Standing in solidarity with Palestine

The month of May holds deep meaning for Palestinians around the world.

This year marks 77 years since al Nakba—“The Catastrophe”—when over 700,000 Palestinians were forcibly removed from their homes and lands by Israeli military forces in 1948. That moment wasn’t just history—it was the beginning of an ongoing crisis.

Here in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, we stood in support of our local Palestinian community through two powerful events.

On Friday 16 May, the University of Auckland’s Students for Justice in Palestine hosted a panel featuring Palestinian advocates, activists, and allies. Two survivors of al Nakba shared their experiences—recounting what it was like to be displaced as young children. Their stories were heavy, honest, and heartbreaking. The room felt it. This wasn’t just a talk—it was a window into the raw, living history behind today’s ongoing oppression.

Panelists for the Nakba event included activists, academics and Nakba survivors.

The very next day, hundreds gathered in central Auckland for a mass rally and march. The crowd was alive with chants, colour, and purpose. Palestinian flags flew high, joined by Tino Rangatiratanga and Morning Star West Papua flags—showing that this isn’t just one struggle. It’s a shared one. Indigenous peoples, side by side, standing against colonial violence.

The chants rang through the city streets:

🗣️ “While you’re shopping, bombs are dropping.”
🗣️ “Every time the media lies, a little boy in Gaza dies.”

Strong words, because the reality is brutal. Palestinians are dying. And in moments like these, neutrality is a choice—one that sides with the oppressor.

These events reminded us that solidarity is action. That showing up matters. That we are all connected in the fight for justice, land, and life most of all.