Image: NoName_13, Pixabay
By Davyd Zakharniev, Shenay Mbemba, and Niamh Hatfield
Residents of Islington have been reflecting on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, two years after the October 7th attacks, with many expressing concern over the lack of progress toward a resolution.
Their overriding feeling on the subject: give peace a chance.
“It doesn’t feel like we’re anywhere near the end,” said Adial, 52, a local postman originally from Algeria, who preferred not to give his surname. “We want peace. People want peace — we don’t care about politics,” he added before returning to his work.
Kushie Kaur Shahi, 18, interviewed on Holloway Road, said the ongoing violence in Gaza is “absolutely appalling”, adding that “not a lot of people are speaking enough on it” and that “it’s affecting a lot of people’s families and bloodlines”.
Image: Davyd Zakharniev
However, Kushie Kaur Shahi said, “Seeing everyone come together for protests is such an amazing thing. But seeing that there’s no action being taken is really cruel.
“They can send aid. They can literally send any aid possible. Obviously the UK is known to be taking refugees and asylum seekers,” said Shahi.
“They should be giving a lot of information about the whole genocide to people so that a lot more people are aware about it.”
Are protests un-British?
According to The Guardian, Labour leader Keir Starmer has urged students not to protest on the second anniversary of the Hamas-led October 7 attacks, calling the planned demonstrations “un-British”.
Around Holloway Road Tube station, many residents appeared reluctant to discuss the subject. “People are fed up with war,” said Daniel Hofman, 41, a bus driver. “I just focus on my job — when the bus arrives, I take over. That’s what I do,” he said, lighting a cigarette.
Several people admitted they were unaware of the anniversary of the October 7th attacks, and others declined to comment. One man, Mohamed, 56, agreed to share his thoughts. “Israel has to make the first move,” he said.
“I don’t think we’re getting any closer to a solution. The longer it goes on, the more complicated it becomes. It’s all about ego — everyone wants territory that doesn’t belong to them. And what’s worse, no one seems to care.”
While opinions differed, there was a shared sense of frustration and fatigue among many interviewees, reflecting broader public uncertainty about the prospects for peace in the region.
Image: Davyd Zakharniev