Thread by @dgurdasani1

The success of movements and their reach often depends on solidarity between these leading to advocacy on multiple related fronts. Health equality, disability advocacy, decolonialism, anti-racism, feminism, trans rights, climate justice, health & social equality, are connected🧵

Not all movement leaders see these connections. From my experience, it's often the least privileged groups, and/or groups with an understanding of systemic power structures (often because they are subject to systemic violence themselves) who understand these connections better.

I often see solidarity missing from movements like the COVID cautious movement, and even some advocating for long COVID. Often people with ME/CFS or other chronic illness, or disability are excluded, despite similarities and the v. long history of systemic violence against them.

Many who seem to advocate for caution to protect children in the context of COVID-19 don't seem to see the connections with the public health crisis in Gaza, largely impacting children. They don't seem to value people's lives in other contexts beyond their own privileged bubbles

Similarly health equality for disabled people is also closely linked with racial health equality. Not only is it linked, this is intersectional in nature, with the impact of one amplifying the impact of another.

Disappointingly many movements started with intentions to protect one group have not been able to see the oppression and injustice affecting other groups, and how these are connected. The COVID cautious movement has had a problem here.

While there are some who see the connections, and advocate across many fronts, many simply don't. They have an isolated view of this being one instance where capitalist interests have superseded public health. This is an inaccurate and narrow view & does many people an injustice

Those who have been fighting fights on several fronts for decades know this. That systemic violence against people to serve the interests of capitalism, the interests of western imperialism is not something new. It's in fact very very old.

If the COVID-19 pandemic was the first time you felt let down by govts, or institutionally betrayed, you are among the privileged. There are people who have lived with daily systemic violence and institutional betrayals directed at them for decades.

Ask any black person living in the UK or US. Ask any disabled person trying to access care, or support. Ask whistleblowers. Ask people living under severe oppression and apartheid under colonial violence. Ask morally injured and betrayed health and care workers.

There are advocacy groups who have been fighting these fights for decades. There is nothing new about the systemic violence against people we've seen during this pandemic. Ask those involved in climate justice movements, or anti-tobacco industry movts.

That's why solidarity is important. To learn about the structural violence that exists and has always existed in our societies (that our cultural hegemony often makes it hard to see). Don't just care when it affects you, when it's affected so many for decades.

If you were subject to trauma or systemic violence that has now made this visible to you, please understand that this existed even before you could see it. To truly understand it, you must see those who have been subject to it before you, and understand their struggles too.

Solidarity is vital to change, but also to acknowledging the world we live in, and seeing everyone's struggles, not only ours. And not having to experience a trauma ourselves to advocate for groups we don't (yet) belong to. Caring enough to advocate for change for everyone.

It's not a zero sum game. It's not about 'not letting x or y distract from z', but rather fighting for x, y and z. Public health cannot exist with capitalism and climate injustice. Anti-colonialism and anti-racism is antithetical to capitalism. We need to see the bigger picture.