You’re invited to a bike ride. An important one!
On Sunday 11th February we will be joining the international Big Ride for Gaza – a ride to show the support of the cycling community for the people of Palestine, and in solidarity with the Gaza Sunbirds, the Palestinian para-cycling team who are currently delivering aid in Gaza.
February 10th is the big weekend for as many cities as possible to again get out and organise cycling demonstrations for Gaza. If you’re one of my non-Auckland followers (thanks for listening!) then you can sign up your own local ride here.
The bicycle as a liberatory object
The Gaza Sunbirds are a para-cycling team who were supposed to attend the 2024 paralympics, but have since diverted all of their efforts to delivering aid by bicycle on the ground in Gaza. Their original mission is to empower people with disabilities through sports. Palestine has one of the highest rates of amputees in the world due to decades of ongoing conflict, genocide and oppression.
It often seems like people think that we should “keep politics out of sports”. But sports has always been political.
The bicycle has been used in womens’ movements throughout the world, since the 19th century til’ today, where women still resist patriarchal oppression by bicycle in Iran and Pakistan.
The bicycle is integral to climate and transport liberation, and it helps people around the world access affordable transport that isn’t burdened by oil.
And of course, many people in Aotearoa will recognise the importance of sports boycotting apartheid-era South Africa, like in the 1981 Springbok tour.
Palestinian liberation is climate liberation. The oppression of the state of Israel is upheld by US imperialism and their expectation to maintain a stronghold in areas of the world where there is significant oil. The Houthi rebels, from Yemen, a country with exceptionally high poverty rates, are now being approached by militaries all over the world for blockading international capitalist shipping routes. Including forces from New Zealand.
All things are interlinked, the Palestinian struggle is also our struggle against colonisation, US imperialism, white supremacy and greed.
I know protesting can be confronting for a lot of people, so I think the idea of a solidarity bicycle ride is a good one for people who find protests intimidating, to come along and learn about the cause.
Details for the ride in Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland
The ride will be on Sunday February 11th, at 10:00am. We'll gather at Pigeon Park (corner of Karangahape and Symonds St).
Bring your signs and flags, decorate your bikes, wear keffiyeh. We will aim to end the ride at Aotea Square so you can also join the protest if there is one running.
The plan for the day will be:
10:00am - Riders gather at Pigeon Park
10:10am - Ride briefing
10:15am - Depart for a 10km loop around the city
11:30am - Arrive at Aotea Square
This is a ride by and for people of all marginalized identities. We have a zero tolerance policy towards discrimination, racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, anti-semitism.
There will also be spoke cards available with my poster design, you can get one in exchange for a koha to the Gaza Sunbirds aid efforts in Gaza.
Feel free to use this on your social media if you would like to advertise the ride, or share the Facebook event.
Ngā mihi
Robbie 🕸️
Good on ya getting on your bike to fight!!