Author: Nicky Böhm
Across Glasgow and London, Europe, and the world, community radio stations are rebroadcasting the meaning of solidarity—not only as a slogan, but as an act of resistance. In the wake of the genocide in Palestine, stations like Radio Buena Vida and Sister Midnight FM are using airwaves to amplify voices silenced elsewhere, countering censorship with compassion and collective action. Through music, dialogue, and live storytelling, they remind listeners that resistance is fought on the streets and beyond in keeping Palestinian voices spoken, sung, and transmitted, one broadcast at a time.
Inside RBV 2024 – © Suz O’Neill & David Fleming
The word solidarity gets banded about a lot, but what does it actually mean in practice? Mohammed El-Kurd argues that to be in solidarity with someone, you must also be in resistance with them. Fred Moten reminds us that we all need to understand that “this shit is killing you, too, however much more softly.”
Radio has long been used both as a tool for state propaganda and as a grassroots platform for movements to circumnavigate censorship to connect, organise, resist, and mobilise. I spoke with Radio Buena Vida in Glasgow and Sister Midnight FM in London about how they’re keeping that radical broadcasting tradition alive in the fight for a free Palestine.
Nicky Böhm: What motivated you to publicly show solidarity with Palestine, and how has that decision aligned with your values as a community radio station?
Radio Buena Vida: We were simply motivated to show public solidarity with Palestine from seeing the horrific images of death, injury, and destruction, perpetrated by Israel as they first appeared to be administering collective punishment upon Palestinians before it became obvious that genocide of Palestinians was their aim, all backed up and supported by ‘The West’. It was a purely human response based on the obvious injustices we were seeing live streamed over social media, horror of the likes never seen before. You began to see what has been happening for years and what was now happening in Gaza and in the West Bank as a mirror being held up to the world. It showed, even to the most cynical of people, the mask of ‘The West’ as the moral compass of the world had well and truly been ripped off. We knew we needed to use our platform to help amplify Palestinian voices, to speak out against the atrocities and to alert others to what was going on.
The decision to publicly show solidarity aligns with our values as a community radio station. Our station is as shaped by politics and the society we live in as much as it is by music and culture. We exist to reject the politics that threatens to divide us. We actively created the station to be a place where people from all backgrounds, races, genders, sexualities, beliefs, and struggles were welcomed under one roof as a family and treated with respect as equals. We strongly oppose the sort of politics, brainwashing, misinformation, and hatred that we’ve seen in our societies and that Israel and ‘The West’ have used to enable these abhorrent war crimes to continue.
Sister Midnight FM: At the heart of Sister Midnight FM are anti-apartheid and anti-imperialist values. Given the ongoing genocide, we believe it’s essential to use our platform to elevate marginalised voices and speak truth to power. Radio has always served as a powerful tool for education, cultural resistance, and meaningful listening—and we see art itself as inherently political. We’re committed to reflecting and amplifying the issues that matter to our community, and this solidarity is a direct expression of the values that have shaped our organisation from the beginning.
Sister Midnight FM Air Takeovers 25 – © Gaby D’Annunzio
Can you tell us about specific shows, events, or collaborations you’ve hosted that have centred Palestinian voices, culture, or struggles?
Radio Buena Vida: To date, we have hosted 22 shows, totalling over 41 hours of content centred on Palestinian voices, culture, music, struggles, and resistance. 2 of these shows were 12 hour long episodes from Learning Palestine in conjunction with Radio Alhara which are made up of incredibly informative audio from interviews with politicians, scholars, writers, activists about the history of the Palestine/Israel conflict from the 1940’s to the present day plus music and other cultural clips and segments giving insight, context, humanity, and understanding to the people and their fight.
We have also had 4 incredible live shows from a local Palestinian who was initially only a customer in our cafe. When the genocide in Gaza started, we saw he was distressed and the idea came to us to offer a platform if he felt he had anything to say, knowing that we would not whitewash or censor him as he would be on most other radio, tv, or media outlets. He went away to think about our invite and has now hosted 4 incredibly powerful shows called We Will Not Be Silent: Voices, Stories & Music of Palestinian Resistance where among playing music from Palestinian artists and snippets of interviews and archival content, he includes voice notes from conversations between himself and friends, family and contacts back in various areas of Palestine to hear direct from them their experiences and truths as to what is happening.
