My Story by Pete Moser
Photo by David Stewart
PSC and me
I am musician - community musician, performer, educator and one man band. I am also an activist with a long history of interest in local and global political issues - inspired by socialist parents, radical friends, artistic collaborators and the communities in which I work.
My father was refugee arriving in the UK from Berlin in 1936 with his parents and brother. He was from a very liberal Jewish family which meant that religion played very little part in my life as I grew up - I don't feel Jewish at all and I have my own alternative spiritual beliefs. For many years I hosted and led the annual Holocaust Memorial Commemorations in Lancaster and, in some ways, made my connection to the pain of that Holocaust and also gained more understanding of the historic suffering of the Jewish race.
I went to Israel twice in my teens and then became aware of the injustice of the Israel/Palestine issue and decided not to return. I remember talking with my father about his continued involvement in educational and cultural organisations in Jerusalem. He knew that the situation was wrong and would say that he felt it was vital to support those who challenged the right wing and this was his reason for travelling there and working. He was devastated by the death of Rabin in 1995.
Meanwhile my political interests grew in many directions - but my activism was not towards the Palestine issue - it went many other ways. That changed in October last year.
Suddenly the crisis in the region became a driving issue for me - it took a little while for me to join the local Solidarity community which had taken to the streets very quickly. I started to take a drum to marches, rewrote a song of two and performed them at rallies and refocussed my vinyl graffiti. My wife Kathryn was continually feeding me information and stories from her digital explorations that kept me very focussed. I find it very hard to read much, I spot headlines and get a feel for stories rather than looking for the details.
9 months later I regularly lead the Saturday rallies in Market Square in Lancaster where we have gathered a wonderful, quite anarchic, group of people who take it turns to lead, speak, organise. This includes members of our local Palestinian community whose direct connection to families and communities Gaza is important to me. I find coming together with this whole community helps me in many ways - a feeling of solidarity, a focus for raising funds and a sense that I am doing something - in a small way.
I have written and collected a set of interactive protest songs and sing these along with poems and songs from other people, whose writing and performing I always find very inspiring.
For many years I have experimented with different forms of graffiti across the district. My current joy is in placing slogans created with multi coloured vinyl in bus shelters, shop windows and on the newly named Peace Bridge.
And now - I am confused.
Desperate for change and for peace in the region and feeling more powerless than ever. Challenged by conversations and with no real long term solutions in my head. I believe now that the only solution will be when everyone is the region understand that we are all equal. And in the meantime all I can do is call for Peace.