Palestine supporters will be marching through central Bristol this Saturday 21 December to draw attention to the links between Palestine and Christmas.
Palestine protest: ‘Jesus was a Palestinian’
Bristol Palestine Alliance (BPA) are calling for people to join the protest this Saturday 21 December at 12pm on College Green.
The group has previously organised twenty major demonstrations in Bristol, together with a large number of rallies, meetings and fundraisers for Gaza. Alongside these, it has coordinated five major rallies outside the new Elbit Israeli arms factory in north Bristol.
Protesters will lead the march with a banner reading: “JESUS WAS A PALESTINIAN?”
BPA rally organisers aim to draw attention to the connections between the Christmas story and Palestine. The group said that:
Jesus is respected in the Abrahamic religions and the Christmas story is well known in Britain. But surprising few people realise Bethlehem exists outside the Christmas story and is a real city in Palestine!
The history of the Holy Land is inevitably complex. But it’s not unreasonable to claim that according to modern geopolitics Jesus was a Palestinian!
The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem in the West Bank is the oldest site continuously used as a place of worship in Christianity. The floor of crypt is marked with a silver star which is reputed to be the actual birthplace of Jesus.
One thing is certain – if Jesus was born now he would undeniably be Palestinian.
However, they also highlighted that:
Unfortunately, the odds of him surviving today in Palestine might not be very good.
Nativity scene not like you know it…
As part of the procession there will be a float depicting a ‘2024 Palestinian Nativity Scene’. This will include the following elements:
- Bethlehem – surrounded by massive concrete 9 metre (30 ft) ‘apartheid wall’.
- The Three Kings stranded OUTSIDE the wall as they have not been allowed through the main checkpoint to Bethlehem.
- The Shepherds have arrived but their sheep and the other animals have been killed by settlers.
- The olive groves for which Palestine is famous and are a well-known symbol of peace are being uprooted.
- The stable where Jesus would be born is being bulldozed. The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) has documented well over a thousand domestic and agricultural buildings demolished last year alone. JCB is one of the well known companies selling bull-dozers to Israel. Israel is using these for demolitions, so the company is the target of an international boycott campaign
- Above the holy couple is the well known “SCAR of Bethlehem” in the shape of a bullet hole on the wall by Bristol artist – BANKSY.
- Joseph is portrayed blindfolded and handcuffed. He represents the large number of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons Israeli human rights group BTSELEM has reported that nearly 10,000 Palestinians are currently held in prison. Many report systemic abuse and torture while in jail.
- Mary is portrayed in the cross-hairs of a sniper rifle. Israeli officers have been proudly wearing army t-shirts depicting a pregnant women in the cross-hairs of a sniper’s sight with the legend “1 shot 2 kills”.
Christ would be born in the rubble of Gaza
Although the genocide in Gaza is well reported, by contrast, the West Bank receives much less attention.
Nearly two hundred children have been killed by settlers and the Israeli army in just over a year in the West Bank. Amnesty International reported that a hundred people were being killed every month.
Supporters on the demonstration will be carrying placards linking Christmas and Palestine. Alongside these, they will march with a selection of Banksy murals which have been painted on walls in Bethlehem.
The Apartheid Wall, built predominately from the early 2000s onwards, is a 9 metre high concrete wall surrounding urban areas such as Bethlehem. The International Court of Justice has declared the route of the wall illegal and that it should be removed.
Early in the 2000s Banksy was one of the first artists to use the Wall as a canvas for his work.
In December 2023 the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem “cancelled Christmas” in response to the genocide unleashed on Gaza and built a nativity scene on a pile of rubble.
Reverend Munther Isaac, Palestinian Christian pastor and theologian said:
If Christ were to be born today, he would be born under the rubble and Israeli shelling.
This year, the Vatican has built a nativity scene showing baby Jesus wrapped in a Palestinian Keffiyeh scarf.
Meanwhile, the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem has also produced a similar nativity scene with baby Jesus wrapped in Palestinian Keffiyeh scarf.
Join the rally!
A spokesperson for Bristol Palestine Alliance said:
While many will be spending time with loved ones, in our warm homes enjoying our Christmas holiday, Palestine – the land that Christians believe to be Christ’s birthplace – is being bombed and its people the victims of an ongoing genocide.
For more than a year, Gazans have been subjected to constant bombing, starvation, dehumanisation, ethnic cleansing, mass murder on horrific scale – most of which have been women and children. Medics, journalists, emergency aid workers, charity workers, UN peace keepers and children are deliberately targeted and it is all being live streamed on our phones.
This Saturday, whilst our Palestinian brothers, sisters and children, are suffering, we will gather to reflect and grieve and show them we are with them.
Speakers at the event will include:
- Dr Diana Slim of Lebanese heritage
- Rev Sue Parfitt
- Farook Siddique – community activist and columnist
- Moosa – 9 year old activist
- Rachael Bee – co-founder of two local refugee organisations
- Bahirah Malak – masters of law student
- Muneera Pilgrim – poet
- Soraya – who will speak on the role of Palantir in the privatising of the NHS
A local choir is also joining the demonstration.
At 12.30pm there will be a rally with speakers. Following this, at 1pm the march departs and circuits Broadmead Shopping Centre before returning to College Green for the closing rally.
Featured image supplied
