In just over fifty years of political activity, I have given out a lot of leaflets, in all weathers, in a lot of places, in all sorts of situations and times of day. Hitherto, I have never had anyone take a leaflet, stop, and shake my hand for having given it to them. On Wednesday evening, that happened twice.
Not what a “hate mob” looks like.
This was our local Palestine Solidarity campaign lobby of PPC for Harrow East Primesh Patel’s Xmas fund raising dinner at Lezzet in Kingsbury High Street. At any given point there were 30 people there, but it was one of those fluid events where people come and go, new people come across it, stay for a while and sign up, buy a badge, join a chant.
There was very little overt hostility, one woman who stormed past yelling something inaudible, and one bloke at the bus stop who refused a leaflet with the words “they started it” – showing his limited grasp of history. Some people blanked a leaflet, but as many gave a smile and a nod and two stopped for a hand shake and chat.
A lot of passing cars sounded their horns, as did some buses.
The waiters at the restaurant brought us out trays of tea.
As the local PSC tweeted,
This evening, we gathered outside Lezzet Kitchen in #Kingsbury to urge
@HarrowLabour to call for an urgent & permanent #CeasefireForGazaNOW. Thank you Lezzet for your solidarity & for keeping us warm with hot drinks! #Gaza_Genocide
Even one of the police who turned up to make sure we didn’t obstruct the pavement wished us luck as he walked away.
Big political shift going on.
Reading the appeal by the UN Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator for an immediate Ceasefire.
Urban ramblings 