Sister Midnight FM: Our most recent event was on July 31st, 2024—a fundraiser at Sands Films Music Room in support of the European Legal Support Centre. The event featured a performance by Saied Silbak, a Palestinian composer and oud player from Shafaa`mr, a city in the Lower Galilee of occupied Palestine. We’ve also hosted events to raise funds for Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) and Workers for a Free Palestine. Back in 2019, when we operated our record shop in Deptford, we organised an event for Israeli Apartheid Week that included music, dabke dancing, and spoken word. Supporting Palestinian liberation has always been central to our community’s principles, and we remain committed to using both our venue and radio platform to create space for that work.
What has the response been like from your local community and listeners regarding your stance on Palestine? Have you faced any challenges or felt generally supported?
Radio Buena Vida: We feel very lucky that the response has been overwhelmingly positive from our community and listeners and we feel very supported for our stance. We have had no negative comments or situations so far and all resident DJs/presenters and guests are happy with the Palestine flag we have in the booth which is visible behind them on the live stream. Our radio/cafe is in an area rich with people from many different backgrounds, a large proportion appearing to be very progressive and socially & politically aware.
Sister Midnight FM: The response from our community has been extremely supportive. The main pushback we’ve faced has come from certain authorities attempting to censor language or imagery used in our posters and materials intimidation tactics we anticipate will continue. Still, we remain unwavering in our stance and will continue standing in solidarity with those fighting for a free Palestine.
Workshop participants post-debut radio show, RBV 2024 – © Suz O’Neill & David Fleming
How do you approach ethical broadcasting in times of political crisis, especially when covering issues that may be polarising or that might negatively impact funding opportunities?
Radio Buena Vida: In all honesty, we just went for it. We saw mainstream news outlets doing the usual one-sided propaganda, omitting the truth and the scenes many of us around the world were witnessing, hoping to continue to fool others into seeing all Palestinians as sub-human and/or terrorists, so we felt it was essential to do what we could as fast as we could to counter this as well as giving people the outlet to express their frustrations. Telling the truth and covering the news as it happens is what the mainstream should do, but they don’t.
Sister Midnight FM: We believe there is nothing more important right now than using our platform to educate and amplify the voices of Palestinians resisting on the ground. For our community, genocide is not a polarising issue. Our approach is clear: we will continue to raise funds, broadcast stories, and create space for oppressed voices. No amount of funding is worth compromising our ability to speak freely on issues that are central to our mission, Palestinian liberation included.
What advice would you give to other grassroots or community radio stations wanting to act in solidarity with Palestine but unsure where to start?
Radio Buena Vida: We would advise other grassroots or community radio stations to look into how best to support charities and/or individuals through donations as a start. Hold community incentives such as record fairs which would also bring people physically together as well as raising funds for charities/individuals. Reach out to and look to platform and amplify Palestinian voices in their community instead of (only) speaking on their behalf. We’d also advise them to endorse PACBI and align with the BDS movement to remove products or services from companies and brands who contribute to apartheid and operate on the illegally occupied settlements. Stay informed, keep fighting for what's right.
Sister Midnight FM: If your station has the capacity, we believe it’s vital to act now. Start by listening to Palestinian voices—tune into platforms like Radio Alhara, engage with the work already being done, and take time to research the context. Solidarity requires courage, so be informed, be vocal, and stand firm.
Sister Midnight FM Air Takeovers 25 — © Gaby D’Annunzio
In amplifying Palestinian voices and weaving them into the everyday soundscape of their communities, these stations show that solidarity can take many forms. With its grassroots ethics and independent spirit, community radio plays a pivotal role in broadcasting conversations in real time: conversations that become an archive of collective memory and shared struggle against erasure. Listeners are not only bearing witness but also joining an intersectional network of resistance that transcends state control and national borders: a cross-movement struggle that recognises Palestine’s fight for freedom and self-determination as inseparable from our own, and from all interconnected liberation movements.
Published on November 11th, 2025
About the author:
Nicky Böhm is a Berlin-based culture worker specialising in interdisciplinary, community-driven, and socially engaged storytelling formats.