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Photographer Misan Harriman reflected on the past achievements with his post and at the same time honored the early protesters by marking the two-year anniversary of the huge protest in London. The photographer who was reported at the protest in the first place shared the photographs of the people who participated in the march of October 14th, who had been the first to protest in large numbers after the attacks on October 7th, reminding us of the participants’ wisdom and the de-escalation of the conflict. His acknowledgment provoked an animated discussion among the observers, which indicated that the views about the Middle East conflict were highly divided.
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Harriman couldn’t have picked a more emblematic day to deliver his social media post exactly two years after the event when he documented the historic London protest. The prominent photographer said that the marchers were so early to come to the demonstration to “ask for the violence to stop” and that they “knew what was coming, and they were not going to back down”. His comments almost portrayed the protestors as if they could predict the future and simultaneously created a very touching tribute to that moment.
It didn’t take long for the comment section to become a miniature world that represented the large international disagreement of opinions. Many followers were quick to back up the feeling of Harriman and one person who commented said, “Wonderful photos of wonderful people. Here for as long as it takes.” Another one said, “Here as long as it takes, we will not stop, we will not rest until liberation and the end of occupation.” These replies illustrated the still-ongoing commitment of some activists, regardless of the time that has passed since.
On the other hand, the reactions did not only support the protest. One very long comment outrightly criticized the protest’s agenda and maintained that “by the book definition it is not genocide” and mentioned other wars with higher death tolls still not in the headlines as the Middle Eastern one. The person continued saying, “I am just sick and tired of the constant and ever-growing Jew-hate. They (the Jews) went through a real genocide where they lost 6 million lives, and still, their suffering is constantly ignored in the discourse.” The user made it obvious that he thought the negative impact of the Jewish suffering in the past on their position today was very clear.
Theological debates in that very thread were bound to go on, if anything, they were going to get even more heated, just like the Christians and Jews arguing over Jesus’ origins. One of the debaters was unequivocal: “Jesus was not a Jew. Nowhere is it actually said,” while another responded, “it is literally mentioned the whole book of the Bible.” Such a digression illustrated the times when old and new interpretations of history and religion come up in these debates and thus block the immediate humanitarian concerns.
The political scene was mentioned in many comments, one person pointed out, “It is hard to believe that we actually have a president who the second he was elected made peace his priority.” Another user was less optimistic: “You used to bash the US for not doing anything about Palestine. Now you have to thank President Trump for that. Ain’t justice sweet?!” Such remarks indicated that the matter was still very much intertwined with American internal politics.
Occasional direct appeals from Gaza residents to the world were present in the comments giving the theoretical debate a very tragic background. One of the mothers living in Gaza said, “I am a mother living in Gaza, the war has stopped but my struggling to get a job that can take care of my child’s needs has not.” Another woman asked, “A big thank you from Gaza, please support us and save us.” Such recounting of the suffering of the people involved acted as a stark reminder of the hidden losses due to political struggles.
The debate was so emotionally charged that it could be sensed. One person on the internet openly expressed his anger over the alleged bias: “Show me the protests when 1200 civilians from the other side were killed! It’s cool when it comes to Jews, right?” Such a point of view was shared by those who felt that currently, the suffering of the Jewish people was being ignored in the discourse.
During these hard times, several voices were heard urging people not to lose sight of the bigger picture. One person reminded everyone that “Men of great stature bring about change while small men just complain in the comments.” The other one was more encouraging: “Always be positive and not negative, and perhaps something good in your life will change your attitude. You have to start somewhere.” Such comments tried to elevate the dialogue from mere blame and dragging through the mud to the level of deep discussion.
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Misan Harriman’s post took on the dual character of both a memorial and attention-grabbing. He invited at the same time people who protested two years ago to present the future with the possibilities of looking back on how the issue has changed since the first protest. The fervent replies verified that while circumstances might change, very strong beliefs on both sides are still surprisingly similar. The debate is still on just as the protestors pledged to continue their advocacy for as long as it takes.