Looking back at the march for Palestine and appreciating Joanna Macy

On June 19th we took to the streets to show our solidarity with the people of Palestine and to make it clear that there is no climate justice in a world where genocides are allowed to happen with impunity.

We wanted to express our deepest gratitude to those of you who joined us, whether it was marching by our side or elsewhere in the crowd of over 10,000 people in Dublin city or if you joined another demonstration across the country. 

It is so important that we show up and speak out against injustice of all kinds. Everything is interconnected. None of us are free until we are all free.

 

We also wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who contacted members of the Foreign Affairs Committee on the Occupied Territories Bill over the past weeks. 

Approximately 800 written submissions were made to the Committee, and I’m sure many phone calls and emails were directed to TDs too, helping to influence the Committee’s unanimous decision to advise the Government to progress the Bill and for it to be expanded to ban trade in both goods and services.

This is great progress! And it’s important that the pressure is kept on, now directed at the Government as they will have the final say. We need to keep urging them to listen to the clear findings of the Foreign Affairs Committee – to pass the Bill and include services too.

 

That same day we marched together, on July 19th, Joanna Macy passed away at the ripe old age of 96. we know Joanna means a lot to many of you too. Her work has inspired and guided so many of us and we have weaved much of her teachings into our work and offerings here at Friends of the Earth through the years.

Joanna leaves us with so many gifts from her life’s work, The Work that Reconnects and Active Hope, a framework and tools that so powerfully bring us out of despair and into connection with ourselves, each other and with our natural world in a way that gives us the vigour, passion and openness to come into our own and collective power to protect all life on earth.

"If the world is to be healed through human efforts, it will be by ordinary people, people whose love for this life is even greater than their fear." - Joanna Macy

Joanna spent most of her life helping us to awaken to the beauty of life, reminding us that we all belong to this living earth and we all have a right to health, dignity, safety and justice. Rest in power Joanna.

Effective Action comes from Love, thank you for showing up💚

 

You can see more of our Palestine solidarity work here. And you can read more about Joanna Macy and The Work That Reconnects here.