In response to the ongoing war in Gaza, students of the Thomas Hardye School in Dorset took part in an organised protest. On December 14th, the group of roughly thirty sixth formers marched from the school gates, chanting multiple memorable slogans and carrying placards, until they reached the town centre. Despite marching in the middle of December, the muddy pavements and busy traffic were just a couple of the obstinate obstacles that they were faced with.

After leaving the school, the marchers were met with shaking heads and shouts of “go back to school” from disapproving individuals. Organizers Oscar Hill and Harry Hubbard had known that such a visible form of protest would be received with a considerable amount of contention from bystanders in a widely conservative area. However, the protesters felt that those who objected to the demonstration for missing valuable education, emphasised the importance of raising awareness of the violence against Palestinians in Gaza, within small rural communities.

To those who believed that the march was an opportunity for students to escape a lesson, Hubbard assured that young people “have an energy and ability to create change” and that their unique passion has been predominantly behind the global Palestine movement.

As well as a divide between generations, there have also been differences in opinions within the teenagers at the school about the motivation behind the protest. A student at the school who wished to remain anonymous, and who decided to not participate in the march, revealed that those involved needed to “educate themselves before jumping on buzz phrases”. Their viewpoint feeds into the idea of trending wars within this new digitalised world, where through social media, young people are being fed biased and often incorrect versions of violence. 

Although hastily organised, Hill and Hubbard informed the crowd that their drive to achieve change was genuine. Via technology they would be attempting to contact young people in Gaza who have been unable to go to school due to the destruction caused by the bombing.

They are striving to make a difference despite the distance between them.