Sheffield: Row over "No To IDF No To Hamas" Placard
Chris | 18.01.2009 00:15 | Analysis | Anti-racism | Palestine | Sheffield | World
The Chair of the Sheffield Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Musheir, is from Gaza, last year he visited Gaza [3] and last night at a benefit in the Sheffield Library Theater he reported that, within the last few days two 13 year old cousins of his, who live in Gaza, went out after dark to play with their bike and were attacked by an Apache gunship, one of them is dead and the other in intensive care (I might have got some details slightly wrong).
Supporters of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) supported the removal of the placard, supporters of the Anarchist Federation (AF) [4] opposed it.
The AWL are essentially left-wing apologists for western imperialism, they have opposed the slogan "Troops Out Now" in relation to the occupation of Iraq. Sean Matgamna, one of their founders, has written [5] that "the politics of the [Gaza] demonstrations have been provided by the Islamic chauvinists... the big demonstration on 10 January in London was an Arab or Islamic chauvinist, or even a clerical-fascist, demonstration... The clerical fascists have politically hegemonised the demonstrations to an astonishing degree. These have not been peace demonstration, but pro-war, and war-mongering, demonstrations - for Hamas's war, and for a general Arab war on Israel." He goes on to say that "The Muslim communities are part of a world-wide movement which includes states and some of the richest people on earth (in Saudi Arabia, etc.) This world-wide movement is, in political terms, very reactionary... The serious left has to find ways of supporting the Muslim communities against racism, discrimination, and social exclusion, without accommodating politically or socially to their reactionary traits".
Other photos from the protest today can be found here:
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/sheffield/2009/01/418895.html [1]
http://www.workersliberty.org/ [2]
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/images/2009/01/417785.jpg http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/sheffield/2009/01/417749.html [3] Before setting off, Musheir gave an interview telling what the break the siege campaign means to him, what he feels are the possible outcomes and comparing Gaza as a child and now. You can listen to a the tracks here: what it means to me
http://www.sheffieldpsc.org.uk/break_the_seige/what_break_the_seige_means_to_me.mp3 , the three outcomes http://www.sheffieldpsc.org.uk/break_the_seige/three_possible_outcomes.mp3 , Gaza then and now http://www.sheffieldpsc.org.uk/break_the_seige/gaza_as_a_child_and_now.mp3 [4] See the statement from the Sheffield Anarchist Federation, Support the workers of Gaza against ALL their enemies!
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/sheffield/2009/01/417508.html [5] The Reactionary Right Wing Politics of the Gaza Demonstrations
http://www.workersliberty.org/story/2009/01/15/politics-demonstrations-against-israels-offensive-gaza
Chris
Homepage:
http://www.sheffieldpsc.org.uk/
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