#hope youre safe and ok. free palestine

[mareagirls]

OK this just hit me and if i wrote for joel id have a blast with this BUT

what if r and joel were out on a job somewhere or going to his storehouse outside the qz and instead of ellie being bitten and immune it’s r!!!!! the drama when she doesnt turn

LOL not me acting like you didn’t send me this request over a year ago, i’m so sorry it’s so late 😭 i hope you like it sweetheart. I’ll come back and check this for typos later!

> established relationship, established family dynamic, protective!joel, sad joel, sad ellie but she tries to hide it, sad reader but there is fluff and comfort and the end i promise

tws: reader asks joel to kill her (i'm not sure if this should be a tw but just incase!

I believe unconditionally in a free Palestine, and am aware that one of the creators of TLOU is a zionist. i do not support this and strongly encourage anyone reading this to engage with the link below!

how you can help Palestine

-

There’s a clicker snapping and snarling above you. You bring your arms up to keep it away from your face as you try to shove it off. Joel won't take the shot, you think, not when there’s a risk of hitting you.

With a final push of adrenaline, you manage to kick it up so it’s further off you. You scream out for Joel then, strangled.

“Fuck- Joel!"

The rippling bang of a gunshot pierces the air.

The thing on top of you goes slack, features still contorted in a gruesome snarl. You shove it off and scramble away, standing up as soon as you’ve put enough distance between you. Silence returns to the forest.

When you look up, you don’t find the relieved looks you’re expecting from either of your companions. Joel is looking at you, horror painted across his features as he stares at your arm.

You follow his gaze down.

Blood is leaking out of a clear bite mark just above your wrist. Your shirt and skin are shredded where the things teeth ripped into you. Red coats your hand, dripping thickly onto the ground.

Your legs go weak at the sight.

"Shit- shit, Y/N-" Ellie is panicking. She’s closer by, arms reaching out for you. You take a half step back, unwilling to let her get nearer, and her head snaps up. "It got you."

You all know what this means. It’s a death sentence. A promise that even if you’re not dead now, you will be very soon.

You look at Ellie with a wobbly smile that you know won't do much to placate her panic. She looks like she might cry and behind her, Joel has gone rigid - eyes wide, hands in tight fists by his sides. You don't know what's worse.

"It's alright, Ellie, sweetheart," you focus on trying to calm the girl down first. “It's okay. It's alright. You have to leave me here."

Before Ellie can retort, Joel stiffens.

"No- no." He collects himself, rolling his shoulders slowly as if to shake off the stupor. “That is out of the question.”

You think to yourself that denial looks devastating on him.

"Joel," his name is a broken supplication on your lips. "You need to take Ellie and get back to Jackson. She needs to be safe."

It’s low, reminding him of how dangerous the world is in an effort to make him focus, but Joel cares about keeping you and Ellie safe above anything else. Reiterating that he can’t protect everyone might hurt him, but it’ll keep them both alive long enough to forgive you.

You're shaking, you realise then. Tremors wracking your body as the adrenaline of the fight dissipates and leaves horror in it's wake. You glance at the bite again and a low wounded noise escapes you.

Joel steps forward, arms reaching out to comfort you instinctively, and you take two back, doing your best to avoid the hurt that flashes in his eyes. His voice is ragged when he next speaks, and Joel Miller has never been one to beg, but right now he’s sounding awfully close.

“Let us stay with you."

“The bite is in your arm, right?" Ellie regards you carefully. "You still have a few hours left. We can keep you company."

Shaking your head, you step further away.

"I don't want you to see me turn into one of those things."

“We’ll kill you before you get to that point.”

Ellie speaks matter of factly, but you don’t miss the way her hands flit anxiously at her sides. She’s tough, your girl, but you and Joel both know her tells better than you know yourselves. Behind all the snark and self assuredness, she’s a kid. You wont force her to watch another person she cares about succumb to cordyceps.

“Ellie,” you try to reason. “I don't want you to see me like that.”

You turn to Joel, expecting agreement, but he’s wiped his face clear of any emotion, inscrutable - you cant read him at all. He's putting his walls up, brick by brick in an attempt to hide how he feels. You don't blame him - you think you'd do the same were your roles reversed.

“We’ll stay with you, Y/N.” His runs a tired hand over his beard. “No infected or people 'round here for miles. We can set up camp. When the time comes...”

He trails off, like he can't bring himself to say the words.

And that's that.

-

Night falls.

Joel ties you up to a tree as a safety precaution, grunting a soft apology when he pulls the rope across your chest too tight and you wince.

Despite your protests, he bandages the bite, careful motions and gentle hands. He thumbs over it when he’s finished, more out of habit than reassurance. You doubt he even realises.

Ellie tries to crack some jokes, doing her best to alleviate the mood. You offer her a halfhearted smile in return but you can tell she's not convinced by it.

It all feels overwhelmingly pointless. Joel will have to kill you soon, and if he can’t, you’ll do it yourself. He's only delaying the inevitable by keeping you alive. When you try to tell him so - try to make it clear that he's just putting himself and Ellie in danger - the man’s shoulders go tight and he turns away from you.

You don't try to dissuade him again.

Now, Ellie is reading her comic by the gas lamp, eyes flickering to you every so often. You twist your body away from her as much as you can and stare into the dark of the woods. You don't want to risk her seeing you get sick. You want her to remember you healthy, smiling - not overcome by the infection.

Joel comes over to you with your water flask in hand and you shake your head. You shouldn't use up resources when you'll be dead soon. When you tell him as much, the man bites his lip but stays quiet. He doesn’t question you though - water is a valuable resource. He knows that just as well as you do.

"Shoot me the moment I start to turn." You murmur, quietly so that Ellie won’t hear you. Joel looks down at you, ashen. Some of the barriers that he’s put up since you were bitten fall away - you see glimpses of the Joel you know inside.

He’s afraid. Devastated. Doing his hardest to keep it together for you and Ellie.

"Y/N-"

"Promise me, Joel. Promise me you'll shoot me."

He swears it, and the words hang stagnant in the air between you.

You thank him before turning away again, raising your voice a little so that Ellie can hear you too when you next speak.

"Goodnight."

I love you both so much. I'm so honoured I got to love you. I'm sorry we didn't get more time. Keep eachother safe. I love you. I love you. I love you. I'm sorry.

It's easier than saying goodbye.

-

You wake with a start to the feeling of someone tapping your cheek.

It’s still dark, the gas lamp casting long and shifting shadows on the small clearing where you've set up camp, but all you can think about is the fact that someone is touching you.

Flinching back with a gasp, you snatch your bitten arm to your chest. Your eyes take a moment to adjust to what's around you.

Ellie and Joel are kneeling by your side, the latter's hands raised as to not spook you. You blink up at them, not understanding. When Joel tries to get closer, you curl in on yourself, the back of your head clipping against the tree and causing you to wince.

"It's alright,” Joel’s saying. “The infection didn't take. You're alright."

You can barely understand him past the rushing in your ears, still focused on the lingering feeling of his rough fingertips on your face.

"Why would you- Fuck, Joel. I'm fucking infected! Why would you touch me? " You're panicking, gasping between words. All you can think of is that Joel touched you and he could get infected too now and Ellie will be alone if you both get sick. She'll have to kill you both.

Joel looks like he wants to get closer, but when he tries, you make yourself as small as possible- knees up against your chest.

"Please, Joel- I don't want to hurt you."

The man shakes his head but doesn't try to come closer again. "You won't. You won't."

"You're still alright, Y/N," Ellie is kneeling on the other side of you. She picks up your injured arm and tugs off the bandage before you can stop her. "Look," she urges. "The infection hasn't taken."

Sure enough, the bite mark is still there, - angry and red and crusted with blood, but there aren’t any purpling veins expanding from it. No greenish hue indicating infection.

This is a trick, you think then. A cruel trick your mind is playing on you in your last moments of clarity. A sick manifestation of your survival instinct begging you to not lose hope.

“You’re not feverish,” Ellie continues. “You’re not coughing or vomiting.”

When you look back at Joel, he looks so convinced - more hopeful than you've ever seen him in the time you've known each other. Nothing else has ever given him that expression. Not the Firefly's promises of revolution, not the prospect of a cure. Joel Miller's thought processes have always been grounded in reality - stoic, stony, calculating.

But right now it looks more like those of the countless QZ kids who get drawn into the Firefly's ranks every year on promises of a better future. You want him to snap out of it. Want to remind him that idealism can only bring trouble- he taught you that.

