posting unfinished work/discarded sketches pt. 2
+ a couple painted versions
for the "posting isn't activism" of the past few weeks, from the west bank:
The translation is accurate, he is talking about how israeli soldiers at (illegal) West Bank checkpoints have been checking Palestinians' phones for any social media posts about Gaza. They checked one man's phone and when they couldn't find anything, checked his stories archive on his instagram. When they found a post about Gaza they beat him savagely until they broke his nose and teeth, and then filmed it and took pictures and uploaded those to his own instagram story. they also livestreamed the whole thing themselves (he believes) on TikTok.
I’m going to start posting some of my unfinished work/discarded sketches, so here’s the first:
you can get off this ride whenever you want
little spock drawing bc why not
Fletcher said five trucks of aid went into Gaza yesterday, but described this as a “drop in the ocean” and totally inadequate for the population’s needs. He said the aid lorries, which contain baby food and nutrition, are technically in Gaza but have not reached civilians as they are just on the other side of the border.
(Full update)
Five trucks had entered Gaza for the first time in 3 months. This compares to 500 trucks every day before October 2023. There are miles of loaded trucks that Israel continue to block from entering besieged Gaza.
Make no mistake, Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war against 2 million people.
When I came across this horrific headline, I immediately thought of my friend @amalashournew, who is trapped in Gaza and has been navigating this genocide with her toddler. Thanks to your donations to Amal’s campaign, she has managed to provide for her daughter, but prices of what little food remains in Gaza are now higher than anytime before, which makes this time far more critical for donations and shares than ever before.
Please consider donating and sharing. Despite the magnitude of this genocide, don’t lose hope. Anything helps.
"empowering women by sending katy perry to space for 2 minutes" shut the fuck up. samantha cristoforetti was the first female commander of the international space station and she became an astronaut because of star trek. and there is a real chance she is a kirk/spock shipper
From Under the Rubble... I Write My Story 🌿
I never thought I would write these words… 😔
I never imagined waking up to endless screams,
Running barefoot through smoke and fire,
Searching for my mother among the rubble,
Only to find nothing but silence… a heavy silence telling me that no one will answer me anymore. 💔
In one moment, everything changed.
Our home became a memory, my mother’s embrace became the past,
And my father's face, now absent, is the last thing I hold in my memory.
They’re gone… and left my heart burdened with unspoken grief. 😢
But despite everything, we are still here… trying.
I survived with my younger siblings.
Yes, we survived… but who are we after survival?
Children without warmth, without a roof, with no place to return to.
We were displaced to an unknown place, carrying a bag empty of everything… except pain. 🥀
We slept in the open, waking every morning to a life that holds nothing for us,
I ask you to be a small light in this vast darkness,
To extend a hand that can mend what the war has broken in us.
Your donation will give my siblings a chance to sleep safely,
It will provide us with food, shelter, and maybe even a new beginning. 💖
✅️Vetted by @gazavetters, my number verified on the list is ( #586 )✅️
Any amount, no matter how small, is big for us
It’s a prayer, it’s love, it’s life. 🌟
In conclusion...
From my heart, and from the hearts of my little siblings,
Thank you to everyone who has donated,
Thank you to everyone who has read,
Thank you to everyone who has shared.
Below the cut is a template email to send to Edinburgh Pride regarding sponsorship from Aegon, who have investments linked to the genocide in Palestine. Please feel free to use this text or edit it and make it your own and send it to contact@prideedinburgh.co.uk
Dear Edinburgh Pride,
As a queer person living in Edinburgh, I was deeply saddened to learn that the march partner for Edinburgh Pride 2024 is Aegon.
In December 2023 the ‘Don’t Buy Into Occupation Coalition’ published a report that showed Aegon have US$564million invested via shares and bonds in companies operating in illegal settlements in Occupied Palestinian Territories. Source: https://dontbuyintooccupation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/2023_DBIO-III-Report_11-December-2023.pdf
We are watching a live-streamed genocide every day - over 36,000 people in Palestine have been murdered by Israeli forces, including at least 15,000 children. The brutality of these atrocities are unthinkable, with evidence of torture and targeting of hospitals, ambulances and refugee camps.
We all have a responsibility to do what we can to end this genocide. As queer people, we are part of a rich history of resisting oppression and dehumanisation - of both ourselves and those we stand in solidarity with. Pride started as a protest against homophobia, transphobia and police violence. It is an important moment to come together as a community to celebrate queer joy and resilience.
But how can we celebrate using profits stained with the blood of our siblings in Palestine?
Aegon has $564million invested in companies that have been listed by the UN as “raising human rights concerns” for their operations in illegal settlements in Occupied Palestinian Territories, In 1948, 750,000 Palestinian people were displaced from their homes and lands and since then, Israeli settlements have been used to spread this process of colonisation.
In addition to this figure, Aegon also has major investments in Eaton Corp Plc., who supply parts for helicopters and fighter jets to the Israeli military and have recently been the target of major protests at their factory in Dorset. They also invest in Amazon, who support the Israeli military with surveillance technology used against Palestians.
Israel has long used ‘pinkwashing’ as a tactic to justify the brutal repression of Palestinians, using queer people to legitimise this horrific violence. We refuse to allow this to be done in our name.
The tide is turning on companies like Aegon that profit from investments in the companies complicit in genocide. Recently, both Hay and Edinburgh Book Festival have dropped Baillie Gifford as a sponsor after over 800 authors called on them to divest from companies involved in Israel and the fossil fuel industry.
I ask that Edinburgh Pride:
Calls on Aegon to commit to divest from companies involved in supplying technology to Israel and operating in illegal settlements.
Drop Aegon as a sponsor until they are able to show evidence of divestment.
Publicly call for a ceasefire and a free Palestine.
There is no pride in genocide.
I look forward to hearing your response.
XX
Sources:
Investments in companies operating in illegal settlements https://dontbuyintooccupation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/2023_DBIO-III-Report_11-December-2023.pdf
Investments in Eaton https://extranet.secure.aegon.co.uk/static/sxhub/pdf/client-pen-distribution.pdf
Investments in Amazon https://www.aegon.co.uk/content/dam/auk/assets/publication/fund-factsheet/standard_bkj9zs0.pdf
Israel’s pinkwashing: https://bdsmovement.net/pinkwashing
War on Gaza statistics: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2023/10/9/israel-hamas-war-in-maps-and-charts-live-tracker
Edinburgh book festival ends Baillie Gifford sponsorship: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm553zrr3e4o