Leanne Mohamad on Palestine, people power and changing the two party system
Published date: 28 June 2024 13:02 UTC
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Last update: 3 months 2 weeks ago
Can a lone 23-year-old Palestinian take on the Labour Party?
That’s what Leanne Mohamad is determined to do, campaigning as an independent candidate in the safe Labour seat of Ilford North in the upcoming general elections.
It’s no small feat - she’s up against Wes Streeting, a senior party heavyweight and a man tapped by many as Keir Starmer’s successor. So, how can she take him on?
Mohamad’s no stranger to challenging the odds. When she was 15, a high school speech she gave on Palestinian rights went viral, unleashing a wave of angry and hateful reactions that prompted her school to take the video down.
But the counterwave of support she received propelled her to become one of the most prominent activists speaking up for Gaza today - and the face of a grassroots political campaign to punish Labour for their support of Israel’s military actions.
This week on The Big Picture Podcast, we sit down with activist and political candidate Leanne Mohamad to talk about her Palestinian identity, how it’s shaped who she is today, and why she wants to be a new voice in parliament.
If she wins, it could prove that public anger over foreign policy can change politics, and more significantly, that the British Muslim voice is ready to be taken seriously.
Subscribe and listen on all podcast platforms: https://thebigpicture.buzzsprout.com/
That’s what Leanne Mohamad is determined to do, campaigning as an independent candidate in the safe Labour seat of Ilford North in the upcoming general elections.
It’s no small feat - she’s up against Wes Streeting, a senior party heavyweight and a man tapped by many as Keir Starmer’s successor. So, how can she take him on?
Mohamad’s no stranger to challenging the odds. When she was 15, a high school speech she gave on Palestinian rights went viral, unleashing a wave of angry and hateful reactions that prompted her school to take the video down.
But the counterwave of support she received propelled her to become one of the most prominent activists speaking up for Gaza today - and the face of a grassroots political campaign to punish Labour for their support of Israel’s military actions.
This week on The Big Picture Podcast, we sit down with activist and political candidate Leanne Mohamad to talk about her Palestinian identity, how it’s shaped who she is today, and why she wants to be a new voice in parliament.
If she wins, it could prove that public anger over foreign policy can change politics, and more significantly, that the British Muslim voice is ready to be taken seriously.
Subscribe and listen on all podcast platforms: https://thebigpicture.buzzsprout.com/
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