"The infection hasn't taken yet, Y/N." Ellie is still speaking, small hands gripping yours. "It should have by now. You're still alright. Maybe you're immune like me."

You fight the urge to believe her. "Maybe it's just taking longer to spread.”

"And why the fuck would it do that?" Joel snaps at you, breathing in deep when you flinch at his tone. He runs a hand through his greying hair.

"I'm sorry, I’m sorry. I just- think about it, darlin'," the pet name he usually only reserves for the moments you're alone slips out. "Ellie is right. It should have spread by now. It's been hours."

And you are thinking about it, you are, but you also don't want to hold onto foolish hopes. The likelihood of you and Ellie both being immune feels unfathomable.

“Don’t give me this, Joel,” you say, quiet.

“Don’t give you what? Hope?”

“You promised you’d shoot me!”

Your voice rises, and you realise then how hysterical you sound. Joel’s hand moves to his chest, like it’s physically hurting him to hear you speak like this.

“I promised I’d shoot you when the infection set in. It hasn’t.” His tone is clipped, even, but his expression is anything but.

“So you’re telling me that you’re going to be able to look me in the eyes and put a bullet through my eyes when it does? After you’ve worked yourself up into the idea that I might fucking survive this?”

Surprisingly, Ellie is the most level headed, interceding between the two of you.

She speaks quietly, evenly. “We should just wait a bit more.”

You try to intercede but she stops you.

“No, Y/N. You’re tied up and you’re not getting sick right now. We should wait a few more hours.”

“Ellie-"

“I won’t lose someone else if I don’t have to.”

Your shoulders sag under the weight of what she's saying. Ellie leaves no room for argument. She wraps a clean bandage around your wound and brushes her thumb over it the same way Joel did last night. They’re so alike without even realising it. You tell yourself that at least they’ll have eachother when you’re gone.

A tentative voice whispers inside your head;

If you’re gone.

-

By the evening of the next day, nothing has changed.

Joel and Ellie have barely left your side, the former only disappearing into the woods for a half hour before returning with a few dead rabbits.

"You should try eat something.”

You don’t have an appetite. Haven’t since you were bitten, but Joel and Ellie keep looking at you like you’ll keel over if you don’t eat, so once he’s skinned and cooked the meant, you take what is given to you.

Your companions seem to have taken this new change in their stride, Ellie especially has come to terms with the idea of you possibly being immune very rapidly, but it’s a lot to wrap your head around. You flinch away whenever they get too close, and when Joel tries to untie you, you don’t let him.

“Y/N.”

“Please don’t.”

He swallows hard but nods.

That night you fall asleep still tied up against the tree. You’re woken by nightmares of rotting flesh.

You don’t shut your eyes again after that.

-

It takes three more days for you to let Joel touch you.

You let him untie you on the second because you’re painfully aware that your little group needs to keep moving. You’re unsure about whether you’re still heading for the Fireflies or if Joel has changed route and is taking you all back to Jackson, but you keep your distance either way, choosing to walk a few meters behind them at all times. You keep talking to a minimum, too overwhelmed and exhausted to say anything. Between the two of them, they make up for your lack of sound. Ellie chatters a lot anyway, and Joel answers all her questions, humouring her every joke. He’s filling in gaps that you’d usually contribute in you realise. Sometimes, their voices even drown out the noise in your head. It’s a pleasant distraction.

The next time you set up camp, Ellie goes straight to sleep. Something in her seems to have relaxed since you haven’t become infected. Joel is sat nearby, having offered to take first watch. His features soften when he doesn't think anyone’s looking. A small smile tugging at his lips as Ellie snorts and mumbles something in her sleep.

When he notices you staring, he offers you a tired smile.

“You should get some rest, sweetheart.”

Nodding, you get into your sleeping bag. You’re still not sure what to say and do, but if Joel thinks anything of your apparent immunity, he hasn’t shown it. He’s probably trying to let you rationalise and make peace with what’s happened on your own before he or Ellie give their input.

You try to sleep, you really do. But every sound the forest makes has you flinching, peering into the darkness, shifting in your sleeping bag restlessly.

You don't know if it's the overwhelming stress of the last few days, or the exhaustion, or something else entirely, but once you've started to cry, you can't stop. You try valiantly to smother the sound by clamping your hand over you mouth, but Joel has always been far too attentive for your liking. When the second sob leaves you, you hear him walk over. He stops in front of you, taking in your form (curled up in your sleeping bag, hand pressed against your lips, tears streaming down your face) and a small breath escapes him.

"Oh, my girl."

Before you can apologise, Joel is crouching down in front of you.

"Can I hold you?" His palms are up, open. He doesn’t mean any harm. He won’t hurt you, he never has. More importantly, you won’t hurt him.

Part of you wants to say no - still not used to the idea of being immune - but his proximity makes your skin sting and ache for contact, you're hurting almost with the absence of touch. After days of sitting so far away from Joel and Ellie with nothing but your jacket around you, you give in to him.

"Please."

It's all it takes. One minute Joel is still staring at you like he doesn't want to scare you off, and the next, he's pulling you firmly to his chest, sleeping bag and all.

He smells like pine. Feels like safety. When he presses his lips to the crown of your head, your sobbing intensifies.

"That's it, honey. Let it out. You're safe."

His arms are crowding you, but it doesn't feel stifling. It feels like coming home.

You shudder in his hold. “I’m scared, Joel. I was really fucking scared.”

“I know, baby” he coos - softer than you’ve ever heard him. “S’okay. It’s been a scary few days, hm?”

Another great sob cracks through you and you nod as Joel’s large hand moves up over your back to cup your head carefully. He holds you like a babe, like you’re something worth saving, and if he's afraid of the fact that you were bitten, he doesn't show it.

“It’s alright, honey. You’re safe. I’m gonna keep us all safe.”

He rocks back and forth gently with you clasped to his chest.

"It was killin' me, y'know? Not bein' able to hold you. Comfort you.”

"I'm sorry."

"You don't gotta be sorry, sweetheart. Just know that we got you." He smatters more gentle kisses along your hairline. "Me, you, and Ellie. We're a team."

You nod, because you are a team. You have been for months now. You trust them to keep you safe.

“What are we- What ‘re we gonna do, Joel? The bite…”

Joel shushes you easily, shaking his head.

“That’s a problem for tomorrow. We’ll face it when the morning comes.”

You sink into his chest further, nodding.

“Thank you.”

Joel pulls away ever so slightly to look you in the eyes properly.

“Don’t gotta thank me, honey. Don’t ever gotta thank me for anything at all.”

You fall asleep like that; held to his chest like something worth protecting. That night, no nightmares come.

[msbunnat]

Hello my friends I am Hanan from Gaza, a mother of three children. We used to live in a quiet, reassured house, but our lives were turned upside down: fear, bombing, terror, and destruction. My children and I were subjected to repeated displacement, and we were forced to live inside a tent that swayed in the wind and was full of insects. Meanwhile, my warm house was completely destroyed, and nothing remained. All of it is rubble, stones and memories. I ask you to help me save my children’s lives from danger. I hope you will donate even a little. https://www.gofundme.com/f/q37qd5-please-help-my-family-in-gaza?attribution_id=sl:a7c90392-5bd1-45ca-a58b-c3a57b462cff&utm_campaign=

Hello! I hope you ans your family re ok and safe!

If anyone can help, please help and share this!! Free Palestine!

[mosscreeper-ao3]

Hi Moss,

I've been following you for a short while, mostly for fandom stuff (Jaith, my beloved).

I can only say that I hope beyond hope that you're going to be ok. I know I'm scared out of my wits, and I'm in a safe state. I can't comprehend what it must be like for you.

I hate that there's little I can do to help anyone, so I'm offering what sympathy I can to as may people as I can reach. If nothing else, I find commiseration helpful. Maybe you do, too.

I hope you can find your way to a safe place.

- viv

I really appreciate this. Thankfully, I live in a VERY blue enclave in Ohio, so I don't feel the immediate need to move. That being said, I do have an exit plan both to a few safe states and Canada. I've also started local organizing efforts. Anyone who lives in Ohio can feel free to reach out via DMs or replies for a letter template encouraging Sherrod Brown to run for Vance's empty seat.

I do want to take this opportunity to encourage my fellow USAmericans to get a passport NOW if you are able. They not only provide you the ability to leave, but are some of the most rock-solid proofs you can have of US citizenship. This is advice straight from my Arab refugee father back in 2016.

Some vent stuff incoming in the next paragraph.

