"Racism" charge dropped against Israel protestors
Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign | 09.04.2010 06:51 | Anti-militarism | Anti-racism | Palestine
Five Palestine campaigners who contested the relevancy of a “racially aggravated conduct” charge in relation to their protest against Israel’s blockade of Gaza had all charges against them dropped yesterday.
The campaigners, all members of the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (SPSC), had interrupted the August 2008 Edinburgh Festival concert by the Jerusalem Quartet. Tours by the classical musicians are regularly sponsored by the Israeli Government, which the campaign group claims makes them a legitimate target for protest.
The campaigners had been accused of making “comments about Jews, Israelis, and the State of Israel”, but during a three-day legal debate at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, a BBC audio recording of the event revealed that there had been no reference made to “Jews”. Comments included “They are Israeli Army musicians”, “End the Siege of Gaza”, “Genocide in Gaza”, and “Boycott Israel”.
The campaigners, all members of the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (SPSC), had interrupted the August 2008 Edinburgh Festival concert by the Jerusalem Quartet. Tours by the classical musicians are regularly sponsored by the Israeli Government, which the campaign group claims makes them a legitimate target for protest.
The campaigners had been accused of making “comments about Jews, Israelis, and the State of Israel”, but during a three-day legal debate at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, a BBC audio recording of the event revealed that there had been no reference made to “Jews”. Comments included “They are Israeli Army musicians”, “End the Siege of Gaza”, “Genocide in Gaza”, and “Boycott Israel”.
Sheriff James Scott ruled that “the comments were clearly directed at the State of Israel, the Israeli Army, and Israeli Army musicians”, and not targeted at “citizens of Israel” per se. “The procurator fiscal’s attempts to squeeze malice and ill will out of the agreed facts were rather strained”, he said.
The Sheriff expressed concern that to continue with the prosecution would have implications for freedom of expression generally: “if persons on a public march designed to protest against and publicise alleged crimes committed by a state and its army are afraid to name that state for fear of being charged with racially aggravated behaviour, it would render worthless their Article 10(1) rights. Presumably their placards would have to read, ‘Genocide in an unspecified state in the Middle East’; ‘Boycott an unspecified state in the Middle East’ etc.
“Having concluded that continuation of the present prosecution is not necessary or proportionate, and therefore incompetent, it seems to me that the complaint must be dismissed.”
Mr Fraser, the Procurator Fiscal Depute, said he would be appealing the ruling.
Yesterday’s ruling will disappoint the musicians whose concerts now attract regular protest. After a similar disruption of their Wigmore Hall concert last week they issued a statement claiming to “have no connection with or patronage by the [Israeli] Government”. However, organisers of their November 2009 Australia tour acknowledged that “The Israeli Government provided about $8000 towards the costs of the tour”, but explained, “this was only a minuscule proportion of the total cost.”
Outside Edinburgh Sheriff Court, supporters held banners reproducing the ‘racist’ slogans, and a number of enlarged concert programs indicating Israeli Embassy sponsorship of the quartet’s tours were on display.
SPSC chair, Mick Napier had mixed feelings about the ruling: “While this particular attempt to criminalise solidarity with Palestine has failed, British Government support for Israel continues. In England, more than 20 prison sentences - some for over 2 years - have been handed out to those who protested Israel’s massacre of 1400 mostly civilians in Gaza last year. On the subject of racism, of the 78 charged, all but two are young Muslims.
“If our case had gone to trial, it would have been Israel in the dock, not us. We had a string of witnesses from Palestine, Israel, and South Africa lined up to discuss the real racism and apartheid that Palestinians face daily. As long as the ethnic cleansing of Palestine continues, Israel’s political, cultural, and sporting ambassadors will face boycott protest similar to that faced by the racist apartheid South African regime in the last century.
“It’s time for politicians to fall into line with public opinion. Alex Salmond’s recent call for a review of trade relations with Israel is a step in the right direction, but what that means in practice remains to be seen.”
