British Palestinians feel gaslit' and unable to speak out, says leading activist

"Some were afraid to wear Palestinian symbols at work or display Arabic jewellery and keffiyehs in public, Sara Husseini said. We have many documented reports of Palestinians and allies being silenced or punished for wearing Palestinian symbols, watermelon pins, or speaking about the genocide, she said. Many colleagues across all kinds of sectors feel they are being gaslit while friends and families are being massacred back home."

"Husseini said many Palestinians felt they were being treated not as victims of mass suffering, but as suspects whose grief had become politicised. Cruelty is the word I would use, particularly for colleagues who are from Gaza or have family there, knowing these atrocities are being inflicted on their loved ones day in, day out, Husseini said."

"And then being effectively told: not only are we not going to acknowledge that this is happening to you, we're going to disbelieve you, interrogate you, stop you from speaking about it, and if you do speak, we're going to paint you as the problem."

"Born to a Palestinian father from Jerusalem, and an English mother from Leicestershire, Husseini has spent decades involved in Palestinian advocacy, including advisory work for the Palestine Liberation Organisation during the years of the failed peace process. The past two and a half years have been one of daily horror and fear as Palestinians have watched our families and friends massacred, starved and tortured, she said, describing this period as the darkest chapter in Palestinian history since 1948."

British Palestinians say they cannot speak openly about Israel’s war on Gaza due to a growing climate of hostility in the UK. Some fear wearing Palestinian symbols at work or displaying Arabic jewellery and keffiyehs in public. Reports describe Palestinians and allies being silenced or punished for wearing Palestinian symbols, watermelon pins, or speaking about the genocide. Many colleagues feel they are being gaslit while friends and families are being massacred back home. Palestinians describe being treated as suspects rather than victims, with grief framed as politicised. The director of the British Palestinian Committee calls the situation cruelty, especially for people from Gaza or with family there, and says people are told they will be disbelieved, interrogated, stopped from speaking, and blamed if they do speak.

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