I'm genuinely terrified. I'm terrified for myself. I'm terrified for my family in Lebanon. I’m terrified for Palestine. The Biden-Harris admin sucked for Gaza, but the woman half-heartedly calling for a ceasefire is a damn sight better than the man actively telling them to "finish the job". I'm terrified for Ukrainians. Being queer and the absolute disaster this is for my fellow trans people is ass, but I am scared shitless for the imperialist implications of this. Trump has made it abundantly clear that he wants to take America back to an imperialist empire (imo it never really stopped being one but Trump wants to full send this shit) and help Israel and Russia expand their own colonial terrorist projects.

[matan4il]

It's been a month since the lives of every Jew around the world was changed and I know that I for one will never fully recover from this. I'm sending you and everyone I know in Israel so much love and support because I know that at least I can live relatively untouched by what's happening.

I desperately want to talk to my non-jewish friends about what's going on but I honestly still have no idea how to do so because the situation is so unbelievably horrific that without having actual family and friends involved (or living in Israel), I don't think it's possible for anyone to appreciate how fucking terrifying everything is.

The news broke today of an American Jew dying after being attacked at a pro-palestine rally and there has been zero coverage of this outside of Jewish circles. I still check behind me when I commute because I'm afraid someone is gonna push me under a train because I am Jewish.

I joked, in the dark way that a lot of us do, that would I have to die for the gentiles to take the Jews' fears seriously and now someone has, it's clear that is being murdered in broad daylight (and not ok Israel because apparently it's clear that being in Israel invalidates your right to life in a lot of people's eyes) isn't enough to even get people to listen to us.

I just don't know what to do anymore.

Hi, love! Sorry it took me a moment. I'm doing my best, but I hope you know that my heart is always with you!

I feel exactly the same. My life will never be the same. Everything feels different. And we will heal, but scars this deep, they don't disappear. They will always be there. We have been forever changed. And I think that's... I think that's a Jewish experience that many former generations had, and we fooled ourselves to think the generation of the Holocaust would be the last one to go through this.

IDK what advice to give you on talking to your non-Jewish friends. I can tell you I've had many who reached out to me, and it's been so heartwarming. I've had three that I reached out to, but pretty much because I saw them spreading hate filled posts, and I thought they could, and would want, to do better. That didn't really work out, but then I guess if they were extreme enough that I felt compelled to reach out to them, maybe this attempt never really stood a chance. All I know is that I do feel better for having tried. But if you have friends who are not that far gone, yet they haven't been talking to you about this, then maybe an option would be to tell them that you need to share your feelings and thoughts. People often shy away from politics, but if they're really your friends, then they would listen to you sharing these more personal aspects of what's been going on.

Yes, the news about Paul Kessler's homicide were horrifying. A 69 years old man shouldn't have to be scared to go out expressing what he thinks in a free, democratic society. Please, do be careful! What this world should be, it clearly isn't.

I'm gonna be honest, after everything our people had gone through, I'd rather Jews be alive and hated, than spoken of compassionately, but dead. If the world had shown full empathy for every single one of the massacre's victims, I would still give all of that empathy away to have our people back, alive and well, unharmed. What's insane is that even dead Jews no longer get any empathy, not in Israel, and not outside it, as you've pointed out. So many people who claim to be reblogging anti-Israel posts, because they value human life, have failed to reblog anything condemning the massacre, or the rise in antisemitism, or mourn Paul.

IDK what we can do other than be there for each other, and speak up as much as we can, and where and when it's safe for us. I am sending you so much love, and the softest of hugs, okay? Please do let me know how you're doing, if you feel like it. xoxox

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[gavisuntiedboot]

hello i hope you’re doing well.

i just wanted to say i appreciate what you’re posting about Palestine. i feel i’m in a community where a lot of people don’t agree with what i’m saying about Palestine and it’s tough because i want to be able to talk and read about it with people, but none of them agree with me and shut the conversation down very quick. and in a way it’s confusing for me because i know Palestine deserves to be free.

i’m not very good with words especially when writing my opinions on geopolitics. but i just wanted to say thank you because what you’re posting helps further my understanding of the conflict that i’m not able to get in my community. and it helps me form a better opinion.

there’s probably a million better ways to phrase my words above, i’m sorry but i tried my best. but thank you again for all your information and please stay safe 💕

As a Palestinian, it is my duty to never be silent about the genocide my people are going through. I will always be a voice for those fighting for their homelands and for freedom from their oppressors.

As a non-Palestinian ally, I encourage you all to reassess the relationships in your lives. Are you friends with Zionists? Are you friends with people who believe it is morally OK to ignore what is happening? Are you friends with people who are 'neutral' or believe it's 'too complicated' so they don't take a stance?

Cut all of those people out of your life.

You're going to lose friends? Lose them. Better to lose friends than compromise your morals. People are dying just because they were born a certain ethnicity. This will never be something where you can abstain from an opinion.

[the1975attheirverybest]

"Right?!!!! Fuckin weirdos man. Best way to avoid them is to not pay them any mind. We just vibe and mind our own business. Lmao. How’ve you been bestie? Been a minute since I’ve been on here and focused what’ve you been up to"

yeh i think ignoring them is gonna make them loose the fun.

what have i been up to? honestly not much. basically have been living in uni/trains. had so many lectures this week it's actually unreal. every. darn. day. from 11am - 6pm w only 15min breaks every 90mins. tomorrow i'll have the same subject for 4.5hrs. hate it. plus i've not been sleeping well... grief is finally hitting and i'm already anxious about not passing my exams. yesterday i spent almost 2hrs sitting around at the station bc almost all trains were cancelled. but gotta suck it up and pull through ig

how have u been? i rlly hope u are not too affected by the war in Palestine and that u and ur family are all safe and doing well. what is there happening is so awful... i rlly don't understand why matty hasn't said anything yet. not that it would change that much, but his silence is unusual for him🦦

Holy fuck man. That’s what like 7 fuckin hours??! I’m so sorry. You must have a perpetual headache. Education shouldn’t be this stressful I hate that. You’re gonna do great. I know it. You’re smart and capable and are working hard. That’s all you can ever ask of yourself. Please prioritize your health and make time to rest.

I don’t know man. I do think that speaking out would make a difference. Like I don’t believe in performative activism cuz far too many of my white friends have posted “free Palestine” followed by like a picture of their food or fit check or whatever. And that’s gross. But he has reach. White people listen to him. He could make them feel some sense of urgency. Because nobody who isn’t Palestinian is doing anything. I’ve called my representative thousands of times. I’ve gone to my university and begged for them to help me set up a humanitarian drive. I’ve begged them to put out a statement or support. I’ve tried everything. Nobody cares. Nobody. No one is doing anything and I feel helpless.

So, if even one person hears him and thinks “ok maybe I should be invested here” then that’s better than nothing. Because the media is doing it’s best to be evasive and indirect and they’re not reporting on certain things. A memo was leaked from the White House that shows government is telling diplomats to NOT use words like “de-escalate” or “ceasefire.” We have actual proof that they’re deliberately turning a blind eye. So someone should be saying something. The silence makes it feel like they’ll only care about western values and western lives. But hey we’ve been an afterthought for 80 years. I guess it’s dumb to expect anyone to care now. Maybe one day people like Matty will see people like me and consider us worthy. But not today.

[thereallifecath]

"You say a lot of vulnerable people would be devastated under Trump rule as if no one is being devastated now." yeah, like the people getting poisoned by contaminated foods as a result of food safety regulations overturned by trump, and the kids in springfield ohio whose schools keep getting bomb threats because of racist comments made by trump, and the people suffering from long covid because the response team to pandemic threats was dismantled in 2018 by trump, and the people suffering in gaza because israel was emboldened by the american embassy being moved to jerusalem and jerusalem being declared the capitol of israel by trump, and women being denied medical care because roe v wade was overturned by the supreme court members put in place by trump.

did it never occur to you that the impact of a president on our country doesn't end as soon as they leave office? it's a lot easier for a president to do lasting damage than it is for the following president to fix it. America is still STILL suffering because of the actions of reagan, who left office 35 years ago and has been dead for 20 of them. And we're absolutely still suffering because of the last time trump made it into office and will be for a long time to come.

It is so ignorant to use the current suffering of Americans as an justification to increase and prolong our suffering by advocating against voting with your nonsense about how it doesn't matter both sides are basically. Truly spoken like someone from a country where voting is mandatory towards people of a country where a mere 2/3rds of the population voting is a historically high turnout.

You in australia will be safe from the impact of an american election, the people in gaza won't.

