The surprising solidarity between Gaza and Ferguson
One would not normally associate the people of Ferguson USA as having a great deal in common with the people of Gaza, but in the last few days a surprising amount of kinship and solidarity has emerged between them.
Ferguson, a small Missouri town, hit the headlines recently when an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, was shot and killed by police on Saturday.
Local anger was palpable at the news of the killing of the 17 year old and protests were held immediately, but they were crushed by heavy handed police tactics including tear gas (and rubber bullets) and SWAT teams were moved in.
As the riots and the crakdown hit the headlines, the people of Gaza responded swiftly. The Gaza strip has been under Israeli attack in the last few weeks with over 2000 people killed and over 10,000 injured.
Living under siege and occupation the people of Palestine are familiar with the tactics needed during riots and instances of police brutality.
There were tweets from Gaza with advice on what to do when affected by tear gas.
In response the people of Ferguson have started to relate to those in Gaza, holding up signs of solidarity saying things like.... and tweeting messages like...
The solidarity has now grown between both communities:
A number of people have pointed out that the tear gas used in both countries is produced by the same American company:
There was a lot of bad feeling for police:
Not everyone seemed so keen on the comparison, though:
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