satisfying BONK sound. They got in several BONKS before the cop swiped it. But it was too late. The BONK THE POLICE meme was born.
EDUCATE YOURSELF / SHARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA
**I am an elder millennial and primarily use Instagram. I am not active on Twitter, Facebook or TikTok. Will update this in the future with other platform-specific info**
Palestinian creators in the diaspora:
@jenanmatari @nouraerakat @officialjakegyllenhalal
@sbeih.jpeg @lanzybear @anat.international
@mohammeddelkurd @lsarsour @ahmedeldin
@byplestia
Palestinian journalists on the ground
@wizard_bisan1 @mohammed_fayq @princekouta
@joegaza93 @bayanpalestine
@hindkhoudary @wissamgaza
Palestinian educational accounts:
@pal.humanity @decolonizepalestine
@visualiz @palestinianfeministcollective
@key48return @visualizing_palestine
Mix of activists / musicians / artists / journalists / educators:
@ykreborn
@smohyeddin
Anti-Zionist Jewish voices:
@sim_bookstagrams_badly @k.w.bogen
@saulwilliams @michellekimkim
@mattxiv @ijeomaoluo
@monachalabi
Queer Jewish astrologer with anti-oppression and liberatory lens:
@chaninicholas
This is OBVIOUSLY NOT an exhaustive list, it’s what’s at the top layer of my brain right now. I will keep adding to this. I need to separately think through how to frame this, i.e. our relationship with social media vis-a-vis its effectiveness. There’s a perception that engaging on here is futile, but that’s not true and a major part of the revolution is being driven from here. That’s why the US government is trying to ban TikTok (it was supposed to be for dancing and lip syncing, not a tool for freeing oppressed peoples).
BOOST ENGAGEMENT FOR CREATORS ON SOCIAL MEDIA THAT ARE TALKING ABOUT PALESTINE
- LIKE the post
- COMMENT on the post using MORE THAN FIVE WORDS. Include emojis.
- SAVE the post using the button on the bottom right.
- SEND the post to as many friends as possible. Include a message like “hey this made me think _____, or made me feel _____”. A big part of this movement is how we TALK to each other about liberation, which is new for us. Practice this skill at every opportunity.
- SHARE the post to your stories. Add your own stickers and commentary. Tag the creator. If the creator reposts your story mention, LIKE and REPLY in the DMs.
- Turn on notifications for POSTS, STORIES and REELS for that creator.
DISRUPT IN THE COMMENTS SECTION
Continue talking about Palestine in the comments section of major celebrities or other folks with influence that you follow. Amplify and reply to other folks who are commenting their support. This could (and should!) be on posts that have nothing to do with Palestine to draw attention to the issue.
The news cycle counts on us moving on quickly. Palestinians have been resisting since 1948. Longtime members of the movement have been organizing for decades. Some have been organizing for eight months since October 7th. If you’re new, bear this in mind and buckle up for the long haul. It’s a marathon not a race.
PROTEST / RALLY
Sometimes these take place at the encampment, but often they are somewhere else. In Vancouver they take place downtown outside the Art Gallery. Cruise around on Google with the name of where you live + Palestine + solidarity + youth + movement. Or something like that.
CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIAL
Depending on where you live, you may be able to take action at the municipal, provincial and/or federal level. Don’t feel like you need to do it all. Pick one action and stay focused on it. Google “local member of parliament” or “local elected official” and start dialing the numbers, leaving voicemails, sending emails and SHOWING UP TO CONSTITUENCY OFFICES IN PERSON. Organize with a group of friends to physically position yourselves where your elected officials and their staff can SEE you demanding action on Palestine. Make it inconvenient for them to keep going about business as usual. Work in shifts, track their movements so you can maximize opportunities when they are entering and exiting the building.
There are email templates on the Palestinian Youth Movement. Look for what the latest action item is to apply PRESSURE based on direction from movement leaders.
DISRUPT / ESCALATE AT A LEGAL PROCEEDING
This act of resistance I am less familiar with, but I am very inspired by the people in the background of Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s court videos who get ROWDY. I can’t find links right now so will update soon, but you’ll know it when you see it. These people wait in the audience and then JUMP UP yelling “YOU HAVE PALESTINIAN BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS!” while usually waving a sign. Then a security officer comes and physically removes them from the courtroom. These people yell ALL THE WAY to the door, literally kicking and screaming while being restrained by a security officer, aka low grade COP that serves to protect people’s PROPERTY and the legal system written by COLONIZERS!!! THAT is commitment to the cause, my friends!!! There was even someone doing sign language in the background, spelling out KILLER.
