I’ve had people laugh. Others just stare. One or two people murmured some kind of critical response that I couldn’t hear. I find it strange and just wanted to know if this is an ordinary experience. It’s rare for someone to agree. I live in a rich white area.
"yeah, free Palestine.... from Hamas!!!"
they always act like they're the first person to ever think of this banger, too.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Palestinian_legislative_election
free them from the government they duly voted in, I guess (Hillary complained that they should have done more to rig it)
We're talking about people who are deathly allergic to context here, if there is even a whiff of "events in the past have consequences on the present" in the air they will explode like sodium in water
The normal response is "duh".
But I live in a place where there are lots of like-minded people.That was my thought, we don't say it because it's assumed as the default among people I interact with
Outside of specifically political events like protests I've yet to meet a person who had any investment in Isntrael-Palestine stuff. Zero. People here have no idea what I'm talking about when I bring up Palestine. No one has commented on the keffiyehs or pins I wear unless they're also at the same pro-Palestine thing as me. A coworker the other day had never heard of Israel and she thought I was talking about Ukraine when I mentioned it.
It's bizarre. I hear stuff about rabid Zionists and I've never seen a single one. I live in Texas though.
There’s a rightwing town nearby that I’m forced to work in, and I’ve seen an Israeli flag and bumper sticker there. It’s always associated with really Christian / Trump people—Biden’s base, in other words.
Oh I actually grew up near there lol, in the big thicket area (don't care if I get doxxed, I'm a known local trans commie person anyway )
They all shout the same thing again in unison because the only time I ever say that irl is at actions or with an audience of lefties.
I do still advocate for Palestine with other phrases, I just never say the phrase "free Palestine" in part of normal conversation.
I do use "from the river to the sea" though and that one is polarizing in the best of ways.
A few weeks ago I was wearing a keffiyeh and an old white dude in a pickup pulled up next to me, rolled down the window, and chanted "USA! USA!" before speeding off.
Pretty wild whiplash, going from being worried I was gonna get hate crimed to doubling over laughing at the absurdity of it all.
I expect them to say "from the river to the sea palestine will be free"
Mostly neutral to positive.
Negative reactions, for myself and others I know, are generally from older wide peepo who don’t actually know what “free Palestine” means or anything about it, but just know that those “woke SJW college students” are protesting over it so they just reflexively lash out without even knowing what they’re lashing out about.
depends, I live in bay area so it's a complete 50/50 whether they're a very politically conscious person or a tech worker, especially since I exist in both spaces
A depressed, cynical response that knows it's a genocide but sees no way to stop it
