'We are seeing another Nakba unfolding right in front of our eyes': Why activist Leanne Mohamad won't be silent on Palestine

On October 14, around 150,000 people marched in Central London, calling for an end to Israeli occupation. Protesters heard speakers from trade union members, leaders of human rights charities and even British politician Jeremy Corbyn.

One of those speakers was human rights activist Leanne Mohamad. Wearing the Palestinian flag after being told it could become a criminal offence to wave it, the activist delivered a speech about the endless suffering the people of Palestine have endured and continue to endure, holding the government accountable for their involvement and calling for an end to the occupation.

“Seeing 150,000 come together at the demonstration was a beacon of hope amidst the tragic events we’ve seen in Gaza,” Leanne tells The New Arab. “It was heart-warming and reminds us that we’re not alone, we stand together in our struggle for justice and freedom.

“It’s a duty for us to continue to speak up for our families, our ancestors and our land.”

"When you take a stand for justice in Palestine, you also oppose apartheid, oppression, discrimination, antisemitism, the normalisation of war crimes, and racism in all its forms"

Leanne’s activism began when she was just 15 while taking part in the Jack Petchey Speak Out challenge. She delivered a speech entitled Birds not Bombs with the aim of spreading the reality of Palestine and the ongoing hardships Palestinians face on a day-to-day basis since the Nakba —  the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians in 1948.

Despite winning the competition and her speech going viral, Leanne was targeted by online trolls trying to discredit her and was subjected to abusive comments and videos.

But shortly after, #LetLeanneSpeak went viral and the activist received support for her work. She then decided to rise to the challenge and continue to talk about the plight of her people.

Seven years later, Leanne continues to speak for human rights, be it at parliament, universities, protests, conferences, or local and international events. 

“Some of the world is just waking up now, but nobody should be surprised by what is happening because these events did not just materialise in isolation,” Leanne says while discussing the war on Gaza.

The Israeli military has been indiscriminately bombing the Gaza Strip, killing hundreds of civilians every day, since the attack by Gaza's Hamas rulers on southern Israel on October 7. 

Since then, Israel has launched more than 6,000 bombs during its devastating and indiscriminate aerial assault on the Gaza Strip — this number is comparable to the number of bombs the US used in a year during the conflict in Afghanistan.

The aerial offensive on the densely populated, besieged Palestinian enclave has resulted in the deaths of almost 3,000 Palestinians — at least one-third of them children. 

The impact of the Israeli campaign on Gaza has been equivalent to the effect of 'a quarter of a nuclear bomb', according to the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor and the death toll and destruction from Israeli bombing exceeds all previous Gaza wars.

Leanne goes on to explain that for decades, Palestinians have persistently called for an end to Israeli settler colonialism, apartheid and military occupation.

"The past week’s events did not materialise in isolation but are the culmination of a lingering history of Israeli policies and transgressions that have been imposed through its enduring military occupation and deeply ingrained apartheid system, a harsh 16-year blockade on Gaza, and the enduring 75-year experience of dispossession and exile," she says. 

“That’s the root cause of the repeated cycles of all the violence, all the suffering and all the pain that has been enabled by the support of governments in the West, including the United Kingdom,” Leanne explains.

“Israel is now waging a genocidal war against the Palestinian people, and the UK government and opposition is aiding and abetting these crimes.”

The UK government has been accused of being complicit in Israel’s war crimes with their reluctance to criticise the Israeli government, cracking down on certain acts of pro-Palestine support and even illuminating government buildings with the Israeli flag.

“The UK government’s not merely watching this happen, it’s an active partner, just as it always has been since the beginning of the Balfour Declaration,” she says.

“The UK is now an active partner in the atrocity Israel is committing against Palestinians and bears responsibility for getting us to this point. The message the government has sent, with the full backing of the opposition, is one of unconditional support to Israel and the green light to carry out genocidal actions in Gaza.”

"Our solidarity movement isn’t a trend or passing phase, it’s an unwavering commitment and a continuous fight until justice prevails"

Leanne says we are now finding ourselves in an increasingly hostile environment, where one cannot guarantee that expressing their views will not lead to attacks fuelled by the dangerous conflation of antisemitism with the constitutional order of Israel.

A conflation that poses a grave threat to the fundamental rights of Palestinians to articulate their lived experiences and the rights of others to advocate on their behalf.

“Palestinian rights are fundamentally human rights,” says Leanne. “When you take a stand for justice in Palestine, you also oppose apartheid, oppression, discrimination, antisemitism, the normalisation of war crimes, and racism in all its forms.”

As a granddaughter of 1948 Nakba survivors, Leanne says it pains her to see another Nakba unfolding in 2023 right in front of our eyes.

“I am shocked at the ongoing attempts to erase our existence and dehumanise our people as we face an ethnic cleansing on a scale not seen since the 1948 Nakba,” she says.

“Yet it’s still being allowed to continue, and there has been no accountability. The dehumanisation has never been worse, and the desensitisation to our suffering is terrifying.”

Amid Israel’s ongoing policies of ethnic cleansing and apartheid, Leanne says it is now more vital than ever that we continue to stand together and show our support for Palestine.

“Our solidarity movement isn’t a trend or passing phase, it’s an unwavering commitment and a continuous fight until justice prevails,” says Leanne. “We must persist in our battle against injustice, not solely for the sake of Palestine but for the cause of humanity, for the preservation of human rights, and as a stance against supremacy, racism, and imperialism.

“It’s important that we collectively continue speaking up and protesting all the governments encouraging this unimaginable atrocity.”

The activist says there needs to be an immediate ceasefire, lifting the siege to restore electricity, fuel, water, food and humanitarian access to protect Palestinian lives in line with international law.

“Everybody has the right to live with freedom and dignity, with Palestinians being no exception,” says Leanne. “I hope to see my people know what justice is, and I hope to see my people enjoy the rights everyone else enjoys.

“I hope to see my grandmother return to her homeland in Palestine.”

Anam Alam is a freelance writer who frequently writes on human rights and social issues, including women’s rights and sex education

Follow her on Twitter: @itsanamalam