Attending the latest mass protest in solidarity with Palestine, coinciding with the commemoration of the Nakba, has led me down a path of reflection on the effectiveness of such actions in driving real political change. Despite the substantial turnout and the courage shown in the face of police crackdowns and the targeted repression of movement leaders, the central issue remains clear: there has been no meaningful political outcome. 

The situation in Palestine, and particularly Gaza, remains unchanged. The genocide continues. While some shifts can be observed within UK political discourse, these are neither significant enough to alter the course of events on the ground nor are they necessarily the result of these protests. More plausibly, they reflect broader geopolitical currents, including fractures in the transatlantic alliance and a new direction of travel in European foreign policy that began during the Trump administration.



When I speak of political outcomes, I do not mean registering moral opposition to genocide, taking a principled stance, or even shifting public opinion. These are not in themselves tangible political achievements unless they can be transformed into real leverage. 

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Some leverage was arguably created, as evidenced by the shift away from Labour in support of

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