Will’s Word: Reflections on the March for Palestine on Saturday

On Saturday, I joined the March for Palestine protest in Tāmaki Makaurau. It was one of the largest rallies I've ever seen in my life and it really moved me.

From Aotea Square to Victoria Park, the streets of the CBD were completely flooded with people. The key takeaway for me and perhaps what moved me most, was the presence of Tangata Moana.

So many of our Pasifika people were there. Flags from Sāmoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands, seen flapping in the air. It was so moving to witness. We know what it means to be pushed to the margins and to still stand tall.

To see our flags alongside the Palestinian flag ultimately reminded me that solidarity has no borders. Some have asked why I went along, why a journalist would turn up at a protest?

It baffled me. The answer is so plain and simple: I'm a human first, journalist second. I wasn't there with a microphone in hand, I wasn't chasing soundbites or interviews. I was there to witness it all.

To see what was unfolding. What I saw on Saturday was not division, it was unity. I spoke to people from all walks of life. Young and old, grandparents, friends, migrants, tangata whenua, non-religious, Muslim and Christian.

Listen to Will’s Word on Facebook below.

They were all standing together on Saturday, putting aside their differences to unite for a common cause. It was simple in terms of why they were there - because human suffering demands a response.

Because bombs falling on children demand a response. The least people can do, on this side of the world, is stand with those who are suffering in Gaza. That's what I heard time and time again in the crowd on Saturday.

It reinforced and reminded me of something important: that here in Aotearoa, despite all our differences, we still care, we still give a damn, we still stand up for one another and we still show up when it matters.

Because in the end, that's what Saturday was about. Not politics, not headlines, but humanity. And for me, that will always come first.

That's Will's Word.