"I've been involved in non-violent
direct action in the UK since I was seventeen and I first got involved
with that out of sheer frustration about writing letters and going
on demonstrations and not getting anywhere."
"In 2002 me and this guy… travelled across the
hills to get into Nablos to join the medical teams and travel
in the ambulances…having an International made a real
difference, I was able to negotiate through checkpoints… and
I saw first hand how non-violent direct action was working out
there. I’m
a woman and I’m small, so I’m not offensive or threatening…"
"I’ve been shot at and I’ve been hit by shrapnel
and stuff like that…people do sacrifice a lot mentally
for it…the
way I deal with it is by talking about it, by giving presentations,
by encouraging other people to go out there and also by doing gardening,
pottering about in my garden and cycling a lot…when you
see horrific things like that you really value the really nice
things like going for walks."
"You don’t just go blindly into it thinking ‘I’m
an International, I’m going to be OK’ you go ‘Right,
what are the risks and what am I going to achieve?’ and every
situation I’ve gone into I’ve thought about it very
hard…I think the people who it is hardest for are our families."
"You have to stay optimistic. Life is amazing, you know, and
every time you do these things you meet people who are truly
inspirational."
(Jenny Gaiawyn)
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Click to hear Jenny Dialup version |
Jenny Gaiawyn has
been involved in non-violent direct action for the past ten years.
Since 2001 she has volunteered as a peace worker in both Iraq
and Palestine.
The problems of Palestine have a long history,
starting from before the First World War. International powers,
including Britain, the League of Nations, the United States and
the United Nations, have attempted to resolve the political issues
associated with this area. This intervention has unfortunately
often resulted in further troubles. At the moment arguments over
territory continue to cause death and destruction on both Palestinian
and Israeli sides. |
