No Pride in Genocide: The Formwork for Palestine

Of symbols and flags: The Cassero LGBTQIA+ Center addresses the Palestinian flag issue at City Hall.

For a few days now, a Palestinian flag has been flying at Palazzo d'Accursio. The windows of Bologna's city hall have often been used for social campaigns and political symbols, and we are well aware of both the limitations and the importance of these institutional gestures. We believe it is important that Bologna's institutions have also decided to stand against Israel's genocide of the Palestinian people. However, we disagree with the idea that the Israeli flag should be displayed alongside the Palestinian flag, as this would be a culpably shortsighted interpretation of the historical dynamics of oppression and violence against Palestinians.

There are many Palestinian flags in Bologna. Young Palestinians have been organizing increasingly popular demonstrations for Palestine for months, and just a week ago they blocked train traffic in a boycott that was also covered by Al Jazeera.

Unibo students were the first in Italy to organize a camp for Palestine, and Bologna's queer community also took a clear stand against the genocide of the Palestinian people. The last public assembly of Rivolta Pride was held right at the rector's office, in support of the camp. Judith Butler was also at the camp, making it clear that "there is no queer politics without a radical critique of the occupation and Zionism.".

As Cassero LGBTQIA+, we have been taking part in the protests for Palestine since October 22nd, marching with the Queers 4 Palestine network, helping organize screenings for the international festival "Queer Cinema for Palestine: No Pride in Genocide" in Bologna, and joining the Bologna Committee for Palestine. Since October 7th, we have spoken out publicly and clearly several times to reaffirm our active commitment against Zionist colonialism, which, for 76 years, has practiced and pursued a plan of ethnic cleansing against Palestinians.

Yet our voice, like that of all queer positions on Palestine, continues to be overlooked in newspapers and public debate. Instead, only isolated positions from LGBTQ+ people in defense of Israel continue to emerge. The problem isn't that there are LGBTQ individuals with positions different from ours: queer people, just like straight people, have different ideas and opinions. The problem is a tainted public discourse that only hears what it wants to hear.

In a city where the queer community has so clearly positioned itself, perhaps only the cultural impact of Israeli pinkwashing can explain why only voices so distant from the community are still being heard. As the Cassero LGBTQIA+ Center, we have a clear position and will continue to take it to the streets, alongside Young Palestinians and together with the Queers for Palestine network, Rivolta Pride, and the Bologna Committee for Palestine. We hope that sooner or later, the queer position for Palestine will also be represented in public debate.

The article No Pride in Genocide: The Formwork for Palestine comes from Keep.

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