Lede
If your chant can’t tell civilians from militants, it isn’t justice. It’s noise.

What does not make sense

• Treating “pro-Palestinian” as “pro-Hamas”. Civilians are not a militia.
• Pretending Hamas respects LGBT people. It doesn’t.
• Pretending Israel has no LGBT rights. It does, with flaws like any democracy.
• Collective blame online: “no innocents.” That’s how wars get worse.
• Acting as if there are only two choices: cheer rockets or cheer rubble.

Sense check / The numbers

1. Hamas is a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK (in full since 2021). That is law, not opinion.
2. Hamas and the PA repress opponents, including LGBT people; rights groups document torture and persecution. Supporting civilian rights is not supporting this.
3. Israel recognises key LGBT protections (employment, goods/services, health, education). Not perfect, but real law on the books.
4. Gazans are not a monolith. Polling shows divided views on Hamas and the future of Gaza. Civilians want safety; politics is contested.
5. Collective-blame narratives (“no innocents”) surged online after Oct 2023 and fuel dehumanisation. Reject them.

The sketch

• Scene one: A banner reads “Free Gaza.” A smaller line underneath: “From Hamas too.”
• Scene two: A rights placard: “LGBT rights everywhere or nowhere.”
• Scene three: Two mothers swap photos across a checkpoint. The slogans go quiet.

What to watch, not the show

• Clear separation between civilian protection and armed groups.
• Concrete asks: ceasefire mechanisms, hostage release, aid access, and accountability in law. (Security Council Report)
• Support for local civil society, including Palestinian and Israeli rights groups, not parties or militias.

The Hermit take

Rights are not a team scarf. If they’re not for your opponent, they’re not rights.

Keep or toss

Toss the collective blame. Keep the civilians alive.

Sources

• Hamas fully proscribed in the UK (Home Office).
  Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/home-secretary-to-ban-hamas-from-uk
• UK proscription list overview (Commons Library).
  Source: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn00815/
• Human Rights Watch – Gaza/Israel 2024 abuses and civilian harm.
  Source: https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/01/16/israel/palestine-abyss-human-suffering-gaza
• U.S. State Dept. human rights report – West Bank & Gaza (context on PA/Hamas abuses).
  Source: https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/415610_WEST-BANK-AND-GAZA-2022-HUMAN-RIGHTS-REPORT.pdf
• UN Watch (reporting allegations of PA/Hamas torture incl. LGBT).
  Source: https://unwatch.org/rights-group-exposes-palestinian-torture-ahead-of-first-un-review/
• LGBT legal status in Israel (protections).
  Source: https://www.equaldex.com/region/israel
  Source: https://database.ilga.org/israel-lgbti
• Palestinian public opinion polling (PCPSR).
  Source: https://www.pcpsr.org/en/node/997
  Source: https://www.pcpsr.org/en/node/154
• UN tracks and two-state focus (Security Council Report).
  Source: https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/monthly-forecast/2025-10/the-middle-east-including-the-palestinian-question-22.php