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Carmel Agrexco blockaded again

Abu Assad | 06.11.2009 10:05 | Palestine

On Friday, 6th November, pro-Palestinian activists carried out a blockade at Carmel Agrexco’s depot in Hayes, Middlesex. The activists D-locked themselves to cages constructed with temporary fencing and positioned themselves to block the two access roads to the depot.

At about 6 o'clock this morning a group of London students and international activists, including members of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), blocked the two gates leading to the depot. The activists seek to raise awareness of the UK’s continued role in the purchase of goods produced in Israel’s illegal settlements in the West Bank as well as Carmel Agrexco’s role in the sustenance of Israel’s illegal expansionist activities in Palestine.

The blockaders have urged companies dependent on Carmel Agrexco’s supplies, and therefore inconvenienced by this and previous blockades, to seek out new suppliers and, in so doing, show that Carmel Agrexco’s continued support for Israel’s aggression in Palestine will not be allowed to continue.

Abu Assad

Additions

Update at 12:30

06.11.2009 12:56

At 12.30 the blockade was still going strong, with both gates completely blocked, preventing vehicles from entering or leaving the premises.

Police have told protestors that they might be 'obstructing the highway' or committing trespass. When asked if they meant aggravated trespass, the police said no. This means that the offence would be civil, rather than criminal. At the original Agrexco trial in 2006, evidence established that there was no public highway at the positions where the blockades have been set up.

Campaigners maintain that Agrexco's trade in settlement produce is not lawful activity. Gaza continues to be subject to an inhumane blockade.

mole


Photographs

06.11.2009 18:08






Photographs of today's Carmel Agrexco Action

Photo-er


Up Date on the day

06.11.2009 20:44

The blockade finally ended having started at 6.15am it went on till 2:30pm for a total of 8 hours.

Part way through the demonstration, Carmel workers managed to find a space through which they could manoeuvre forklift trucks, they managed to load one waiting lorry with goods, despite activists attempting to blockade this by standing in front of them and Carmel workers being very keen to ram those present. Acknowledging this option, the blockaders managed a feat of ingenuity and re-positioned the fencing to blockade the whole of the access gate these preventing any further efforts by the workers to get produce through to waiting vehicles.

In response to the shift in positioning, Carmel closed the external gates trapping both blockaders and supporters inside Carmel property. Supporters were finally let out, however the blockaders were trapped inside. Despite the calmness in those present for all of the morning, Agrexco workers became aggressive both physically and verbally with both those blockading and those supporting. Police present did little to stem the aggression with Agrexco workers attempting to intimidate the blockaders and continued to verbally threaten supporters claiming they were going to "Fuck you over".

Pressure was mounting in a situation where activists were put at considerable risk of harm whereby those blockading were trapped inside the Agrexco gates and supporters were not able to directly access them.

After some time of tense standoff, blockaders were finally released at 2:30pm.
The blockade was a success with the site being closed for over eight hours. The police made no arrests however made several warnings that all those present would be arrested under Section 14 of the Public Order Act based upon the claim that the police officer believed that those present were intimidating people by preventing Carmel employees from conducting their business.

R


Comments

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brilliant

06.11.2009 19:20

you cant obstruct the highway if its a private road which it is

you cant be arrested for the civil tort of 'trespass' without a court first issuing an order giving notice and it would have to be agrexco who went to court not the police.

well done all

*


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funny

06.11.2009 19:27

Funny how we never see any photos of Palestinians starving to death, yet the news is full of ships loaded to the gunwales with weapons being sent into the region from, er... Iran. Which as we all know only wants peace...

If you want to see what the results of a real economic disaster are you would do worse than to look at Africa, a whole continent colonized and screwed over by capitalists. But then that might make you feel bad wouldn't it?

Far better to rant and rave about a crummy little dust up in the middle east, then you can feel like alll the evil in the world is OUT THERE, in Israel, and not IN HERE, in every phone and computer on the planet made with minerals stolen from Africa. Doesn't do your self esteem any good to think that you might be the baddies does it?

oddmetn


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IMC UK is an interactive site offering inclusive participation. All postings to the open publishing newswire are the responsibility of the individual authors and not of IMC UK. Although IMC UK volunteers attempt to ensure accuracy of the newswire, they take no responsibility legal or otherwise for the contents of the open publishing site. Mention of external web sites or services is for information purposes only and constitutes neither an endorsement nor a recommendation.

funny little dust up

06.11.2009 20:51

white phosphorous raining down on gazan children, burning through their flesh

 http://aftermathnews.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/gaza_phosphorus_bomb.jpg

Most of Africa and Palestine are both fucked situations, why should we compare which is worse? The Israeli occupation of Palestine is a funny little dust up? You are either a sick individual or an employee of the israeli embassy.

free palestine


not funny

06.11.2009 22:17

the reason why so many criticise israel is because it receives obscene amounts of totally ill-deserved support from the great bully of the world. so just how much aid? the us gives more aid to that shitty little arsehole-of-the-world country than it gives to the entire continent of africa.

sid


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IMC UK is an interactive site offering inclusive participation. All postings to the open publishing newswire are the responsibility of the individual authors and not of IMC UK. Although IMC UK volunteers attempt to ensure accuracy of the newswire, they take no responsibility legal or otherwise for the contents of the open publishing site. Mention of external web sites or services is for information purposes only and constitutes neither an endorsement nor a recommendation.

sily

07.11.2009 13:54

you cant obstruct the highway if its a private road which it is
you cant be arrested for the civil tort of 'trespass' without a court first issuing an order giving notice and it would have to be agrexco who went to court not the police

I think you are being a bit pedantic
All they need to do is spray them with cold water and wait on the cold temperatures to get them to shift. THats what i'd do anyway

oip


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