Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has made a passionate plea for humanity and peace, delivering a moving speech about Gaza while accepting an honorary degree — and it’s already won praise from Jeremy Corbyn.
🕊️ Guardiola: “It hurts all my body”
Speaking at Whitworth Hall after receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester, Guardiola used his platform to address the devastation in Gaza.
“It’s so painful what we see in Gaza,” he told the crowd. “It hurts all my body.”
Guardiola said the suffering of children, the destruction of hospitals, and the sense of helplessness had weighed heavily on him since the war began.
“We might say it’s not our business,” he warned, “but be careful — the next ones could be ours.”
The City manager — who was introduced by University of Manchester chancellor Nazir Afzal — stressed that his message was not political, but human.
He ended with a parable of a small bird trying to fight a forest fire with drops of water in its beak — knowing it couldn’t win, but refusing to do nothing.
“In a world that tells us we are too small to make a difference, that story reminds me the power of one is not about scale — it’s about choice,” he said.
✊ Corbyn: “Silence is not an option”
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn quickly shared the video of Guardiola’s speech, thanking him for “speaking up for the people of Gaza”.
“In the face of genocide, silence is not an option,” Corbyn wrote on X. “Well done to all those who are using their platform to defend our shared humanity.”
Guardiola also used his speech to call for peace in other conflict zones, including Ukraine, Sudan and the Congo.
The clip has been widely shared on social media, with many applauding Guardiola for using his influence to speak up where others stay silent.
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Related: Israeli gunfire kills 31 near Gaza aid site, medics say
