Skip to content or view screen version

Successful Demonstration at the Israeli Embassy

palestineplace@riseup.net (Palestine Place) | 13.06.2012 00:55 | London

Tonight activists from a variety of groups, including people involved in the Palestine Place project at 24 Grays Inn Road (a social centre set up in solidarity with the Palestian people) held a successful demonstration outside the Israeli embassy in support of Palestian hunger striker Mahmoud Sarsak, who has been on hunger strike for 85 days now in response to his "administrative detention" which has meant three years in an Israeli Jail without any charges being laid against him.

Mahmoud Sarsak political prisoner from the Palestian football team, has been on hunger strike for 85 days, and is in a critical condition [1]. Although an unknown Palestian Official has said that he has been taking milk in the last couple of days, he has not been able to speak to his lawyer or any member of his family and so this is by no means a confirmed fact. Many sources still report he "is close to death"[2]. There has been international condemnation of Israel's inprisonment of Sarsak and other Palestinain footballers, including FIFA president Sepp Blatter who "'expressed grave concern' regarding the incarceration of members of the Palestinian team in Israel, including Mahmoud Sarsak who is on hunger strike" [3].

Activists left Palestine Place yesterday [Tuesday 12th June] to assemble outside the Israeli embassy and held a candle lit vigil in solidarity with Mahmoud Sarsak. The demonstration began at around 22:00 hours and lasted for around an hour and a half with banners and speeches drawing attention to Mahmoud Sarsak's detention and hunger strike and calling for him to be freed. The Palestine Place website and twitter feeds have confirmed [4] that demonstrations will be continuing throughout the week focussed on the immediate demand for the release of Mahmoud Sarsak.

The presence of around forty activists outside the embassy prompted the response of a small unit of armed police (carrying machine guns) who assaulted individuals standing around on the premise that they were "trespassing". Alex Gray who was at the demonstration said "We are here today because it is important at this critical moment to stand in solidarity with Mahmoud, and to show our anger at Israels so called 'administrative detention' policy. These demonstrations will continue to grow until Mahmoud is set free." After the candle lit vigil, and a two minute silence, demonstrators played football outside the royal park which borders the embassy and handed out leaflets to passsers by to inform them of Mahmoud's desperate situation.

 

1-Al Jazeera http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/06/2012611131924148160.html

2- Electronic Intifada http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/time-running-out-hunger-striking-footballer-rights-groups-demand-urgent-pressure & The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/06/palestinian-hunger-strike-fears-life?newsfeed=true

3- CNN online http://edition.cnn.com/2012/06/12/sport/football/mahmoud-sarsak-fifa-isreal-football/index.html

4http://palestineplace.wordpress.com/


palestineplace@riseup.net (Palestine Place)
- Original article on IMC London: http://london.indymedia.org/articles/12399

Comments

Hide 8 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.

Mahmoud Sarsak

13.06.2012 11:05

Perhaps if Sarsak had not joined Islamic Jihad and been involved in the production of IED's that targeted innocent Israelis he would not have been arrested ?

Just a thought

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.

@just a thought

13.06.2012 11:55

Three years inside without being charged or put on trial? You are not using your head.

A

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.

Using head

13.06.2012 11:59

"Three years inside without being charged or put on trial? You are not using your head."

He has been charged, he was denied bail and is now awaiting a court date. It's called 'due process' because the Israelis operate with a independent open judiciary. Not a lot of that in the arab world I would suggest.

Try using yours.

Just a thought

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.

Charged

13.06.2012 12:01

He was charged on March 16th with possession of explosives and conspiring with others to manufacture bombs. He is now on remand.

Mike

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.

Hmmm...

13.06.2012 12:27

I was'nt aware of that.

A

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.

Aware of that

13.06.2012 12:54

A lot of people are not, his supporters like to maintain he is being held as some sort of political prisoner when in fact he's a simple terrorist who got caught and is now in the judicial system. His only real complaint as I see it is the length of time between his charge date and likely trial date (August 2012) but delays of this sort are regretfully common all over the world.

Mike

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.

Just a thought

13.06.2012 14:50

Are you talking to yourself?

weak

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.

Sell it baby.

13.06.2012 17:49

"his supporters like to maintain he is being held as some sort of political prisoner when in fact he's a simple terrorist who got caught and is now in the judicial system. His only real complaint as I see it is the length of time between his charge date and likely trial date (August 2012) but delays of this sort are regretfully common all over the world."



Must do better.

What you need to do is play on people's fear.

What happens if this guy gets out of jail and starts eating Jewish babies? What happens if he deliberately starves to death and the innocent Zionists get the blame? What happens if he escapes and joins al qaeda and starts bombing the Queen of England with peadophiles dressed as Chav's?

This is the type of thing that scares the English...not pretending to be all civilised, aloof and a bit of a civil servant.

You've got to sell it baby...yeah!

Take a leaf out of Bibi Notinmyyard-poo's book...he knows what he's doing.

"If this guy gets out it will be holocaust all over again. This isn't 2012, its 1938. The Nazi's are waiting outside the door. The ovens are baking. The rest of the world doesn't care. WE CANNOT ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN, WE WILL NOT ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN!!!" applause applause applause.

See, that's much better isn't it?

Doctor Spin D Thrift.

Hide 8 hidden comments or hide all comments