I am one of those people old enough and lucky enough to have marched in the Free Nelson Mandela movement in London in the early 1980s. It was the spear tip of a movement that had been long fought and bitterly opposed for almost two decades. It succeeded in ending a violent apartheid and initiating the extraordinary Ubuntu trials. Truth-telling as a means of healing.
Other very practical and successful methods applied to put pressure on the ruling regime were boycott, divestment, and sanction (BDS) strategies. These strategies allow the ‘average citizen’ to be active in starving war machines of the fuel they need to continue their oppressive destruction.
Recently our local Council voted to uphold a motion that supports these principles in relation to war crimes. As a community that aspires to high ethical standards it is commendable that we can add this to the list of our achievements.
In the current Palestinian crisis not all of us can be heroic enough to work in the hospitals in Gaza or join the unprecedented flotilla movement. However we can join an international BDS movement by downloading the UN list and using our power as consumers to send an unequivocal message to the warlords of our time. We will not participate in ethnic cleansing, genocide, or apartheid.
These are radical times and we must hold our vision high and never condone any form of racism. My heart breaks for the people who have been unheard in their cries for their bloodthirsty government to stop the war and return the hostages. I pray their movement continues to grow in strength and helps turn this dreadful tide.
There will always be as many opinions as there are people in this age of social media experts. However, I hope we can all agree that we want all children to live in peace and safety and we must use what tools we have to make this a reality in our times.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
