REPORT OF M&S PICKET (27/11/03)

I’m going to be honest with you all - tonight’s picket of Marks and Spencer (Oxford St, Marble Arch end) was not as fruitful as we had hoped for. Numbers were down slightly on previous weeks, partly because of the cold weather and partly because of an event marking Tom Hurndall’s Birthday (Tom of course was brutally shot by the Israeli army while helping children who were being shot at) which many people went to.

However, it was disappointing not to have more people - even when these factors were taken into account, especially so considering a camera crew
came along to do a documentary for Channel 4. Still, maybe I am being too self-critical, for even a bad picket of Marks and Spencer was still pretty good compared to a lot of lifeless ‘pickets’ which are taking place (or not!) nowadays. Speeches on the open megaphone were good, as were the chants. For the first time in a long period too there was music and singing being played which kept everyone warm and light-hearted in the cold and dark, as well as a good bit of theatre involving Bush and Blair.

The Christmas lights of Oxford St were now up, along with the hideous huge Christmas lights scaling up the side of Marks and Spencer. These were good in establishing the whole Christmas theme and relating that to what is exactly going on in Christ’s birthplace - Bethlehem - curfew and brutal occupation.

The Zionists were at it again with their usual racist vitriol and they had mobilised their youth wing so now there were teenage mindless voices about suicide bombings and ‘terrorists’…and err suicide bombings and ‘terrorists’ for that is there level and all they can bark about. Yet there was an even darker side to the picket this Thursday than the usual mindless taunts. One of our younger supporters (still in school) was stopped and threatened down a side ally to Oxford St by two middle-aged Zionist demonstrators. They stated - ‘you’re with them Arabs aren’t you? We’re going to fuck you up and cut you up. We know where you live,’ and other similar stuff. Senseless threats most likely this time, but we know that Betar, the main extreme Zionist group on the demonstration, was responsible for attacks on Palestinian supporters in Paris last year. So we take such incidents seriously.

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Maybe this is too serious for some of you, the reader to handle. Real politics in the street, confronting British fascists and Zionists. Revolution, intifada, struggle - these are not just in our heads - but are being made.
Not really the cup of tea that people joining the nice respectable left/solidarity groups really want to get involved in. Too confrontational…
almost too…well…real. A nice speech in a warm room by Mr Galloway is unfortunately the ongoing reality of ‘struggle’ in this country at present, not actual…you know…stuff on the street. Action.

But this is the reality of building a movement in support of Palestine. What side of the fence are you on? Some sectarians would say that these pickets of M&S only exist because FRFI want to recruit a load of people. The truth is, whether you haven’t even the slightest intention of joining FRFI/RCG we still want people to come. Communists, socialists, anarchists, Muslims, Jews, Christians, all humanitarians and democrats - whatever label (or not) you’d give yourselves - come! Bring your own papers, your own leaflets and if you have none of these then just bring your own voices. Why?

This time there was as many fascists as there were us. On our street. The brutality in Palestine is continuing and the Zionists are mobilising here. Our we going to mobilise to? Are we all going to come out for the next picket? There’s lots of words of support going around but little action. These demonstrations are the only continuous events in support of Palestine, focused on the biggest British sponsor of Israel, nationwide and week after week for 3 long years without a break.

Your help is essential. Are we going to let the fascists win? Or will we? The power is in our hands. M&S, the Zionists, the state, they want us to be afraid - that is why they threaten us. But there is no need to be afraid, they are out on the streets because THEY are scared, there was hardly any such thing as a Palestinian solidarity movement in this country before the intifada, that is why Zionists are on our street.

Besides, what we have to go through is not much - 2 hours a week. The Palestinians and Iraqis and all those fighting around the world against oppression are the real heroes facing the real heat. The strength of Simon Chapman and the Thessaloniki 7 (see www.wombles.org for more info) who have just been victorious with real risks to their lives against the brutality of the Greek police is an example to all of us that when we do stand up and fight we can win, despite the threats that are held against us by cowards. United we are strong. Divided we are weak. Next picket of Marks and Spencer is next Thursday 6 till 8pm. Let’s make ourselves heard. Victory to the Intifada!