The
second major challenge has for sure been the censorship of
pro-Palestinian voices on social media; many activists and organisations
with a wide follower base have reported the suppression of their pro-Palestine posts on Facebook and Instagram. As well, supporters of Palestine were restricted
on X ( previously Twitter) and Tiktok, where they’d post short videos
to fight misinformation on the Palestinian cause and the propaganda of
Western pro-Israel analysis. Despite the obstacles, the ongoing horror
of the war in Gaza has stiffened Gen Z resistance and the call for
Israel to stop bombing and killing civilians has grown all over the US and Europe.
After long months of hard, passionate work to pull away the
propaganda and misinformation veil carefully placed before Western
people’s eyes, MENA youth were only sure about attaining their goal when
pro-Palestinian protests ramped up at European, and American
universities, where students expressed their anger and called on their
pro-Israel governments to stop the massacres happening in Palestine.
The response of those in power only gave the MENA resistance movement more legitimacy and reason for being. Police arresting students and demolishing peace camps, their universities expelling them and putting their degrees
in jeopardy has strengethened the cause. Ironically, by their actions
Western governments and prestigious Western universities have
facilitated the work of the resistance and massively increased its
impact on Western students. The shameful actions of the authorities
against peaceful protests will remain engraved in students' memories,
just as happened with students beaten and arrested during the Vietnam anti-war protests.
Some will say that resistance within the MENA region seems to be
decreasing in intensity with new efforts to support the Palestinian
cause diminishing and MENA resistance actors holding less public
prominence. However, that’s only the tip of the iceberg visible to the
public eye. Compared to the Global North, where the Palestinian
resistance movement among young people is still in its infancy with ongoing
university students' protests, MENA youth has spent months building a
strong resistance movement and it is at a different stage. Though their
parents may not approve, thanks to social media outlets MENA youth,
particularly Gen Z, after spreading the word, have decided to
concentrate their efforts on consolidating the gains made. At this point
in the resistance movement, after accomplishing the historical mission
of awakening Western youth’s consciences through social media, MENA Gen Z
continue to use social media to revive the flame of resistance and
inculcate a lasting culture of resistance.
The means to achieve this goal consists in reminding everyone of the boycott campaign and the targeted
brands. As well, it involves holding discussions about the war and
regularly denouncing Western propaganda. This resistance approach, very
well received by the public, seems to bear fruit with young people
incorporating it into their daily routine. For example, friends going
out to eat take into consideration the restaurants and beverage brands
targeted by the boycott campaign and remind each other if someone
forgets. Grocery shopping, clothes shopping, etc go through the same
procedure. This consistency in resistance by MENA Gen Z shows the
far-sightedness of a young passionate generation, one willing to make a
perceptible change in the reality of their region using all available
means to challenge Western imperialist narratives and where they see it
their own governments’ tacit support for Israel.
In the MENA region, youth, especially Gen Z, has introduced the world
to a new kind of sovereignty; digital sovereignty, in which weapons and
soldiers aren't needed, where the people's will defies censorship and
where the majority says the last word. The current political class is
running out of time compared to the future ahead of a passionate
generation, dissatisfied with the way the world has been managed and
looking forward to making radical changes.
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