A Scream from the Hill: Glastonbury & Gaza

From Glastonbury

a scream broke through—

'death, death to the IDF'—

words,

not nice,

should have been silenced,

but words.

Should the police investigate?

Maybe.

Words can stir.

But the IDF isn’t a person—

it’s a war machine

breaking international law

like glass

under boot.

Look—

sniper's bullets

shatter spines.

Bombs fall

on bakeries,

hospitals,

cradles.

Children die

without warning.

Or with it.

Either way—

they die.

And we—

we fixate on chants,

argue intent,

debate decency

while Gaza dies.

The UK sells arms.

Ministers nod.

Red carpet deals,

stained.

And the feed—

Glastonbury,

Glastonbury,

Glastonbury.

No Gaza.

No grief.

We say this clearly:

Not all Jews are Israelis.

Not all Israelis

support the killing.

To confuse Jewishness

with this war machine

is antisemitic.

Full stop.

Do we stand with Hamas?

No.

With Hezbollah?

No.

We stand

with the mothers,

the buried,

the broken,

the breathless.

We stand against hostage taking

and those kept without trial.

We stand

against slaughter,

whatever flag it flies.

This is not

the fog of war.

It is the fire of injustice.

And a silence

that screams

complicity.

Lord have mercy,

Blessed are the Peacemakers

Rev'd Jon Swales