Hopefully I can connect with someone who knows more about executing this action and I will update this soon.
DISRUPT YOUR WORKPLACE
This is literally a brain dump of my wildest ideas right now:
- Take a sick day and write “watched a video of a beheaded Palestinian baby” as your reason. See what HR says?
Disrupting the status quo CAN HAPPEN within existing systems, we are just feeding it information it hasn’t heard before. So we feed it and see what happens! This requires the ownership of the company to provide a response and articulate in their own words why they think it’s not a good use of their sick pay.
- Bring up Palestine during your 1:1 conversations with coworkers and your boss
- Did you see what happened in Rafah?
- How was your weekend? I attended a Free Palestine protest.
- I started reading XX book over the weekend, I’ve been reading more work by Palestinian authors lately.
- Join the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee and raise concern about the genocide in Palestine
- Order catering from a Palestinian restaurant for an office meeting. Use it as a conversation starter. Share the restaurant’s Instagram page. Chances are your local Palestinian restaurant is also politically engaged. In Vancouver this could be Tamam: Fine Palestinian Cuisine.
- Reschedule a meeting by opening your email with “due to the escalating massacre of Palestinians by the Israeli government in Rafah, my capacity has shifted this week” or “due to the ongoing genocide in Gaza, I am not currently in the headspace to proceed with this discussion”. This lets people know you are dedicating some of your precious time and energy to an important cause, and also clearly lets people know you are not interested in proceeding with “business as usual”. Once again this puts the onus on your boss/colleagues/etc to articulate a reply.
This can feel really scary if you’re not used to having political conversations in your workplace. Capitalism and colonialism encourage us to work hard and not discuss politics, unless it serves the current systems/structures of power. Your heart rate may increase and you might feel really lightheaded and have a tightening in your stomach. These are normal fear responses!
It can feel scary to engage in this kind of conversation, but remember that you don’t need to have it “all figured out” . You can simply talk about what you’re currently learning and engaging with. Neoliberals love to nitpick and cancel people, and “cancel culture” makes us even more afraid to speak up. We’ve seen what it’s like to have an angry Internet mob beating down your doorstep, and we don’t want that to be us. If you ever feel like you “don’t have all the answers”, simply remind yourself and others that it is not your job to have it “all figured out”. It’s your job to join with others who are committed to collective liberation. Collective liberation acknowledges that multiple oppressions exist, and that we work TOGETHER to undo oppression in ourselves, our families, our communities, and our institutions, in order to achieve a world that is truly free.
For more on overcoming cancel culture, check out adrienne maree brown’s ‘We Will Not Cancel Us’. A short and effective read!
SITUATION #4: IF YOU HAVE NEITHER TIME NOR MONEY, AND/OR HAVE PRECARIOUS IMMIGRATION STATUS:
That’s ok! You are capitalism and colonialism’s biggest victims. Maybe you come from a poor family, or are from an oppressed group that has suffered under colonization for years. If you are spiritually connected to your ancestors’ traditions and culture, you might already have the rituals and practices ready to tune in for Palestine.
STREAM: Hind’s Hall by Macklemore
Millionaire white rappers should not exist, and there’s a whole deep dive on cultural appropriation of Black musical tradition that is ongoing and must continue. For the time being Macklemore is the only large celebrity who has committed his platform in a significant way (i.e. beyond wearing a ceasefire pin, or a dress on the red carpet a la Cate Blanchett in Cannes. She absolutely ate and I love that she did that, but it falls into the category of “safe activism” that celebrities are allowed to be applauded for. It’s the bare minimum and the incentives get murky because at what point are you drawing attention to yourself for eyeballs because Palestine is “hot right now” and at what point are you actually pushing for an end to Israel’s illegal military occupation of Palestine? Both can be true. At this point those with privilege, power and white skin are ESPECIALLY needed to take risks and escalate!
The lyrics of Hind’s Hall lay out much of the plot that has unfolded since October 7th, and alludes to what went on before that (i.e. when he says “the Nakba never ended, the colonizer lied). Read the lyrics closely and recite them out loud. Have fun with how many lines you can learn before you have to pause again. Rapping is hard! Allow the sound of your own voice to fill your entire body while you recite the lyrics. Exaggerate every syllable, especially the vowels. This is the practice of embodying truth.
I am developing a Part 2 for this section which will list Palestinian musicians to follow and listen to. I am still in the process of my own self education on this. For now here is what I have been able to find! @anees, @shadiamansour and @leilahegazy on Instagram.
