In a powerful interview this week with the British journalist Owen Jones, two mothers shared their personal journeys and the sacrifices their children are making to protest the genocide in Gaza.
Their daughters, Fatima Rajwani and Zoe Rogers, were among 10 members of Palestine Action who were arrested earlier this year for direct action against Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer. The women have since been imprisoned under counterterrorism legislation, and their parents, Sukaina and Clare, have taken to speaking out, raising awareness about their children’s bravery and the dire situation in Gaza.
Both Fatima and Zoe have been deeply involved in activism for social justice causes for years, driven by a strong belief in human rights. According to Sukaina, Fatima was always passionate about global injustices, from Sudan to Kashmir, but the ongoing genocide in Gaza hit home particularly hard.
“She says, if you wonder what you would have done during the Holocaust or apartheid, then what you’re doing now is your answer,” Sukaina shared, reflecting on Fatima’s determination to stand against injustice.
The mothers recount the distress of their daughters’ arrests. On August 6, 2023, their daughters, along with eight others, were arrested for causing damage to a Bristol-based Elbit Systems factory, which manufactures military drones. Initially detained under criminal charges, they were re-arrested the following day under the Terrorism Act, a shocking escalation that left the families reeling.
“It was clear this counterterrorism legislation would be used against protesters,” Clare stated.
The women have faced severe restrictions, including solitary confinement and being denied bail under terrorism-related provisions, even though the charges are not directly tied to terrorism.
The activists have been accused of causing over a million pounds in damage to the weapons factory, but for their mothers, the focus is on the larger issue at hand: the ongoing genocide in Gaza, perpetuated by weapons made by Elbit.
“These drones are used in Gaza. They are diabolical, and people need to know about this,” Clare added.
Sukaina and Clare both expressed their frustrations with the British government’s complicity in arming Israel. Despite overwhelming evidence of war crimes committed in Gaza, their daughters, not the war criminals, are behind bars.
“It’s unbelievable,” Clare said. “The real terrorists are walking free while those who stand up for justice are incarcerated.”
Zoe, who is autistic, found the initial months of imprisonment especially challenging. Isolated and cut off from others, her mental health suffered greatly. Yet both young women remain resolute in their commitment to fighting for justice. Clare shared that Zoe has been writing poetry to cope with her incarceration, drawing strength from her beliefs and experiences.
One of Zoe’s poems, titled Prison Conversations, offers a moving testament to the horrors in Gaza and her reasons for taking action. It reads:
When they ask why I did it
I tell them about the children
How their childhood is stolen from them
How their skeletons are left charred and smoking
How easily their bodies are crushed by falling buildings
How their skin melts as their flaming tents collapse around them
I tell them of the boy found carrying his brother’s body inside his bloody backpack
I tell them of the girl whose hanging corpse ended at the knees
I tell them of the father holding up his headless toddler
I tell them of the mother who received the approximate weight of her family in body parts to bury
As they had all been shattered beyond recognition
Then I tell them about the history
How this has happened time and time again
I tell them about the Stern Gang, the Hilltop Youth, the wars of 1948 and 1967
Operation Cast Lead and Protective Edge
I explain how they call it mowing the lawn
Cleaning the land of these human animals
Have they calculated the minimum nutrients to keep everyone alive
Chop a bit off and let only that inside
How since the war, they’ve banned chlorine, morphine, and children’s toys
And much more that’s needed for people to survive
Finally, I talk about how it was us that started it
With our Balfour Declaration and media suppression
And I say I cannot stand for this
It can go on no longer
So I took action against Elbit, their weapon suppliers
But I never forget to say
That it was love, not hate, that called me
Watching their songs and dancers for freedom
Reading their hope-filled books
Listening to their dreams of being doctors, teachers, journalists
And never giving up.
The poem has resonated with many, offering a raw, unflinching portrayal of the suffering in Gaza and the moral imperative to act.
For the mothers, their daughters are standing on “the right side of history.”
Both believe that their actions, though criminalized now, will one day be recognized as just and necessary.
As Clare concluded, “Our young people have been watching a genocide unfold on social media, and they’ve been devastated by their powerlessness.
“But Palestine Action gives them a way to express their grief, anger, and solidarity. And if it means sacrificing their freedom, they’re willing to do it.”
History, they say, will judge their children kindly, as it has all those who fought for justice in the face of great evil.
