July 18, 2024
Content warning: genocide
DoNoHarm BC is a group that strives to centre safety and equity. We know safe healthcare is a basic right. We reject attempts to portray any group of people as an acceptable loss. And we oppose policies that cause mass death and disablement – as well as political narratives that minimize self-evident harms.
It’s in that spirit that we stand in solidarity with those organizing for a ceasefire and a free Palestine. We call for an end to what experts recognize as a “textbook case of genocide”. Nobody is disposable – and this includes the people of Gaza.
Just as we call for safety in healthcare settings, we condemn the bombardment of hospitals and the blockading of medical aid. We oppose mass death and violence enacted against a civilian population, nearly half of whom are children – as well as the killing of medical staff, aid workers and their families (including the largest single loss of life in UN history).
DoNoHarm BC was formed to address the harms of infectious disease, and we are appalled to witness the weaponization of illness in Palestine. Israel has destroyed infrastructure while displacing most of the population, forcing people into overcrowded conditions without adequate sanitation, food, clean water, or medical care. The WHO reports “soaring rates” of contagious illnesses. We know that COVID is spreading in those close quarters – and we know that over 41% of Palestinian COVID survivors develop Long COVID.
Although we are based in BC, we recognize that COVID knows no borders, and the actions of our policy-makers can help or harm people worldwide. Operating as we do from the occupied lands of Indigenous peoples, we have a responsibility to reckon with the ongoing impacts of colonization and genocide, both at home and abroad.
We know that what happens in Gaza is reverberating around the globe. So many of our own community members are witnessing horrors; grieving for loved ones; enduring repercussions for expressing pro-Palestinian views; and facing Islamophobia and antisemitism.
We’re also seeing direct public health impacts that extend beyond the devastating health crisis being created in Gaza. To suppress pro-Palestinian protesters, multiple jurisdictions are now attempting to enact mask bans, even as COVID rates rise and the US battles an enormous bird flu outbreak. Whether or not these bans pass, increasing the politicization and stigmatization of masks can only lead to worse health outcomes.
Conflating mask-wearing with criminality is anti-public health. It also disproportionately harms both racialized and disabled people, who are more likely to consistently wear masks – and to face state violence. We have already seen assaults on immunocompromised people for wearing masks. Many Jewish leaders and community members fear that restricting masks under the guise of addressing Jewish safety will further fan the flames of antisemitism.
As our struggles are connected, so too is our liberation. We are heartened to see more pro-Palestinian events and initiatives stepping up to include COVID safety. For those who are able, we encourage you to check out local mask-required events for Palestine (which we will continue to share to our stories). And please learn more through this open letter we have co-signed alongside Black Void UBC, Clean Air 604, Masks 4 East Van and CSSDP Vancouver.
DoNoHarm BC is a non-partisan action group based in British Columbia, Canada. Our mission is to demand evidence-based safety measures in high-risk settings; advocate for effective and equitable public health policies; and help lead grassroots collective action promoting safety, equity, accessibility and resilience in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. www.DoNoHarmBC.ca