PRAY
Inter-Faith Healing Circle:
A group of healers have been holding a weekly interfaith prayer circle on Sundays. I know showing up to an online space where you don’t know anybody is low key very strange, so if you want to ease into the work of adrienne maree brown you can start with their podcast. She did a ceasefire episode shortly after October 7th that features guests from both the Arab Resource and Organizing Center and Jewish Voice for Peace.
Dori Midnight (one of the healers who hosts) usually posts the weekly info on their Instagram.
I know praying sounds strange and conjures all sorts of negative feelings about religion! Rightfully so! Modern day Christianity (with its roots in patriarchy and obsessive control of female bodies) has made us VERY wary of religion. This is not a religious gathering, rather a coming together of folks who are concerned about the violence in Palestine and want to share spiritual energy around finding a solution.
Self Location
I am a biracial Hakka Chinese and white settler. My Mom is descended from Hakka Chinese migrants that originated in Northern China, made their way south to what is currently Fujian Province during the 13th Century, and eventually migrated to Singapore in the 1920s. She was born and raised in Singapore before immigrating to Canada in 1970 and settling on Mississauga lands to finish high school and attend nursing school.
My Dad is descended from Scottish and British settlers and grew up on Hupacasath territory (Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, British Columbia). My paternal grandmother was born and raised in Dundee, Scotland and met my grandfather when he was serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force during WWII. He was on leave in Dundee and she spotted him at an ice rink. They have an amazing love story that I will explore at some point in one of my films, but I digress. My grandfather was third generation Canadian, and my great great grandfather Reginald Heber Pidcock originally immigrated from Chertsey, England to Quathiaski Cove on Quadra Island. I’m fuzzy on the rest of these details, but according to my research he owned a cannery which he eventually sold, and then became an Indian Agent. He had a major hand in outlawing the potlatch.
I discovered this information about my white settler bloodline shortly after watching Rhymes For Young Ghouls by Mi'kmaq Director Jeff Barnaby (Rest in Power) had just passed, and I wanted to watch more of his work. The white guilt was INTENSE after seeing how the Indian Agent behaved in that movie! I’ll never know what my great great grandfather was actually like as a person, I only know the impacts and legacy of the work he was part of. I was able to recognize the difference between an individual, and the system that they operate within. My reconciliation practice is particularly focused on restoring Indigenous ceremonies and tradition, which is why I support local businesses like Sisters Sage and Salmon and Bannock who provide the plant medicine and food we need to live healthy and happy decolonial lives! My ongoing reconciliation practice means I constantly seek out Indigenous businesses and creators who are restoring their traditional and ancestral methods of storytelling, ritual and ways of relating to one another.
Here’s a pic of me so you know I’m not a bot!
What radicalized me?
Like many of us, I was radicalized by the video of George Floyd being murdered by police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25, 2020.
My other radicalizing moment was the announcement of the discovery of the remains of 215 children who attended Kamloops Indian Residential School by the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation on May 27, 2021.
As a settler Canadian with direct ties to the colonial machine, it’s important for me to acknowledge complicity and take direct action to decolonize. This work is ongoing! As a self-employed artist with a flexible schedule who has a decent amount of intergenerational privilege and security, it is my responsibility to do this. I have made a choice to pursue an abundant future with my community, vs the maximum amount of wealth that I can earn and individually hoard. I have realized that money can’t guarantee abundance – and I didn’t have to get super rich and have a tragic fall from grace to get here. This is typically how Hollywood films portray the rags to riches to rags again story – that you need to have wealth first before you can realize it won’t buy happiness. We can actually skip that step! Extreme wealth at the cost of exploiting others is not noble and should not be revered. Billionaires cannot and should not exist.
I encourage you to reflect on what radialized you! The word “radical” has been co-opted by the Western colonial capitalist media machine to conjure images of Arab “terrorists” doing jihad. Or co-opted by the Western (often white) commercialization of spirituality and psychotherapy with terms like “radical acceptance”
The word “radical” actually comes from the Latin word for “root”. So think of it as growing strong roots for a beautiful tree that will grow and shade us all – a place to have picnics, to commune with our pets and each other, to observe the changing of the seasons without fear of being punished for not working hard enough or earning enough money. Rest is the revolution, friends. But we need to keep collaborating to root that tree strong enough so it grows big enough so we can shade everyone!! Because everybody, absolutely everybody, deserves the shade of a beautiful tree on a hot day. The same way Palestinians civilians deserve protection from being burned alive by Israeli bombs.