You are just continuing to make assumptions and put words in my mouth that I never touched. Please point out to me where I said to not vote, or that Presidents don’t do lasting damage, or where I advocated to prolong Americans suffering justified by current suffering?

THE PEOPLE IN GAZA ARE CURRENTLY DYING WHETHER KAMALA WINS OR NOT. She does not care about them, neither does Trump. If you think you can’t criticise both sides for the damage they’ve both inflicted you’re wrong. Just because Trump has done terrible things doesn’t mean Harris hasn’t.

I didn’t fucking claim that I was going to be unsafe from the American election, all I did was point out that there is a ripple effect and that Australia will most likely follow suit in what America does. I also don’t fucking care what happens to me, I care what happens to the generations of Palestinians never getting to go back home, and the fucking children for christs sake having way more empathy than grown adults, and the Indigenous and First Nations peoples who are hoping that if Palestine can be free, so can they. I don’t see how I’m evil because I told you the American people, and Palestinian people that you all deserve better than the lesser of two evils.

And I’m unsure of what that’s supposed to mean “Truly spoken like someone from a country where voting is mandatory”… ok? Did I encourage people not to vote? No i did no such thing, I said that I don’t see how the system can ever change if people don’t ever try and vote for someone else… my problem isn’t that they started an event to get people to vote, that would be fine - it would even be okay if they did the same event they’re doing now - but with active fundraising and events also to protect and help Palestine. But they aren’t, it’s just a campaign to get people to vote for her, and yes I see the importance of making sure Trump never gets into office again but I fucking long for a world where people don’t have to choose some other shitty person to get away from the shittier one. It isn’t fair.

I can be reasoned with, in the sense that yes 100% vote for her if it means not voting for him, but I will not support or stand by celebs who have done fuck all for Palestine do an event to promote voting for her.

I also hate having discourse with people online, because I can never tell what people’s tone is and I just want to say that I’m not saying any of this with anger towards you, or with any viciousness. I am fucking exhausted, and I really honestly don’t want to see anyone hurt anymore. I guess I’m just a bit delusional in hoping that neither Democratic or Republican/Labour or Liberal have to win… that if you guys can do it then it can happen here, and then people with actual empathy can be in power… I do not wish to anger you or make you mad, I want the world to actually change for the better and I know that despite Albanese being good in certain ways, it gets shit on by how horrendous he is in other ways. NSW has in the past year put through archaic anti protest laws, nationwide parliament have changed the NDIS laws to much worse shitty ones, and have consistently lied about their active involvement in the ongoing genocide in Palestine. And this is under the Labour government aka the good guys - the Democrats. Do I want to vote for Scott Morrison or whatever cunt is on the ballot for Liberal next? No but I can’t stand the thought of voting for Albo again.

Something has to give right? Four more years with Albo or Harris just means four more years of the same government doing fuck all to help those who need help. It’s been almost a whole year since the current wave of genocide in Gaza started and there has been no action for good by either governments despite the protests every single week, and the encampments and the petitions and everything else.

I want people in power who understand that they serve the people not the other way around.

[little-akuma]

Hi there 👋,

My name is Mohammad, and I’m reaching out in a moment of desperate need. I’m a father of three young children living in Gaza, and we are caught in the midst of a catastrophic war. Our home is no longer a safe haven, and the future here seems increasingly uncertain. 💔

I’ve launched a fundraising campaign with the goal of raising $40,000 to relocate my family to a safer place where my children can grow up in peace and have a chance at a brighter future. 🕊️🇵🇸

Unfortunately, my previous fundraising efforts were abruptly halted when my account was terminated without explanation. However, I remain determined to keep fighting for my family’s safety and well-being. 🫶

If you could take a moment to read our story, consider donating, or simply share our campaign with others, it would make an incredible difference. Every act of kindness, no matter how small, brings us one step closer to safety and a new beginning. 🙏

Thank you for your time, compassion, and support. ❤

https://gofund.me/fd1faea2 🔗

Dear Mohammed,

I apologise as I am not as active on this account, I hope I saw your post in time.

You are a brave soul, and I pray each day that your people prevail and live in a free Palestine. Your family deserves to be happy and safe.

Once I get my salary on Wednesday, I will be donating to the gofundme. I hope it's not too late.. Also, I am hoping your gofundme will reach some of my followers here, and I will also share it on other social media if that's OK with you.

No person should be going through a genocide. I pray that peace will settle in a free Palestine and that the justice will come for the system which has done this to your people.

[cherrytheredwolf]

Hello, my dear friend 🌟

I am Mahmoud Jihad from Gaza, currently living in a flimsy tent after my home and university were completely destroyed, along with my PC and my city. I was studying Information Technology while caring for my sick father and siblings, but now all my hopes seem shattered. 😢

As we face this devastating crisis, I am raising funds to help my family escape from Gaza and to continue my studies abroad 🎓. Every day is a struggle, and your support can make a significant difference in our lives ❤️.

My GoFundMe campaign has been verified by @beesandwatermelons ✅ #190.

Please consider sharing, liking, commenting, or donating, even a small amount 🙏.

Your help could be the turning point that saves my family and helps us survive in this harsh and relentless war 😔.

GoFundMe link: https://gofund.me/463cbf01

Thank you from the bottom of my heart! 🌹

^^^^^

I hope you, your father, and your siblings will be ok. You deserve love and a safe home. Palestine will be free 🇵🇸🇵🇸❤️❤️❤️

[ocfloof]

This is Eman a Biotechnologist from Gaza. Asking for help is not easy. It's not easy at all. You have no idea how mentally and emotionally tiring this is. But when thinking that the price is my family's life, getting out of here safely and achieve my doctoral degree dream, it just pushes me more and more to do this until we reach our goal. I'm here as I try to reach out to more people asking for their help to support our family's campaign so we can survive while all you have to do is literally donating even by just the price of your morning coffee or maybe a simple breakfast, So I think I'm not asking for so much. We're really tired of living under these catastrophic conditions for a whole 10 months. Your generosity will not only change our lives but also remind us that even in our darkest hour, we are not alone. https://gofund.me/d597b8e2

I hope everything will be ok, from the river to the sea Palestine will be free

[2zam]

welcome to my evil lair

@2zam-reblogs have most of my reblogs.

blog should be accessible for screen readers, there are rarely posts without id (which are tagged #undescribed). let me know if i miss anything

feel free to tag me! mentions are always ok

any pronouns (use increasingly elaborate ones if you like). Call me Rocket, Choco, or my username, all are fine.

I have no dni, just block me if you’re a zionist or a generative AI user, it saves me the time of doing it myself <3

Do your daily click!!!

donation askers: due to the large number of donation asks (over 1,000) I no longer individually answer donation asks. Please know that I’ve received your ask and i will reblog your posts to @chocolatte-reblogs. I can't give any money right now, but I genuinely wish all of you the best and hope you can get the help you need. (I do signal boosts here, but they are lists and masterposts, not individual ones)

eSims for Gaza, help donate to Gazans safely, ditto with focus on Sudan, Doctors Without Borders, BDS list, Help Gaza's Children gfm, Library of information about Palestine, carrd.co with additional info

Tag directory, a guide to tone indicators, sideblog header, pronouns.page

[clar-artist]

Hello, I'm from Gaza City because of the war,my house was destroyed. We lost everything,my family and I did not have anything left. We left our homes in search of a safe place and we were displaced three  times to different places to survive, but unfortunately there's no safe place in Gaza. My mother is very sick and she's a kidney failure patient in need of treatment outside. She suffers from LS. Help me and my family to survive. Please, your small donation can make a huge difference. A friend outside Gaza has come in to help me run the donation program so that my mother can be evacuated. My friend Mr. Noah Keter is receiving the donations on our behalf to help us organise how to evaluate Gaza in the next four days

Hello i'm deeply sorry about what you are living right now. I'm absolutly digusted by Israël's actions.

But sadly, i can't donate to help you... I'm a minor and it makes it impossible...

Is it possible to help you another way ? Like viewing Tik tok content or something ? Because i would !

I hope you and your family and everyone will be ok..

Free Palestine !

[edenfenixblogs]

Wow. Ok. So just to address your edit. You added a lot of things and tried to assert that they were all equally and totally free of antisemitism. They are not. If you are not actually antisemitic (which you are but let’s behave as if I’m willing to believe you’re willing to become a less hateful person), then you should care and listen when Jews say that you are causing them harm and that they don’t actually stand for the things you accuse them of standing for.

