This summer, wear a T-shirt that shows solidarity with Palestine and supports the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.
Why?
One of the drivers for setting up Viva Palestine is the silence from many major brands on speaking out against the current destruction and plausible genocide taking place in Gaza. Many were quick to condemn and denounce the attacks on Oct 7th but since have said nothing or very little on the out of control retribution and collective punishment being inflicted on the Palestinian population.
I urge people to read the following Aljazeera story (link at the end of this blog) to better inform themselves. And please re-evaluate your brand loyalties.
It got to the point where for me personally I thought enough is enough. If brands are to adopt double standards and silence is complicity, then I do not want to be associated with those brands. With limited alternatives the choice was simple, design you own clothes, so the people have an alternative. But we wanted to be different. We wanted to produce high quality clothes and be transparent in our costs and donate all profits made to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.
Soul of my Soul T-shirt
The inspirational stories coming from the people of Palestine are numerous. But Khaled Nabhan embodies the essence of the Palestinians. His patience, love and character transcended and destroyed the Western narrative and propaganda. It was one of the first stories in the mainstream news where Palestinians were not de-humanised or reported as numbers. Khaled a loving grandfather whose two grandchildren Reem and Tarak were murdered when an Israeli missile hit their home in Al Nuseirat refugee camp in southern Gaza in November 2023. Southern Gaza at that time was meant to be the safe place according to the Israeli military.
His picture holding his lifeless granddaughter Reem and kissing her repeatedly along with his interview telling the World she was the soul of his soul has become etched in every person’s heart (those with any humanity at least).
We have tried to capture the silhouette of that image and by using artistic license have given Khaled a traditional black and white Palestinian keffiyeh. The phrase “Rooh Al Rooh” is written in Arabic in Palestinian colours.
Handala T-shirt
Handala is an iconic and beloved figure in Palestinian culture and a symbol of Palestinian resistance and resilience. He is a cartoon character created by Palestinian cartoonist Naji al-Ali and reflects his own childhood refugee experience and the ongoing plight of the Palestinians displaced by the Nakba.
The first version of the cartoon appeared in a Kuwaiti newspaper in 1969 and was drawn facing the viewer. However, in 1973 following the October War, al-Ali started drawing Handala with his back turned to reflect how the world had itself turned its back on the Palestinians.
Handala is named after the “handhal”, a bitter fruit that grows in the dry areas of Palestine. It grows back when cut and has deep roots. Handala is barefooted and wears ragged clothes like the refuge camp children Naji al-Ali remembers when he was forced to leave his village as a 10 year old boy.
Naji-al Ali was assassinated in London in 1987. No one has been charged with his murder. Although, Britain’s prime minister at the time Margaret Thatcher, expelled Israeli diplomats and shut down their spy agency’s London headquarters angered by reports they had prior knowledge of his assassination.
Watermelon T-shirt?
Following the 1967 war, when Israel seized control of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and annexed East Jerusalem, the government banned the Palestinian flag in the occupied territories.
Although the flag has not always been banned by law, the watermelon caught on as a symbol of resistance. The fruit is grown across Palestine from Jenin to Gaza and the fruit shares the same colours of the Palestinian flag. It is used to protest against Israel’s suppression of Palestinian flags and identity. Unfortunately, the silencing of Palestinian solidarity has become more commonplace in the western world highlighting the double standards for freedom of expression and rights. The watermelon emoji is a way to avoid shadow banning, or a form of censorship when posting on social media in relation to current events in Gaza.
The t-shirt design arranges the seed in the watermelon to spell “Filasteen” in Arabic.
Accountability
For the T-shirt we have selected the Russell 180gsm 100% ring spun cotton providing superior quality and better wear. The artwork is transferred via a high quality heat press process.
The Price per T-shirt is £19.99 in line with what most of us are willing to pay for a Nike or Adidas T-Shirt. All the profits from all of our sales are donated to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. For the t-shirt the profits are £7 per T-Shirt. As the Viva Palestine team are doing this on a voluntary basis with limited resource (team of 2) we do not have the capital outlay to order T-shirts in advance at high quantities and pass on the discount to our customers. We take orders via our website and turn them round and deliver within 2 week.
With Ramadhan starting and Eid-ul-Fitr a few weeks away we encourage people to buy gifts this year that benefit a greater cause and not a generic brand.
References:
https://som.yale.edu/story/2023/list-companies-have-condemned-hamas-terrorist-attack-israel