The Sheriff expressed concern that to continue with the prosecution would have implications for freedom of expression generally: “if persons on a public march designed to protest against and publicise alleged crimes committed by a state and its army are afraid to name that state for fear of being charged with racially aggravated behaviour, it would render worthless their Article 10(1) rights. Presumably their placards would have to read, ‘Genocide in an unspecified state in the Middle East’; ‘Boycott an unspecified state in the Middle East’ etc.
“Having concluded that continuation of the present prosecution is not necessary or proportionate, and therefore incompetent, it seems to me that the complaint must be dismissed.”
Mr Fraser, the Procurator Fiscal Depute, said he would be appealing the ruling.
Yesterday’s ruling will disappoint the musicians whose concerts now attract regular protest. After a similar disruption of their Wigmore Hall concert last week they issued a statement claiming to “have no connection with or patronage by the [Israeli] Government”. However, organisers of their November 2009 Australia tour acknowledged that “The Israeli Government provided about $8000 towards the costs of the tour”, but explained, “this was only a minuscule proportion of the total cost.”
Outside Edinburgh Sheriff Court, supporters held banners reproducing the ‘racist’ slogans, and a number of enlarged concert programs indicating Israeli Embassy sponsorship of the quartet’s tours were on display.
SPSC chair, Mick Napier had mixed feelings about the ruling: “While this particular attempt to criminalise solidarity with Palestine has failed, British Government support for Israel continues. In England, more than 20 prison sentences - some for over 2 years - have been handed out to those who protested Israel’s massacre of 1400 mostly civilians in Gaza last year. On the subject of racism, of the 78 charged, all but two are young Muslims.
“If our case had gone to trial, it would have been Israel in the dock, not us. We had a string of witnesses from Palestine, Israel, and South Africa lined up to discuss the real racism and apartheid that Palestinians face daily. As long as the ethnic cleansing of Palestine continues, Israel’s political, cultural, and sporting ambassadors will face boycott protest similar to that faced by the racist apartheid South African regime in the last century.
“It’s time for politicians to fall into line with public opinion. Alex Salmond’s recent call for a review of trade relations with Israel is a step in the right direction, but what that means in practice remains to be seen.”
Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Homepage:
http://www.indymediascotland.org/node/18939
Comments
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How about stop Palestinian terrorists!
09.04.2010 10:31
stop Palestinian terrorism now!
@ stop palestinian terrorism
09.04.2010 12:02
ivica
stop Palestinian settlement building now!
09.04.2010 16:24
water to build new settlements which they fill with religious extremists shipped in from
the (refugee) diaspora? Because it's like sooo equivalent
deluded Zionist
any evidence to back this up deluded zionist?Heres evidence Jews are Arabs4Peace
10.04.2010 13:19
A fact I know is that the Jews really are arabs, so was Jesus, Jesus!!!,all of the abrahamic religions were mostly from arabic people to start with.
Its harder to see know as most Jews have lived in Europe etc for many years, but you can definetely still see arabic features in Jews. THE JEWS ARE ARAB
The Zionists who wanted to recreate Israel officially did make deals with anyone including Hitler to help create Israel so desperate where for a homeland, Hitlers deal was go to Israel or die horribly,
not much of a deal.
nearly 2,900,000 out of 5,840,000, Israel is a vvv small nation, though backed up by superpowers.
The other link is to a website on the sinking of the USS Liberty Bell with a BBC documentary from 2004 with survivors of the ship stating that the Israelis attacked their ship killing many US sailors on a clear day with US flags fully visible during the six day war. The IDF & NSA claim it was a mistake & there are recordings stating this also released in 2003.
Whatever happened the suffering of the Palestinian Muslims in the area must stop, it is a cause for much conflict!!!
other nations in the area must stop& Palestinians or the muslim population in Israel must stop calling for more Muslims to come & live in the area as well.
Many Arabic Jewish Zionist Leaders & Arabic Muslims leaders have both stoked up the conflict & need to stop, as does non peaceful interference by outsiders.