Here’s a breakdown of things that are antisemitic and are not antisemitic and things that are somewhere in between:

Not Antisemitic:

(You will find many of the Jews you hope die actually agree with you on these points, if you would just listen to us when we repeatedly tell you so…)

Opposing genocide

Opposing a specific form of Zionism for which you can name and explain the features, especially Revisionist Zionism which is the extremist form practiced by Netanyahu and the Likud.

Being against the policies of segregation and discrimination that the state of Israel has long imposed upon Palestine and its citizens.

Things That Are Antisemitic

Opposing all forms of Zionism when you can’t name the history of those wildly diverse movements to which many Jews adhere. (While it is possible to not to SUPPORT or IDENTIFY WITH ANY form of Zionism, it’s not really possible to completely OPPOSE the concept of Zionism without being antisemitic. Many types of Zionism directly contradict each other. So, opposing one form may very well mean you support another. Zionism is simply a set of political and social theories that aim to provide Jews a way of living together safely, something we have never been able to attain as a culture or religious group. The only thing that all forms of Zionism have in common is the belief that Jews deserve safety. It is for this reason that I am not a Zionist, but am not anti-Zionist. None of the current forms of Zionism quite work for me personally, but I am not opposed to the idea that one day there will be a specific method for attaining Jewish safety that makes perfect sense to me. An additional important note: the vast majority of Zionist philosophy has nothing to do with Palestine at all and the Zionism that does involve Palestine is mostly focused on how to live peacefully alongside Palestinians. The exception is Revisionist Zionism, which is what Netanyahu and the Likud practice.)

Assuming that wanting Jews to live safely means that I want Palestine to remain under siege and without rights. Literally any investigation into my political beliefs or actions would disprove this. Literally any effort. Whatsoever into viewing me as a complex person rather than a cartoon villain would prove to you that your assumption was incorrect. But not only did you assume this horrible thing of me, you also immediately jumped to wanting me to die painfully.

Assuming that any Jew who disagrees with you is a Zionist of any kind (for instance, I am not a Zionist of any variety).

Assuming that any Jew who disagrees with you is a Zionist who adheres to the specific form of Zionism that you oppose. (Zionism is a set of extraordinarily diverse philosophies that are byproducts of Jewish culture and suffering and hope. It is not for you, as a non-Jew, to define or apply to others. Especially as a pejorative.)

Not believing Jews who tell you they are not Zionists.

Hating the legitimate supporters of the broad philosophies of Zionism (aka Zionists). Zionism is a Jewish philosophy that belongs to Jews. Christian Zionists have co-opted the concept for their own antisemitic reasons. Opposing Zionists as a whole is simply saying you oppose Jews who wish to live in peace and safety. All actual Zionists are Jews. Saying that you hate all Zionists is exactly the same as saying that you hate all Jews who want to live in safety and with other members of their community. This is not a wild or radical interpretation. This is literally what hating Zionists is. There is no circumstance where you can group Jews together in large numbers and claim to hate them as human beings and not be antisemitic. Hating Jews or the vast majority of Jews is literally what antisemitism is. I personally don’t hate anyone. Yes even Hamas. I oppose them. I do not forgive them. But I do not hate the human beings. I have written extensively about this. I personally think all forms of hate are a waste of time. But if you feel the need to hate so strongly that you must invest your time and energy in it, you can hate. You can hate a philosophy. You can hate those who carry out those philosophies violently. You can hate the cowardice of people whose silence tacitly supports that violence. But you cannot hate Jews of wildly varied political opinions and philosophies and from a variety of backgrounds and other intersecting and differing cultures who have never done anything to harm you or those you love, support the harm of you or those you love, or who often take direct action to support and protect you and those you love both as a tenet of their Zionism as well as a matter of individual belief. You cannot hate such a broad spectrum of socially conscious, non-harmful, empathetic Jews of a variety of backgrounds for any reason and not be antisemitic.

Assuming that Palestinian indigeneity is dependent upon dismissing Jewish indigeneity. Two groups can be indigenous to the same place.

Flattening Jewish ethnicity and culture to force-fit it into other ethnic categories. This is definitionally antisemitic erasure. Jews are not white. Jews are not European. Jews are not uniformly any one other category. Jews are Jews. In addition to their ethnicity as Jews, they may or may not be European, Arab, Asian, American, or anything else! They may be white or black or brown or anything else! Jewishness is its own ethnic category and does not necessitate grouping into any other category. Doing so is as bigoted and nonsensical as claiming that all Muslims are Arabs. They’re not. You know they’re not.

Rewriting or ignoring Jewish history. Jews sprang from the Levant. Jews were the victims of a recent genocide and a more recent pogrom. Jews were violently expelled from every country in the Middle East very shortly after they were ethnically cleansed from all of Europe. Every single country where Jews have ever lived has been hostile to them. Jews choosing to return to the Levant is not and never was in itself colonization. You may absolutely have your own opinion on how and why Israel was formed and you may absolutely take issue with many facets of it. However, to justify your hatred for the modern state of Israel by denying that it was founded in a place of historical significance to Jews is antisemitic. Justifying your hatred for the modern state of Israel by saying that the only Jewish connection to the land is biblical is reductive and antisemitic. There is ample cultural, archaeological, and other physical evidence of Jewish history and indigeneity in the Levant. And not just in Jewish sources but in academic as well as Christian and Muslim sources. Denying that the vast majority of those who founded Israel were refugees of ethnic cleansing and genocide throughout Europe and the Middle East is ahistorical and antisemitic.

Claiming that Jewish presence in the levant is historical only. Despite 2000+ years of persecution and cycles of expulsion and ethnic cleansing, Jews have maintained a continuous presence in the levant as well as the surrounding areas. They are neither refugees nor colonizers. This land has always been their home. I have an entire line of cousins who has lived in The Land of Israel since the biblical era. I have never been to Israel or met that side of my family due to ongoing threats to Jewish safety and due to my opposition to the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestine.

Claiming you want Israel to burn to the ground, especially without proposing a humane plan for what should become of the Jews who currently live there. Half of the world’s Jewish population currently lives in Israel. You simply cannot claim that you are not antisemitic while also saying that you believe that half the world’s Jewish population deserves to lose their homes as well as the protection of a government who cares about their interests. Especially when you’re condemning the majority of the other 50% who dare to express concern for the people you hope to disenfranchise or for how your actions might impact those in diaspora. You can absolutely propose alternative plans for how both Palestinians and Israelis should forge a better nation, set of nations, or confederations. I have been encouraging people to do this. I particularly favor A Land for All at the moment. But I’m very open to other suggestions, assuming those suggestions account for the lives and safety and protection of both current Israelis and Palestinians.

Claiming you want large groups of Jews to die. I cannot believe we are in a political landscape where I need to say this explicitly, but if you want a large group of Jews—including civilians—to die, that is antisemitic in every conceivable instance. This is not a hot take.

Wishing for Jewish death to be painful. This has no possible political purpose and has no permutation where it is not violently antisemitic.

Saying that your personal sense of peace and safety is dependent upon the painful death, violent dispossession, and systemic disenfranchisement of Jewish people. You are using a lot of words to say that you are an antisemite. A person who wants Jews to die is an antisemite. A person who wants Jews to experience violence and loss is an antisemite. A person who wants to revoke a framework of safety from groups of Jews without providing a viable alternative is an antisemite.

Dehumanizing Jews. You did this pretty obviously when you said we were “vile, disgusting, and inhuman.” It doesn’t really get more clearly and obviously dehumanizing than that.

Points of Clarification

Jewish people and their allies pointing out that hating Jews for being Jewish or hating Jewish people for existing in the same space as non-Jewish people is not “Turning this into a religious thing.” Opposing antisemitism isn’t a religious thing. Opposing antisemitism is a bigotry thing.

Nobody is claiming you are antisemitic because you disagree with Jews. We are pointing out the fact that you hate Jews because of how you literally told us you hate Jews, want us to die, want our deaths to be painful, and want those who do live in Israel to be violently dispossessed of their homes and government protections.

Even if you say that you only want all these terrible things to happen to “Zionists” or “Israelis,” you are still antisemitic. Why? Because Zionists are too diverse to possibly form a coherent target of rage and violence. Because “Israelis” comprise too large a proportion of Jewish people to make a coherent target of rage and violence. Because you have demonstrated that your understanding of Zionism is not based on any actual facts or data or history or philosophy and is therefore just a term that you use to describe Jews you don’t like. Lumping millions of Jews into a group, dehumanizing those Jews by assigning them a term of classification to which they do not self-identify, and calling for their violent dispossession, disenfranchisement, and death is inherently and without exception antisemitism.

