GAZA RAFFLE: FUNDRAISING AND ACTION

What we’re witnessing right now is just beyond words at this point. The images and videos that we have seen, the sounds that we have heard, the indescribable torment that the Palestinians have had to deal with every single day of those seven months (and for the 75 years before) with no end currently in sight. The criminal annihilation of generations of people; their hospitals, universities, galleries, homes, history and so much more. The dehumanisation of these people. The callousness and complete abandonment of their humanity by the supporters of this genocide.

To say that Gaza is still under attack is an understatement. It is imperative that those who have the freedom to, try all that they can to support the Palestinians.

For that reason, I am hosting a raffle to raise some funds for relief efforts in the hopes that we can provide support in as many ways as we can.

There are two prizes for this raffle (combined value of £160):

• A £75 voucher that can be redeemed on anything Metalsmith (workshops/finished pieces/commissions)

• One of my limited edition ‘Companion’ pieces - the sculpture version of the ring of the same name. This piece is from the ‘Make Jewellery Not War’ collection; it measures 35mm x 27mm x 17mm at its tallest. It is worth £85.

It is £5 for a raffle ticket to enter; you may purchase as many as you like. The funds from this raffle will go to Gaza Freedom Flotilla and Connecting Humanity. Alternatively, you can take part in a series of actions (listed below) for additional entries without buying another ticket! Read on to find out more.

For additional entries (only valid after initial raffle ticket purchase), you can keep purchasing raffle tickets and/or you can take part in any one, some or all of the actions listed below to help the movement in other ways, please send screenshots/photos to my email address (emily@the-metalsmith.co.uk) to show that you have taken part in any of the actions below to help me keep track of the entries:

-Purchase an e-sim to help Palestinians stay connected - this is the only way that they can stay in touch with each other and for their journalists to get information to the rest of the world due to the Israeli government enforcing repeated media blackouts. (This should take less than 10 minutes - some of the raffle funds are going towards this too, but I won’t be able to maintain large numbers of e-sims long term, which is why I wanted to present the option to you too.)

-Email your MP/representative - this one has just got a little harder in the UK. So Parliament has dissolved, which means our MPs are no longer MPs. However, it looks as though the candidates standing for re-election are still monitoring their inboxes for the time being - email them! We have lots of new candidates to choose from for the election in July - be sure to email ALL of them (even the ones you know you won’t be voting for) and let them know that your vote for them is at stake! Additionally, whilst our parliament has dissolved, the government is still there - the ministers are still working: our foreign secretary, our defence secretary, etc (David Cameron’s office: fcdo.correspondence@fcdo.gov.uk and Grant Schapps: shappsg@parliament.uk ). You can also still email the House of Lords Offices (pick a lord and send them an email via contactholmember@parliament.uk) and House of Commons offices (hcenquiries@parliament.uk). Key points to include: give them examples of the terrible things that have happened, let them know that your vote is conditional, what tangible things are they doing to aid the situation, will they call for an end to arms deals to countries violating human rights, will they call out Israel for those horrific crimes against humanity, push for allowing the freedom flotilla to use your country’s flag*, will they call for sanctions - anything genuinely useful to make it difficult for Israel to continue, etc. (2 minutes plus, depending on if you use a template or something that you’ve written. If you need help writing, let me know and I will help!).

-Sign Zarah Sultana’s petition to halt arms sales to countries violating human rights laws. If you’re not UK based, be sure to find your country’s equivalent. (1 minute)

-Join a local protest; these are currently taking place across the world on a regular basis, from marches through the cities, to student encampments and posting up outside of weapons factories. Try PalestineSolidarityUK if you’re in the UK. For more direct action, take a look at Palestine Action. (A few hours to a day)

-Listen to the Debunking Zionist Talking Points episode of Lets Talk Palestine Podcast (1 hour & 13 minutes - this link is to Spotify but you should be able to find on Apple and other podcast places too.)

-Donate to a fundraiser on Operation Olive Branch (2 minutes plus, depending on how long you spend going through the spreadsheet.)

-Download and start using the ‘No Thanks App’ (Android or Apple) - a database of all products from companies that support Zionism and Israel (1 minute plus)

-If you’re on any social media platforms, follow Palestinian journalists - share what they’re doing, amplify their voices. (2 minutes plus, depending on the time you wish to spend amplifying. There is a list below.)

-Share this raffle far and wide - via Facebook, Instagram, email, however you can! (1 minute)

There are no limits to additional actions and entries; keep taking part and sending them in!

(Something that will have a huge impact but I wasn’t sure how to easily include it in this, so have done partially with the inclusion of the ‘No Thanks App’: taking part in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Campaign (e.g. BDS) - you can have a massive influence with little effort just by moving your money around, by spending elsewhere and holding organisations accountable. You could also buy and read books by Palestinian authors - you can find a list here! You could learn about and support Palestinian artists, and small businesses. There is so much more you can do! Let me know if you can think of anything extra, I shall add it to the list.)

“It is the obligation of every person born in a safer room to open the door when someone in danger knocks.” - Dina Nayer, novelist, essayist, short story writer.

A single person taking part in an isolated action is not necessarily something that will make change, but when you’re an individual operating as part of a collective, as a collection of actions, you can move mountains. These things also don't happen immediately, but so far, throughout the horrors, we’ve seen incredible displays of solidarity around the world (student encampments, some of the UK’s largest protests in history, etc) - images of which have reached Gaza, let them know they're not alone and have given them hope to carry on. We’ve seen multiple countries start the processes to recognise Palestine as a state; we’ve seen multiple countries recall their ambassadors. As a result of the student encampments, universities have re-evaluated and stopped their funding in harmful Israeli organisations. We’ve seen companies become the subject of boycotts and had to withdraw sponsorships, close branches and cancel plans for new franchises. Israeli ships have been disrupted in transit; they are being redirected and their requests to stop at ports are being declined. A weapons factory in the UK even had to close three of its locations! And so much more!

This raffle is completely hosted by The Metalsmith; it is no way affiliated with any organisation, Squarespace, Instagram or Facebook. You have until 30th June to enter. The draw will take place on Monday 1st July; all entries will be placed into a random generator and a winner will be randomly drawn. Additional entries can be multiple raffle purchases or any combination of tasks on the list. These will only be counted once you have made your initial £5 raffle ticket purchase. Entries are welcome from UK and internationally. The winner will be notified by the means of contact given when purchasing the raffle ticket. If the winner doesn’t claim the prizes/respond within a week after notification, a new name will be drawn. If you wish for anonymity when the winner is drawn, please only enter initials into the donation check-out and specify this in your emails.