In contrast, some recent genetic studies found that analysis of the DNA of Semitic-speaking peoples suggests that they have some common ancestry. Though no significant common mitochondrial results have been yielded, Y-chromosomal links between Semitic-speaking Near-Eastern peoples like Arabs, Assyrians and Hebrews have proved fruitful, despite differences contributed from other groups (see Y-chromosomal Aaron). The studies attribute this correlation to a common Near Eastern origin, since Semitic-speaking Near Easterners from the Fertile Crescent (including Jews) were found to be more closely related to non-Semitic speaking Near Easterners (such as Iranians, Anatolians, and Caucasians) than to other Semitic-speakers (such as Gulf Arabs, Ethiopian Semites, and North African Arabs).
^ Almut Nebel, Dvora Filon, Bernd Brinkmann, Partha P. Majumder, Marina Faerman, and Ariella Oppenheim, The Y Chromosome Pool of Jews as Part of the Genetic Landscape of the Middle East, American Journal of Human Genetics (2001) 69(5): 1095–1112 (online here)
The Life of Brian& Liberty Bell
Glad to hear ridiculous charges dropped, Ive had charges like this myself
10.04.2010 13:45
What I wrote below & in last comment unless taken down was in answer to comments last night now taken down by someone called deluded zionist who was asking about muslims who still come in from around the world to live in Isreal-Palestine.
The fact is Muslims are treated horrendously in Palestine!,
its also a fact that Jews all have arabic-semitic origin,!
we should stop supporting violence from any side except in defence
& they & their leaders should all get on.
PLease do not take down, I contribute alot to IMC in various ways& its unbiased information,ta
The link directly below has evidence palestine originated from a time when the Romans invaded the area & then called Isreal Palestine, we all know Jews lived in the area, its the most historical part of the story of Jesus.
A fact I know is that the Jews really are arabs, so was Jesus, Jesus!!!,all of the abrahamic religions were mostly from arabic people to start with.
Its harder to see know as most Jews have lived in Europe etc for many years, but you can definetely still see arabic features in Jews. THE JEWS ARE ARAB
The Zionists who wanted to recreate Israel officially did make deals with anyone including Hitler to help create Israel so desperate where for a homeland, Hitlers deal was go to Israel or die horribly,
not much of a deal.
nearly 2,900,000 out of 5,840,000, Israel is a vvv small nation, though backed up by superpowers.
The other link is to a website on the sinking of the USS Liberty Bell with a BBC documentary from 2004 with survivors of the ship stating that the Israelis attacked their ship killing many US sailors on a clear day with US flags fully visible during the six day war. The IDF & NSA claim it was a mistake & there are recordings stating this also released in 2003.
Whatever happened the suffering of the Palestinian Muslims in the area must stop, it is a cause for much conflict!!!
other nations in the area must stop& Palestinians or the muslim population in Israel must stop calling for more Muslims to come & live in the area as well.
Many Arabic Jewish Zionist Leaders & Arabic Muslims leaders have both stoked up the conflict & need to stop, as does non peaceful interference by outsiders.
In contrast, some recent genetic studies found that analysis of the DNA of Semitic-speaking peoples suggests that they have some common ancestry. Though no significant common mitochondrial results have been yielded, Y-chromosomal links between Semitic-speaking Near-Eastern peoples like Arabs, Assyrians and Hebrews have proved fruitful, despite differences contributed from other groups (see Y-chromosomal Aaron). The studies attribute this correlation to a common Near Eastern origin, since Semitic-speaking Near Easterners from the Fertile Crescent (including Jews) were found to be more closely related to non-Semitic speaking Near Easterners (such as Iranians, Anatolians, and Caucasians) than to other Semitic-speakers (such as Gulf Arabs, Ethiopian Semites, and North African Arabs).
^ Almut Nebel, Dvora Filon, Bernd Brinkmann, Partha P. Majumder, Marina Faerman, and Ariella Oppenheim, The Y Chromosome Pool of Jews as Part of the Genetic Landscape of the Middle East, American Journal of Human Genetics (2001) 69(5): 1095–1112 (online here)
Brian Bell
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