The month of April is only a little more than half done, yet it’s already showed itself to be a month of particularly bleak news.
In the UK, the Supreme Court bowed to the interests of lobbyists and special interest groups by ratifying that the legal definition of ‘woman’ now excludes trans women, clearing the way for single-sex provisions such as refuges, prisons, hospital wards, crisis centres, and support groups to legally exclude trans women.
In Palestine, the genocide1 against the Palestinians has only grown more violent, with a camp for the displaced bombed by the IDF; the UN confirming that between the 18th of March and 9th of April, “224 incidents of Israeli strikes on residential buildings and tents for internally displaced people” were recorded, with 36 of these exclusively killing women and children; and an attempt (made by Israeli forces) to cover up the murder (committed by Israeli forces) of fourteen Red Crescent medics uncovered through the discovery of a mass grave containing the bodies of the murdered aid workers.
Here in Germany, the government continues its campaign against those brave enough to stand up against genocide, by attempting to deport EU citizens on the basis of their pro-Palestine views. One of these activists, set to be deported at the start of next week, has written a compelling account of their experience here, which I highly recommend reading.
This is all to say nothing of the increasingly volatile political and economic crisis in the US, nor the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, among many other items of news this month that have made it seem like the compassionate, the clear-sighted, and the empathetic, are swimming against a tide that grows increasingly insurmountable.
It can be useful, in crises such as these, to consider how society will look back upon the events of today once they have been consigned to history. Useful analogies, at least in the case of Palestine, might be the Vietnam War, South African apartheid, and the Iraq War. Two of these were conflicts that (despite some early domestic opposition) were broadly unopposed at the time, only to be later viewed (almost unanimously) as immoral and useless failures. The other, a violent system of racial segregation, was vocally supported by the UK government, and its opponents (such as Nelson Mandela) were tarred as terrorists – positions that now seem rightfully absurd. How then, shall we remember the events of today in five years time? In a decade? In a century? In the coming years, when the events of today are looked back upon with clarity, the unborn generations of the future will turn to us and ask “what did you do?”
This is a frightful question. It is a useful one too, but I hope many of us act out of a goodness in our hearts today, rather than a fear of being reprimanded for inaction tomorrow.
Still, the question remains, for those that do wish to do something, what should that something be?
And whilst the ways in which individuals can help are numerous, and I would encourage people to engage with issues they care about in as many ways as possible, I write today to demonstrate the merits of the biggest small thing you can do: boycott.
In regards to the Supreme Court decision, it might be difficult to see how boycotts can be effective. But the case of one J.K. Rowling can shed some light. The author, who celebrated the legal trampling of some of society’s most marginalised people by posting a picture of herself smoking a cigar on what looks like a private yacht, has been confirmed to have donated £70,000 to the special interest group who lobbied the Supreme Court to make their decision. The maths is simple: this is money she would not have if people were not engaging with her work and its countless off-shoots. I appreciate that it might seem a superfluous drop in the ocean to encourage a boycott of one of the richest authors in the world, but during the Bud Light Boycott of 2023, anti-trans backlash skimmed $1.4 billion off the bottom line of one of the biggest brewing companies in the world. There’s nothing to say boycotts by those on the other side of the aisle can’t be similarly effective. Of course, a great deal more can also be achieved by actively opposing the Supreme Court’s decision – but I maintain boycotts are still a useful tool in the wider arsenal. All this could be held in mind when the new Harry Potter TV show hits our screens. God only knows which marginalised group J.K. Rowling will attack with her next £70,000.
The argument for a boycott in the case of Palestine is even stronger and far clearer. The impact of boycotts thus far has had a demonstrable effect on the Israeli economy. I want to reiterate that there are innumerable ways to enact positive change in this world, but I also appreciate that few people will be stirred to such action through an article they read online. Thus, I encourage those who care, if nothing else, to familiarise themselves with the guidelines outlined by BDS, who have been fighting for the Palestinian cause for over two decades. Changing habits of consumption is such a small personal change, but when done together, it can have an powerfully outsized impact. Not buying a SodaStream, cancelling Disney+, and not shopping at Carrefour are actions so small that they hardly deserve to be called sacrifices – and they do make a difference.
The immense cruelty in the constant attacks upon the marginalised, in the repeated silencing of those that dare voice dissent, can make it seem like there is nothing left to do but let the chips fall where they may – but this doesn’t have to be the case. Those with a voice can always raise it, those with the ability to act need only the will. To grow despondent in the face of dire news is understandable, but the ability always remains to choose our reaction. We are not too small to enact change.
This has been a short post to reiterate the power of the boycott, the biggest small thing you can do – but not the only thing you can do.
For those moved by the Supreme Court decision, a protest is set to take place tomorrow (Saturday 19th April) in Parliament Square, London, and I’m certain there will be others I’m not aware of in other UK cities.
UPDATE: A list of protests against the Supreme Court Ruling across the UK can be found here.
For those moved by the German government’s decision to deport pro-Palestine activists, I know of a fundraiser taking place on Sunday night (20th April) aimed at supporting those facing deportation with their legal costs.
If you know of any further action taking place in regards to either of these issues, please comment below or send me a message, and I’d be pleased to add them to the mentions above.
Thanks for reading.
- In previous writing on this topic, I referred to what was occurring in Palestine as the ‘Israel-Palestine conflict’. My intention at the time was to use language that would not immediately drive away those with viewpoints different from mine, so that they might read the entirety of my article, and having reached the end, potentially find their perspectives challenged or changed.
I have since changed my own perspective.
Given that, since as early as the end of 2024, the ‘conflict’ in Palestine has been identified as a genocide perpetuated by the state of Israel against Palestinians by numerous organisations (including UN observers, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International), I do not feel anything can be gained by not speaking plainly. ↩︎
The cover image for this article is ‘The Fighting Across The River’ by David Barnes.
Telling Time 
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