Hannah Rsk

In 2021, I had almost 93,000 followers on Instagram. I have always been outspoken on here about Palestine but when the Sheikh Jarrah evictions in East Jerusalem happened, I dedicated almost my entire platform to the cause. Since then, I’ve lost around 7,000 followers. I guess people didn’t want “politics” on their feed and my account was shadowbanned- never to grow again. I am Palestinian-Jordanian, with an Irish mother (both my parents attend demonstrations whenever they can). I come from two histories that taught me that freedom should never be taken for granted, and that silence in the face of oppression comes at a cost. It is in my blood to fight for freedom. To speak up and never look away. I would be far more uncomfortable with what staying quiet would cost me. I don’t separate my platform from who I am. My heritage, my values and my belief in freedom don’t disappear because they might make me less popular. I would rather lose followers for speaking about Palestine than gain them by pretending I don’t care. I could cry today because after everything we’ve done, every post, every story, every repost, every article shared, every tweet amplified, every journalist and voice we tried to push further, every fundraiser, every horrifying image and testimony we shared as we watched Gaza unfold in real time on our screens… it feels like people may finally be beginning to listen?

Thank you to everyone speaking up.

Long live Palestine. May my son see a free Palestine one day and may we walk hand in hand through the villages and towns of the land we once called home.

قلوبنا معكم دائماً يا أهل فلسطين. الله يحميكم ويقوّيكم، ونبقى معكم بالقلب والدعاء دائماً 🙏🏼