Do not call me bestie. I am not your bestie. I am a human being (whether or not you see me as one). I do not deserve to have my life or safety threatened for any reason, let alone a post on the internet. I do not deserve your hatred. I have never called for hatred or violence or pain upon any people ever. I am a nonviolent pacifist who routinely advocates for Palestinian safety, equality, self determination, and indigeneity in their ancestral homeland. You do not believe Jews living in Israel deserve the same thing. Your message to me and to all other Jews communicates only one thing:

You do not want safety for Palestine and its citizens. You want death for Jews. I know this because your message did not propose anything to help Palestinians. It only involved methods and reasons to kill Jews. Because you’re an antisemite. That’s how antisemitism works.

Oh wow. This is really antisemitic, @iblewrichardspeck

You are deeply antisemitic person.

And guess what? Having a Jewish grandfather doesn’t change that.

Your knowledge of Jewish history and culture is nonexistent to the point that I won’t even bother to confront most of it.

I encourage my allies to step in and address your nonsense with reason and links to credible sources.

Two huge standout points of your lack of knowledge that I want to point out though:

Most Jews in Israel are NOT in fact European or Ashkenazi. Do literally one Google search.

“Jews have always had a right to safety in their homeland.” I want you to know that I am pretty well regarded as a person who keeps their cool in situations like this. So I want to be explicit that my ability to stay calm right now is an act of superhuman will. I want to scream at you and cry because of the amount of death and pain you are erasing with this outright, easily disproven lie. Jews do not and have not ever had safety in their homeland of ISRAEL. Nor have Jews ever had safety in any of the locations where we have made a home. Judaism and jewish life has never “thrived” anywhere, at least not for the last 2000+ years. We have always been a target of attack and displacement and genocide. Always. Without exception. The idea that Israel somehow took all the Jews of the Middle East away from their homes where they were peacefully chilling out is nonsense. The middle eastern (who are the majority btw) Jews in Israel came to Israel after being expelled from their nations of origin or murdered for refusing to leave. Poland? Yeah. It had a swell Jewish community about 1200 years ago. It’s a shame about the centuries of ghettoization and you know that pesky genocide you might have heard about. Ethiopia? You mean the place where Jews had to be smuggled out of by Israeli covert forces because of the danger they were in there?

I don’t know if I believe that your grandfather was Jewish. Maybe he was. Maybe you made him up to legitimize your own antisemitic views.

But if he was really Jewish, I’m sure he’s wildly disappointed in you.

I won’t be blocking you because I want you to see this and change your views in a deeply fundamental way. And I want you to apologize. I’m 99.99999999% sure you won’t. You’re too steeped in your hatred. But who knows. People can change. I hope you do. Because right now, your attitude, beliefs, and behavior are rancid. I will not be responding to further messages from you.

Allies or fellow Jews with bandwidth can take it from here. Adios. Shalom.

[as-if-and-only-if]

(I’m sorry to post this. A lot of obvious negativity and despair and worrying here at 6:30am. It’s not particularly insightful or useful as far as i can tell; it’s things we all know. I just need to get it out of my head right now. I would absolutely put this under a read-more, but I’m on mobile. Feel free to scroll. Sometimes the weight of the world’s problems—and your own problems—just grinds these feelings out of you and doesn’t relent.)

i am really feeling despair as a member of the world right now. and the worst part is that it feels justified. For one, covid isn’t going away and has long term effects even when vaccinated, which, by the way, isn’t even very effective (even with a booster, after a few months!) at preventing infections of the variant that makes up 99% of cases and which is second in infectiousness/transmissibility only to measles. and infection is all it takes to be subject to the chance of getting one of these disabling cognitive impairments. (as if I needed another brain problem to worry about potentially acquiring!) meanwhile places I’m the US are unmasking, the CDC apparently changed its risk assessment under people’s noses to show what would be high risk as now low risk (need to double check), vaccination rates have plateaued at far too low a value and there seems to be no hope of getting a vaccination mandate.

and that’s just Covid. and I didn’t even get to all of the reasons.

so then what else have we got? anti-trans laws in Idaho and Texas and more. anti-abortion laws even for ectopic pregnancies. these laws are death sentences (and would be even if they didn’t extend that far). and, the worst part: people who unreservedly support these things. people who are firmly rooted in their harmful beliefs and, when presented with a ballot for “suffering” or “way more suffering”, check the box for “way more suffering” proudly and safely every single time. South Korea just elected a president who ran on an explicitly anti-feminist campaign and promises to worsen the lives of poor people. reactionary conservatism seems to be a virus spreading parallel to Covid.

and, okay. climate change. climate change. climate change. climate change. that’s existential. and what changes have we actually enacted? nearly none, relative to what needs to be done. I can’t do this justice. there really is so much. and there are so many more environmental and planetary-stewardship concerns, even beyond climate change—ocean pollution, air pollution, land pollution, animal cruelty, preparation for another pandemic, preparation for a coronal mass ejection or an asteroid, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, earthquakes, droughts, deforestation and derainforestation, etc.

oh, did I mention the suffering due to war? the senseless death and destruction in the service of empire? right now, most saliently, the invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin? So many have died. So many have lost their homes or a loved one. And for what? For the whims of an autocrat who saw Ukraine slipping away from his imagined future empire, and decided to try to stop that by force. For nothing. All of this death and all of this loss.

and that’s “just” Ukraine. Look at Syria, look at Palestine, look at Iraq and Afghanistan, look at so many more. And imperialist invasion per se has not been their only strife. There are, of course, knock-on effects that persist and evolve as a result. The Taliban are unequivocally evil, and now they’re in power as a result of the USA’s invasion after all. and then, of course, there’s the endpoint of the arms race: the threat of nuclear weapons, ever-evolving and ever-growing.

and what else? I don’t think we covered healthcare enough but I’m too tired to do it justice. and that’s tied to capitalism, of course, which is tied to…I mean, just so much struggle and suffering. I feel like everyone here is pretty well aware of the modes of injustices I’m referring to when I gesture to “capitalism” all at once, though. you get it.

ok and have we done government enough either? what about voting rights? or gerrymandering? or the courts in the US? what about abuse of power in general and the way it can be used to self-perpetuate? what about the complexity of modern day finance that entrenches that economic power? what about the fact that economic power gives you governmental power through lobbying? what about the way governmental and financial power thrives off of violence via the military-industrial complex and our militarized police forces? what about police brutality?

hey, what about racism? you know, one of the core vices of our society here in the US, something that’s shaped countless aspects of our government, society, and people’s lives. And while we’re looking at the world’s problems through the lens of personal categories of oppression, what about another, parallel “core vice” which has a similar-in-magnitude systemic entrenchment and breadth of impact: sexism and misogyny? what about queerphobia and homophobia and transphobia? what about anti-semitism? what about ableism? what about all of the ways people can be terrible to each other which have been etched into our society’s frameworks and enshrined in its institutions?

what about the fact that I’m tired, but unable to sleep. I’m in a comfortable bed, blanketed by layers and layers of troubles woven tight and too heavy for me to move. Am I only able to toss and turn as I wait for the sun to rise?

[labourpress]

Emily Thornberry speech to Labour Party Conference

Emily Thornberry MP, Shadow Foreign Secretary, speaking at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton today, said:

  ***CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY***

    Chair, Conference - It’s a pleasure to be back here in Brighton and Hove.

  A city which we can say - once again - has no Tory MPs. And it’s a pleasure to be taking part in a debate where our delegates have such a strong voice,

  And we should all thank Kate Osamor and Nia Griffith who have allowed me to speak on their behalf today so our delegates could have more time. And let me say as well - it’s an honour to be on this stage with our leader, my friend, this country’s next Prime Minister - Jeremy Corbyn.

  You know, some people might remember a certain viral video from election night of a bit of high-fiving gone wrong. But that’s not how I’ll remember that evening. I’ll just remember seeing a friend of mine who had defied all the pundits, all the doubters

and all the expectations. Someone who had proved during the election, who has proved throughout his leadership, who has proved all his life, that nothing is stronger, nothing on earth than a person of principle.

  And it is that strength and those principles, those unshakeable values that are going to take Jeremy into Downing Street and put Labour back into power. After all, it was on this very stage two years ago that Jeremy declared his mission:

  “To put Labour values -- the people’s values -- back - into - politics.”

