Skip to content or view screen version

Israel, the Palestinians and Apartheid: The Case for Sanctions and Boycott

inminds | 11.12.2009 02:59 | Anti-racism | Palestine | Social Struggles

Full video, photos, mp3s and report of BRICUP conference held at SOAS on 4th Dec 2009

Omar Barghouti (PACBI)
Omar Barghouti (PACBI)

Bongani Masuku (COSATU)
Bongani Masuku (COSATU)

Ronnie Kasrils (ANC)
Ronnie Kasrils (ANC)


On 4th December 2009, the British Committee for the Universities of Palestine (BRICUP) and SOAS Palestine Society organised a public meeting putting forward the case for sanctions and boycott of Israel.

Amongst the speakers were several from the South African struggle against apartheid including Ronnie Kasrils - former minister in Nelson Mandela’s ANC government and Bongani Masuku - International Secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU).

Other speakers included Omar Barghouti from the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), Steven Rose of BRICUP, Yasmin Khan from War on Want, and Tarek Mustafa from Egypt's first independent trade union.

The speeches, lasting 80mins, were followed by a lively 50mins of question and answer session. To view full video continuously and see report on the event with photos and mp3 podcast please visit

 http://www.inminds.co.uk/case4boycott.4dec09.php

inminds
- Homepage: http://www.inminds.co.uk/case4boycott.4dec09.php

Comments

Hide 6 hidden comments or hide all comments

Hidden Comment

This posting has been hidden because it breaches the Indymedia UK (IMC UK) Editorial Guidelines.

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.

Oh the irony!

11.12.2009 09:09

Oh the irony, a website like Indymedia which is usually full of anti-racist and anti-fascist news postings jumping on the anti-Israel bandwagon to appease the racists and fascists in the anti-Israel movement.

Have any of you ever been to Israel? Do you not know that it is a multi-racial society where around 20 per cent of the population are none Jewish ethnic minorities. Hardly a zionist state as you claim.

real anti-fascist

To be clear

11.12.2009 16:12

that's the same Masuku that the South Africa Human Rights Commission found guilty of incitement to violence over his anti-Semitic outbursts?


 http://www.news24.com/Content/SouthAfrica/News/1059/9f44f63f570d4f719938d49e3c2b3942/04-12-2009-06-06/Masuku_guilty_of_hate_speech

Masuku guilty of hate speech

Inciting violence

The SAHRC found that these remarks in the context of the "tense" Wits meeting were an incitement to violence.

"By Mr Masuku making those remarks, he surely intended to incite violence and hatred that was already potentially imminent amongst these two groups."

To be clear

Hidden Comment

This posting has been hidden because it breaches the Indymedia UK (IMC UK) Editorial Guidelines.

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.

the question is

11.12.2009 20:32

Why is BRICUP paying to have hate speakers come to the UK? Is it another case of 'hating Jews is okay as long as you hate zionists too'?

what's up bricup

Hidden Comment

This posting has been hidden because it breaches the Indymedia UK (IMC UK) Editorial Guidelines.

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.

that's a question which deserves an answer

12.12.2009 01:23

Could someone from BRICUP explain why they're sponsoring talks by racists?

question

witch hunt

12.12.2009 06:58

Another example of zionist witch hunt branding all opposition to Israel as 'hate speech'.

Quoting the article the link points to:

The next speaker was Bongani Masuku, the International Secretary of Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU). Bongani Masuku is a vocal defender of Palestinian rights and a fighter against Israeli apartheid, this has earned him the wrath of the zionist lobby in South Africa headed by the South African Jewish Boards of Deputies (SAJBD).

SAJBD has a history of colluding with apartheid in South Africa. From its inception right up to 1985[1] SAJBD basked in the privileges that were afforded to white people whilst staying silent at the suffering of black people - apparently it wasn't a Jewish issue[1]. Only when it was obvious change was unstoppable, that the oppressed could no longer be contained under the apartheid boot that it became a 'Jewish issue' and SAJBD jumped ship and issued a rebuke of apartheid in 1985!

So its rather sad to see the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) succumbing to pressure by SAJBD, an organisation that has no regard for human rights, in to issuing a ruling against Bongani Masuku for 'hate speech' in his condemnation of South African citizens serving in the IDF and (at the time) committing war crimes in Gaza. The fact that the ruling was issued the day before this speaking tour of the UK and the fact that SAJBD's UK zionist-lobby counter-part the Board of Deputies for British Jews were ready with a copy of the ruling (which hasn't even been publish by SAHRC on its website yet) to heckle and silence any discussion on the boycott of Israel (see QA session) speaks volumes.

And this is not the first time the zionists have tried to use the South African Human Rights Commission to silence criticism of Israel - after Israels slaughter in Lebanon they tried to censor Ronnie Kasrils for 'hate speech' for his condemnation of Israeli crimes in Lebanon with the words
"..we must call baby killers “baby killers” and declare that those using methods reminiscent of the Nazis be told that they are behaving like Nazis.."

That time the SAHRC didn't buckle under zionist pressure and rejected their claim that Ronnie Kasrils by his statement was denying the holocaust.


COSATU's response:

 http://www.cosatu.org.za/show.php?include=docs/pr/2009/pr1207a.html

sensible

Hidden Comment

This posting has been hidden because it breaches the Indymedia UK (IMC UK) Editorial Guidelines.

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.

not at all sensible bit from 'sensible'

12.12.2009 17:43

The usual double standard. When it's Jews being attacked racially through well-documented hate speech, then Jews are supposed to simply shut up and take it, or else they're accused of 'witch hunts'.

And so the far left of the UK continues to enable the creeping of anti-Semitism into mainstream discourse.

What crap

Hidden Comment

This posting has been hidden because it breaches the Indymedia UK (IMC UK) Editorial Guidelines.

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.

yes witch hunt!

12.12.2009 18:18

What exactly did he say that was anti-Semetic? He didn't even mention Jews! He verbally attacked South African citizens serving in the IDF during the Gaza massacre, so what? They should be put on notice, they are war criminals and deserve to be put on trail in the Hague.

sensible

Hidden Comment

This posting has been hidden because it breaches the Indymedia UK (IMC UK) Editorial Guidelines.

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.

way behind

12.12.2009 22:13

'What exactly did he say that was anti-Semetic? He didn't even mention Jews!'

Ah so I can use any anti-Semitic stereotype I want, as long as I don't mention Jews?

Does that go for blacks as well? How about asians?

You're very naive in your political analysis.

the new rule

Hide 6 hidden comments or hide all comments