For the last eighteen months some concerned Martinborough citizens have held a regular Wednesday morning vigil in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza, who have been subject by Israel to relentless bombardment amounting to a “plausible case of genocide” – according to the International Court of Justice.
Genocide or not, the deliberate and indiscriminate killing of tens of thousands of civilians, including women and children, ethnic cleansing, and deprivation of means of life – food, water, shelter, power and medical help – are undoubted war crimes, for which we trust Israel’s leaders and its military backers should ultimately be held accountable.
We stand in front of the ANZAC War Memorial for its central location, its visibility and not for any political statement. We have been reassured by a noticeable increase in support from the passing public.
Two weeks ago two obviously distressed middle-aged men approached us expressing politely but forcefully their dismay at what they considered our disrespect for the Memorial and the soldiers commemorated there. One described how his own family had lost several members to war in the past. They believed there were many citizens in the town who felt the same way. However, when we parted they acknowledged these soldiers fought for our freedoms, including that of dissent, and we thank them for that.
During ANZAC Day we commemorate these soldiers’ ultimate sacrifice, but equally we remember so that we should never forget the folly of war . Our challenge then is “What is the point of remembering the folly of a war generations ago if we ignore and fail to protest the folly of a war that is happening in front of our very eyes?”
No-one in the face of today’s reality of war and violence around the world can be certain what those soldiers might say to us, but we do know that those who have experienced and survived war will usually be the most determined to oppose it.
Those crosses in the grass in the Square may be hallowed ground to New Zealanders and some may resent our presence nearby – but these crosses are telling us something supremely important: we believe we are respecting this message every minute we stand where we do.
In the fortnight since our two gentlemen approached us, the Israeli Defence Force has killed 518 Palestinians, including many children, the cumulative total of slaughtered children being over 18,000.