  And he has achieved that. But thanks to Jeremy’s inspirational leadership, thanks to the brilliant efforts of everyone in this room, we can now set our sights even higher.

It is time to put Labour values, the people’s values back into Government.

Because if June’s election taught us one thing, it’s that if we stand behind Jeremy’s principled leadership, if we stand united as a Party, and if we stand on a radical manifesto, there is absolutely no seat that we can’t win.  And no Tory that we can’t bin.

  So next time, we've got to take the fight into their backyard. Let's go round the coast to Hastings. And end the ambitions of Amber Rudd. Let's go to Chingford. And send Iain Duncan Smith to the Job Centre. Then let's go to Uxbridge. And make sure Boris Johnson never, ever gets into No.10.

  But Conference, please let’s just take a second to sympathise with poor old Boris. Oh come on, just a second. He’s not been happy lately. Apparently he's sick of being blamed for the way Brexit is going and all the broken promises of the Leave campaign.

  I'm sorry, Conference? I'm sorry? Who does he think made all those promises? Who does he think was in charge  of the Leave Campaign?

  I know Boris doesn’t like paternity tests, but we might need one for Brexit. We need to get him in a studio with Jeremy Kyle.

  “Yes, I'm sorry, Mr Johnson…

“We've got the results back…

“It looks like this one is yours…

“It must have been that wild night out you had with Michael Gove.

“I've calculated your maintenance payments…

“That’ll be 350 million a week.”

  But Conference, what a contrast. Here on this stage, you’ve got Labour’s Brexit team - myself, Keir and Barry working every day in harness with Jeremy, John and Diane. All pulling in the same direction.  All focused on the same three priorities. The three priorities we’ve had since Day One after the Referendum - Jobs, Jobs and Jobs.

  While next week in Manchester, we’re going to see six Tory rats, fighting in a sack, not worried about protecting the jobs of the British people. Just every one of them looking out for their own.

  Last Friday, Theresa May said we need to be “creative and imaginative” to get a good outcome from Brexit. Well I’ve got a creative idea for her step aside, end your shambles of a Government, and let the grown-ups on this stage take charge.

  And talking of grown-ups I’m proud to be here representing our great Shadow Foreign Office team: Liz McInnes; Fabian Hamilton; Khalid Mahmood; Helen Goodman and Ray Collins. And I’m proud as well to be speaking on behalf of my friends, Kate Osamor and Nia Griffith. Kate, our Shadow Secretary of State For International Development, facing a world in now constant humanitarian crisis,

not least as a result of climate change.

  As Kate would say, in that world, we’ve got a decision to make. Either tackle head on the root causes of these crises or spend more and more every year dealing with the consequences.  And, under a Labour government. That is a decision we will not duck.

  And Nia, our Shadow Defence Secretary, who has shown that Britain under Labour

will be a strong leader within NATO, committed to spend 2 per cent of our national income on defence. And committed to ensure that those who put their lives on the line for this country the real-terms pay rises and the decent living conditions that their service and their sacrifice deserves.

  In dark, dangerous times for our world Britain must be equally strong and equally committed to defence, development and diplomacy. That is what we offer on this stage. And that is what Labour in government will guarantee. 

  But Conference, make no mistake. These are indeed dark and dangerous times for the world. And too many times, the problems we face come down to people abusing their power and ignoring the rules and values that should govern our world.

  From Venezuela to The Philippines we see the rule of law ignored and originally democratic governments turning into increasingly autocratic regimes. From Myanmar to Yemen we see human rights ignored and flagrant attacks against ordinary civilians qll too often using British-made weapons.

  From Kashmir to Israel and Palestine we see efforts at diplomacy ignored and actions taken on both sides which will make peace harder to achieve.

  From Syria to Sudan, we see the Geneva Conventions ignored and despots committing war crimes with total freedom and impunity. 

  All across Europe we see the basic rules of humanity and the basic lessons of history ignored as cowardly terrorists stalk our city streets and vicious extremist parties rise in the polls.

  And of course, in North Korea  we see the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty ignored with all the terrifying consequences the world is now facing today.

  Taken altogether what we are seeing today is the biggest challenge to the world order since the 1930s and the collapse of the League of Nations.  And if you believe as I do in what Jeremy has called…“A world based on rules and laws” then this is the time, more than ever, when we need our leaders to stand up for that world order. To stand up for human rights and international treaties. And to insist on working through the United Nations for peace.

  But instead, Conference we now have a President of the United States who believes that none of these rules and laws apply to him.

  - Imposing a travel ban on Muslims;

  - Equivocating over illegal settlements;

  - Reneging on the Paris climate treaty;

  - Imperilling the nuclear deal with Iran;

  - And threatening to “totally destroy” North Korea. A country of 20 million men and women. And 5 million children.

This is not what we need from the leader of the free world.

  To be honest, Conference it’s more like what we would expect from a rogue dictator. And what makes it even worse is to see this Tory government and this Tory Prime Minister pathetically going along with it all walking hand-in-hand with Trump at the White House, supine, sycophantic and spineless.

  And why? All in the vain hope that Trump will ride to the rescue after Brexit with some fantasy free trade deal. Because, for this Tory government that’s what their foreign policy has come down to no values or ethics, no rules or principles just a simple case of what works best for the bottom line. How else do they explain why - last week - Theresa May was in New York, finally announcing the suspension of cooperation with the military in Myanmar because of their actions in Rakhine.

  While on the very same day, Michael Fallon was in Jeddah, signing a deal to increase our cooperation with the military in Saudi Arabia wantonly ignoring their actions in Yemen. It is rank hypocrisy. But it also illustrates a basic fact that the world we want to see – a world governed by ethics and values, a world based on rules and laws will never truly exist as long as governments and world leaders get to decide for themselves when it suits them to play by the rules and when the rules can be safely ignored.

  The world we want will never exist when governments like Theresa May’s think it’s perfectly OK to loudly condemn those they regard as enemies but then fall utterly silent when it is their friends in Bahrain rounding up, torturing and executing civilian protestors or their friends in Saudi Arabia dropping cluster bombs on innocent children in Yemen.

  In fact, if they were just silent that would be an improvement. Instead, we have to listen to Michael Fallon saying that the thousands of children killed and injured by air strikes in Yemen are just a consequence of Saudi Arabia “defending itself”…

…“Defending itself”.

  But Conference, it does not have to be this way. Labour can and will do things differently when we are back in power.

And there is one concrete step we can commit to today.

For too long successive governments in this country have taken decisions on granting arms export licences behind closed doors and shrouded in secrecy.

  Just two months ago we had the ludicrous situation where the campaigners trying to stop arms sales to Saudi Arabia for use in Yemen had their Judicial Review rejected on the basis of government evidence presented in closed court a secret court so they were not even allowed to hear the evidence let alone challenge it.

  The fact is that arms export decisions made by Tory Ministers are entirely subjective assessments taken without proper Parliamentary scrutiny without listening to independent, expert advice, but listening far too much to lobbyists for the arms trade and repressive foreign regimes.  A process that leads to nonsensical double-standards, where the Government can decide too late that selling arms to Myanmar is wrong but immediately increase its sales to Saudi. It is an arms control regime that was already outdated. but which the Tories have systematically abused, undermined and left fatally discredited.

  And as the four shadow ministers responsible, Barry, Nia, Kate and I have agreed that it must change. So just as the new Labour Governments elected in 1997 and 2001 Immediately reformed the way decisions were made on monetary policy and competition policy, the next Labour Government will immediately reform the way decisions are made on the export of arms.

  A wholesale reform of the legal and regulatory framework fully implementing the International Arms Trade Treaty with clear rules, tests and criteria for decision-making, based on independent, expert advice and the objective assessment of evidence. A new system, that will prevent the misuse or abuse of licences and adhere to the principles of transparency, true Parliamentary accountability and freedom from undue influence.

  Because Conference, it is not enough for us just to be better than the Tories, we must set an entirely new standard for Britain and a shining example to the world.

And if that sounds like setting our ambitions high, well you’re damn right it is and we should not apologise for that.

  You know, I heard Chuka say yesterday:

“Overpromising and under-delivering…

“…Is one of the reasons…

“…there was such fury with the Blair government.”

  And when it comes to foreign policy, I totally agree with that statement. But the way we avoid that mistake next time round isn’t to water down the promises we make, it’s to keep the promises we make and make sure we deliver them.

We will be a Government that will never put the interest of the rich and powerful above human Rights, The Rule of Law, and the lives of innocent children in Yemen…

A Government that will never put our principles up for auction.

