Members of Wrekin Stop War and Wrekin Anarchist Group collectives have just returned from a demo in central Birmingham in support of the Palestinian people under attack in Gaza. There were two hundred, perhaps three hundred, gathered in Victoria Square for the occasion. (Permission for a march to the site having been revoked because of last week’s alleged violence from so called ‘known perpetrators’!)

The demonstrators, mostly below 25-30 years of age, had a passion and longing to do something for their fellow human beings being subjected to collective punishment from the IDF under orders from their Fascist/Zionist (take your pick) masters that lead the regime in Israel.

However, the event had once again been hijacked by elements of the SWP with stewards of the event and other SWP mouthpieces advising that nothing would be done to cause the Police to have to intervene in what was to be a peaceful, legitimate protest. Even at the expense of emasculating any positive gains that could be made in allowing ordinary citizen protesters, many of whom it must showed little experience in acts of rebellion, a positive and rewarding way forward in the fight against our corrupt, patriarchal, hierarchical system. (Who gave these people authority to tell others how they should behave and hadn’t the police already intervened by penning protestors into Victoria Square and demanding the names and addresses of organisers?)

It is very dispiriting to attend these events at times, when ones hands are tied by elements that really should be revolutionary but in fact act as unpaid police for the police. In short, I find the SWP counter-revolutionary, a real obstacle to progress and an agent of the establishment.

My point is there are very many people angry at events that have taken place in Gaza and want to show support and solidarity with fellow beings in this and other distant parts of the world. Instead of using the opportunity to use their imagination and compassion, or attempt to do something fulfilling or rewarding to end the bloody murder, or even something that will result in positive empowerment, these people then find they are directed to follow a SWP party line that will not encourage independent thought outside of the party doctrine.

Could it be that this is how the SWP operates? There is plenty of precedent. The SWP jumps on this particular bandwagon, as it has with many others, to gain further members and then gets them to sell newspapers, putting a halt to any further progress within our society.

My observations and comments here are not intended to attack individual members of SWP, some of whom contribute interesting and valuable comments to this website. Despite this, it seems to me that the first brick wall is the State/Establishment, the second is the Media/Police and third the SWP (and latterly Respect et al). Genuine compassion and progress is done a disservice by these elements who would put party and dogma before the real and pressing issues that confront our society.