135. Standing Up in Dunedin

for peace, justice, human rights, and dignity for Palestinians

Resist, my rebellious people.
Write me as prose on the agarwood;
My remains have you as a response.
Resist, my people, resist them.
Resist, my people, resist them

—from Resist, My People, Resist Them by Dareen Tatour
(translated into English by Tariq al Haydar)

In 2018, Palestinian poet Dareen Tatour was sentenced by an Israeli court to five months in prison for posting this poem on social media. She had already spent nearly three years under house arrest before the sentencing. You can read the complete text on the CODEPINK website.

Those of us unlikely to suffer severe consequences for speaking up against Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza have a moral responsibility to do so. These photographs, taken on 15 November 2025, celebrate some of the many people who are standing up for Palestinians here in Dunedin, New Zealand.

The focus of this rally was on the global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Inspired by the campaign to end apartheid in South Africa, the BDS Aotearoa campaign “adopts a rights-based and non-violent approach to pressure the Israeli state to comply with international law and respect the rights of Palestinians.”

History will not thank us for waiting until the ashes cooled before we stood and yelled “FIRE!” in what was once a crowded theatre.

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135a. Rally for Palestine, The Octagon, Ōtepoti Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand, Sat. 15 Nov. 2025 (Photo by Mark McGuire), Camera: Sony A7iii, Lens: Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 Di III VXD, Settings: 1/250, F/5.6, 113mm, ISO 500

135b. Rally for Palestine, The Octagon, Ōtepoti Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand, Sat. 15 Nov. 2025 (Photo by Mark McGuire), Camera: Sony A7iii, Lens: Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 Di III VXD, Settings: 1/250, F/7.1, 50mm, ISO 125

135c. Rally for Palestine, The Octagon, Ōtepoti Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand, Sat. 15 Nov. 2025 (Photo by Mark McGuire), Camera: Sony A7iii, Lens: Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 Di III VXD, Settings: 1/400, F/5.6, 126mm, ISO 320

135d. Rally for Palestine, The Octagon, Ōtepoti Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand, Sat. 15 Nov. 2025 (Photo by Mark McGuire), Camera: Sony A7iii, Lens: Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 Di III VXD, Settings: 1/200, F/7.1, 123mm, ISO 160

135e. Rally for Palestine, The Octagon, Ōtepoti Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand, Sat. 15 Nov. 2025 (Photo by Mark McGuire), Camera: Sony A7iii, Lens: Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 Di III VXD, Settings: 1/200, F/6.3, 150mm, ISO 200

135f. Rally for Palestine, The Octagon, Ōtepoti Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand, Sat. 15 Nov. 2025 (Photo by Mark McGuire), Camera: Sony A7iii, Lens: Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 Di III VXD, Settings: 1/400, F/6.3, 150mm, ISO 200

135g. Rally for Palestine, The Octagon, Ōtepoti Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand, Sat. 15 Nov. 2025 (Photo by Mark McGuire), Camera: Sony A7iii, Lens: Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 Di III VXD, Settings: 1/200, F/6.3, 150mm, ISO 100

135h. Rally for Palestine, The Octagon, Ōtepoti Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand, Sat. 15 Nov. 2025 (Photo by Mark McGuire), Camera: Sony A7iii, Lens: Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 Di III VXD, Settings: 1/200, F/6.3, 132mm, ISO 400

135i. Rally for Palestine, The Octagon, Ōtepoti Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand, Sat. 15 Nov. 2025 (Photo by Mark McGuire), Camera: Sony A7iii, Lens: Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 Di III VXD, Settings: 1/125, F/6.3, 126mm, ISO 1,250

135j. Rally for Palestine, The Octagon, Ōtepoti Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand, Sat. 15 Nov. 2025 (Photo by Mark McGuire), Camera: Sony A7iii, Lens: Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 Di III VXD, Settings: 1/320, F/6.3, 95mm, ISO 320

135k. Rally for Palestine, The Octagon, Ōtepoti Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand, Sat. 15 Nov. 2025 (Photo by Mark McGuire), Camera: Sony A7iii, Lens: Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 Di III VXD, Settings: 1/250, F/5.6, 129mm, ISO 800

135l. Rally for Palestine, The Octagon, Ōtepoti Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand, Sat. 15 Nov. 2025 (Photo by Mark McGuire), Camera: Sony A7iii, Lens: Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 Di III VXD, Settings: 1/125, F/6.3, 110mm, ISO 800

135m. Rally for Palestine, The Octagon, Ōtepoti Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand, Sat. 15 Nov. 2025 (Photo by Mark McGuire), Camera: Sony A7iii, Lens: Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 Di III VXD, Settings: 1/125, F/7.1, 43mm, ISO 1,250

135n. Rally for Palestine, The Octagon, Ōtepoti Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand, Sat. 15 Nov. 2025 (Photo by Mark McGuire), Camera: Sony A7iii, Lens: Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 Di III VXD, Settings: 1/125, F/7.1, 42mm, ISO 160

135o. Rally for Palestine, The Octagon, Ōtepoti Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand, Sat. 15 Nov. 2025 (Photo by Mark McGuire), Camera: Sony A7iii, Lens: Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 Di III VXD, Settings: 1/125, F/6.3, 43mm, ISO 200

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You can see 75 photos that I took at this event here.

What do you think?

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Visit my website

I have a website with several galleries of photos organised by location, topic, or theme. You can check it out at markmcguire.net.

Ngā mihi, mā te wā.