In Every Cry

Mind-Forg’d Manacles: Conscience on Trial in Britain

In every cry of every man,
In every infant’s cry of fear,
In every voice, in every ban,
The mind-forg’d manacles I hear.

— William Blake, London

These lines from Blake’s London are just as relevant today as they were in his time. Innocent men, women, and children are being massacred — with the tacit or explicit approval of our government. Women protesting the inhumane starvation and killing of women and children in Gaza are being arrested in London, while our leaders continue to support and defend what can only be described as genocide.

“In every ban, the mind-forged manacles I hear.”

The most recent such ban is that of Palestine Action — a movement aimed at disrupting the manufacture and supply of weapons used to bomb, burn, and destroy civilians simply trying to survive in their own homeland. These activists, driven by conscience, are willing to risk their freedom, health, and livelihoods to defend the most vulnerable. What an injustice. What a stain on humanity. What a disgraceful legacy for the so-called “civilised” West.

Blake recognised that the people of industrial London were crushed under invisible chains — undernourished, impoverished, and powerless, forced to obey or face starvation, the streets, or the workhouse. Today, our oppression is shaped by a technological age rather than an industrial one — but the manacles remain.

Now, if we speak out, we risk being cancelled, shut down, silenced, or imprisoned.

So it goes for the women who have dared to take action against the criminal activities of our government. They do not have the privilege of writing — or rewriting — the law to protect themselves. In this latest ban on Palestine Action, we witness the forging of yet another “mind-forged manacle.”

The message is clear: in Britain today, to have a conscience is no longer a right of the people — it is a privilege reserved for the elite.