And if we are going to be the kind of government we could be, we do not just need what Robin Cook called for, twenty years ago, when he set out his Mission Statement for the Foreign Office.

  We do not just need an “ethical dimension” to our foreign policy, we need to go much further than that.

  We need what Martin Luther King called for 50 years ago, when he set out his case against the Vietnam War.

  - We need “a revolution of values”.

  - “A genuine revolution of values”.

  - “A radical revolution of values”.

  Because if our mission back when Jeremy was elected, was to put Labour values back into politics and our mission today is to put those values back into Government, then our mission for the years to come must be equally ambitious and equally radical. It must be to put Labour values at the heart of the world order, to be a beacon in every corner of the globe for the values we believe in here at home.

  We have the leader in Jeremy to do it. We have the team on this stage to do it. We have the members in this hall, and all across the country, who will hold us to it.

  So let us make that our mission. And this time -- this time -- let us make it our record.

[nycto-thaiphile]

OKay, so hello!

My name is Fara. I am an exchange student from Indonesia to Sweden.. Right now I think i experience homesick to the point where I feel like i am isolated from exploring Sweden because i am just too scared. 

Today is exactly 27 days being away from home. D-2 before I left home, i feel like i am super excited for Sweden, and I can’t wait to leave Indonesia. Now that I am here.. I really just want to come home for a while.

Indonesia is isolating, and so Sweden. I hate that in Indonesia i cannot travel wherever i go, because the distance between one place and another place is too far. Not to mention that the high rate of crime which makes my parents so concerned for my safety when i travel. In Sweden, I am not used to travel alone, so... here i am. In the middle of isolation.

I am still afraid of going everywhere alone. At first, i am afraid that i might experience racism because my clothes reveal my identity. Yes, i wore hijab. People who first encounter or sees me, i’m afraid that they might associate me with something that is dangerous for them. This week, i learned that by wearing hijab, i am the representative of my lovely Moslem-majority-country-yet-still-fighting-with-the-idea-of-religious diversity: Indonesia. People might not know much about Indonesia, but when I say: “Hello, I came from Indonesia!” They would be like: “Ok..” then awkward silence. 

Maybe it was in their culture to not asking questions back. Maybe it was in their culture to not talk openly with strangers. Okay, I get it...

The thing is.. Malmo has a lot to offer. They have the super-cool Student Union, the super-cool gaming association, the UF Malmo, and other cool events. I am still afraid that I cannot make friends, that I will be in awkward silences the whole time, and everything.

I still cannot make peace with my fear. :( I hate it. Okay, maybe the first thing is to think that.. “Well, okay, you don’t need to be afraid. People are afraid as you. But let’s try to minimalize the amount of fear by saying hi and be open first to everyone!” I hope it’s that easy.

Now, i am going to talk about the things I miss from Indonesia, and what are the things that I took for granted:

-I always took food in Indonesia for granted. The food in here sometimes are tasty, but not always tasty. They are sour and have this strange ‘taste’. Of course, most of the food are light and not having too much calory, which makes my stomach not full most of the time. But, well, I really miss the super-tasty Indonesian food.

-People in the street are ignorant, which is a good and bad thing. People in Indonesia are not. If i stumble upon something, people in Indonesia are helpful and smiles a lot. I feel safe. But in here, well i’m not really feeling safe, okay... People are ignorant which means you are free to do anything that you like, unless it’s prohibited or disrupting the social order. Nobody cares if you do bad things on the street, such as if you want to open your hijab on the street, nobody cares! but when you need help, nobody cares either. Help yourself:’) Okay, they demand you to be a smart citizen who can always help yourself. Okay.

-People in Indonesia always know how to serve and ‘memanjakan’ the customers. In Sweden, they simplify the system to make people not confused, but in Indonesia, they do not actually simplify, but they try to provide the best service so you won’t feel tired at all. They serve you like a king. I don’t know which one is best. Let me take an example: in Indonesia, if you want to borrow a book, they will approach you with warm hand and tell you what to do. In Sweden, most of the steps are computerized...which means you need to do it all by yourself. another example: when you arrive at the hotel, there will be someone as the bellboy who will take your luggage to your rooms in Indonesia, it’s part of the service. In Sweden, you need to do it all by yourself. Okay, Sweden.. okay. But they also make sure that even if you do it alone, it will not complicate your situation. Live simply, i guess is their motivation. Another example: buddy in Indonesia are super close with the exchange student, they actually take you places and travels with you in the town. they actually there for you. In Sweden, since the principle is: “Be independent”, they just there to answer your questions about everything. Only answer. Not be there for you.. OKAY:”) 

-Because Indonesia is a developing country with lots of stories to tell, i feel like every place offers you a different feelings. I don’t feel that much about Malmo. I feel like, oh this place does not offers me a new feeling, it’s just another tidy street with convenient stores. It’s just beautiful, but that’s it. It’s plain.. i hate it:( in Indonesia, i know there are places that is so beautiful and there are places that is so disgusting and so ugly. It’s interesting for me. It’s colorful. I love my country.

Here, i want to write the things that I really like from Malmo:

-It’s simple. Live is so simple and simplicity actually makes you happy. You can dress anything you want as simple as it can be and you dont have to be afraid. when you register for almost everything, it’s so simple and doesnt require you a lot of effort. it’s just so simple! 

-i like how the air is clean, how everything is so neat and clean. End of conversation.

-i like how the foreign students or the real students in Malmo doesnt distance themselves too much. I know Randy as the representative of Student Union from my faculty and i talked with him twice, today the representative of Student Union from Engineering faculty said hi to me.. it’s different that in Indonesia people who has high status or high position is kind of hard to approach. It’s not in here.. YAY!

-i like how the distance between one place and another is not that really far. I can travel easily with Skanetrafiken and use my Jojo Card! I dont even have to check out when i leave the bus. It charged me 500 SEK at first but then that’s it. Thank you, Sweden :”)

-I like Kanelbule and salads and how salads are mixed with pasta!!! i like falafel!!! it tasted like kebab. i like the Veggie BBQ, i like baby carrots, i like smoked fish, i likeee thee fooooood except the kyclingsalad that i bought in Orkanen, that’s a big no-no.

The things that I don’t like:

-Everything is slow-paced and so relaxing that i got bored. :( I feel like very rushed and need to divide my focus because in UGM i got 8 courses in one semester. Each courses is not related with one another, and each courses have different homeworks. In here... i just start my first class tomorrow, and it feels like very long for me. Ofc at first i like the idea that i can be relax and focus on my study. But i got bored! It’s ‘penat’ in Indonesia. It’s okay, take your time... you will get used to it :(

-Everything is in Sverige language. :( I had a hard time doing the shopping at Willys or even reading information at the coffee machine because everything is written in Sverige. Sometimes i cannot operate the coffee machine by myself or getting out of ROnnen for the first time. Through time, it will get easier :) :(

-I’ve known 2 Swedish people personally. Well, neither of them actually a Swedish, one is actually a Somalian and one is Vietnamese. Both are very friendly at first time i knew them, but then they distance themselves again when i want to approach them and getting closer to them. It’s like they created boundaries or something. Maybe that’s just how they do friendship...

-I really want to hangout with 6th floor gang but i don’t know how... :( i have my own kitchen so it will be really weird to just go there and not doing anything but to talk. IDK-____-’’

I discovered that:

-US people are one of the friendliest people and easy-to-approach people on earth!! yay. Yesterday i even hangout with Danavan, someone from US. I also met Stephan from US. it’s easy with Americans...

-People from Spain are really love to dance!!! nice.

-Africans that coming from Nigeria, Somalia--they are usually moslems and they share the same pain as me. So, it’s easier to relate to them. They also try to protect one another and it feels like family with them :”) I also met two Palestines and they tried to protect me and Salsa.. Thank you so much :(

-People from France are humble and modest.

-People from Canada are mostly outgoing, just like US. But i dont know that much of how to approach them. US people are more friendly?! but i dont know. 

Well, i’m not really afraid of Spanish, French, and US people right now. Back to the days where I was involved in AIESEC, i have a bad impression about Europeans, but now i’m not! Yay! 

Well, people are afraid. I know that. I can feel that. It’s still hard to going alone everywhere, if not with your friends or with your group. It’s okay. Everything takes time. :)

I do really miss Indonesian people. Their warmth, how easy it is to relate to each other, the food, GO-JEK, the ambience, my friends, my family, and how i am not afraid.

I’m still afraid here. Just wish me luck and hope that i can deal with my fear... Goodbye!