Demonstration of Marks and Spencer on 27/11/03 encounters attack from fascists and Zionists, but the struggle continues.
REPORT OF M&S PICKET (27/11/03)
I’m going to be honest with you all - tonight’s picket of Marks and Spencer (Oxford St, Marble Arch end) was not as fruitful as we had hoped for. Numbers were down slightly on previous weeks, partly because of the cold weather and partly because of an event marking Tom Hurndall’s Birthday (Tom of course was brutally shot by the Israeli army while helping children who were being shot at) which many people went to.
However, it was disappointing not to have more people - even when these factors were taken into account, especially so considering a camera crew
came along to do a documentary for Channel 4. Still, maybe I am being too self-critical, for even a bad picket of Marks and Spencer was still pretty good compared to a lot of lifeless ‘pickets’ which are taking place (or not!) nowadays. Speeches on the open megaphone were good, as were the chants. For the first time in a long period too there was music and singing being played which kept everyone warm and light-hearted in the cold and dark, as well as a good bit of theatre involving Bush and Blair.
The Christmas lights of Oxford St were now up, along with the hideous huge Christmas lights scaling up the side of Marks and Spencer. These were good in establishing the whole Christmas theme and relating that to what is exactly going on in Christ’s birthplace - Bethlehem - curfew and brutal occupation.
The Zionists were at it again with their usual racist vitriol and they had mobilised their youth wing so now there were teenage mindless voices about suicide bombings and ‘terrorists’…and err suicide bombings and ‘terrorists’ for that is there level and all they can bark about. Yet there was an even darker side to the picket this Thursday than the usual mindless taunts. One of our younger supporters (still in school) was stopped and threatened down a side ally to Oxford St by two middle-aged Zionist demonstrators. They stated - ‘you’re with them Arabs aren’t you? We’re going to fuck you up and cut you up. We know where you live,’ and other similar stuff. Senseless threats most likely this time, but we know that Betar, the main extreme Zionist group on the demonstration, was responsible for attacks on Palestinian supporters in Paris last year. So we take such incidents seriously.
Join Us!
Maybe this is too serious for some of you, the reader to handle. Real politics in the street, confronting British fascists and Zionists. Revolution, intifada, struggle - these are not just in our heads - but are being made.
Not really the cup of tea that people joining the nice respectable left/solidarity groups really want to get involved in. Too confrontational…
almost too…well…real. A nice speech in a warm room by Mr Galloway is unfortunately the ongoing reality of ‘struggle’ in this country at present, not actual…you know…stuff on the street. Action.
But this is the reality of building a movement in support of Palestine. What side of the fence are you on? Some sectarians would say that these pickets of M&S only exist because FRFI want to recruit a load of people. The truth is, whether you haven’t even the slightest intention of joining FRFI/RCG we still want people to come. Communists, socialists, anarchists, Muslims, Jews, Christians, all humanitarians and democrats - whatever label (or not) you’d give yourselves - come! Bring your own papers, your own leaflets and if you have none of these then just bring your own voices. Why?
This time there was as many fascists as there were us. On our street. The brutality in Palestine is continuing and the Zionists are mobilising here. Our we going to mobilise to? Are we all going to come out for the next picket? There’s lots of words of support going around but little action. These demonstrations are the only continuous events in support of Palestine, focused on the biggest British sponsor of Israel, nationwide and week after week for 3 long years without a break.
Your help is essential. Are we going to let the fascists win? Or will we? The power is in our hands. M&S, the Zionists, the state, they want us to be afraid - that is why they threaten us. But there is no need to be afraid, they are out on the streets because THEY are scared, there was hardly any such thing as a Palestinian solidarity movement in this country before the intifada, that is why Zionists are on our street.
Besides, what we have to go through is not much - 2 hours a week. The Palestinians and Iraqis and all those fighting around the world against oppression are the real heroes facing the real heat. The strength of Simon Chapman and the Thessaloniki 7 (see www.wombles.org for more info) who have just been victorious with real risks to their lives against the brutality of the Greek police is an example to all of us that when we do stand up and fight we can win, despite the threats that are held against us by cowards. United we are strong. Divided we are weak. Next picket of Marks and Spencer is next Thursday 6 till 8pm. Let’s make ourselves heard. Victory to the Intifada!
I’m going to be honest with you all - tonight’s picket of Marks and Spencer (Oxford St, Marble Arch end) was not as fruitful as we had hoped for. Numbers were down slightly on previous weeks, partly because of the cold weather and partly because of an event marking Tom Hurndall’s Birthday (Tom of course was brutally shot by the Israeli army while helping children who were being shot at) which many people went to.
However, it was disappointing not to have more people - even when these factors were taken into account, especially so considering a camera crew
came along to do a documentary for Channel 4. Still, maybe I am being too self-critical, for even a bad picket of Marks and Spencer was still pretty good compared to a lot of lifeless ‘pickets’ which are taking place (or not!) nowadays. Speeches on the open megaphone were good, as were the chants. For the first time in a long period too there was music and singing being played which kept everyone warm and light-hearted in the cold and dark, as well as a good bit of theatre involving Bush and Blair.
The Christmas lights of Oxford St were now up, along with the hideous huge Christmas lights scaling up the side of Marks and Spencer. These were good in establishing the whole Christmas theme and relating that to what is exactly going on in Christ’s birthplace - Bethlehem - curfew and brutal occupation.
The Zionists were at it again with their usual racist vitriol and they had mobilised their youth wing so now there were teenage mindless voices about suicide bombings and ‘terrorists’…and err suicide bombings and ‘terrorists’ for that is there level and all they can bark about. Yet there was an even darker side to the picket this Thursday than the usual mindless taunts. One of our younger supporters (still in school) was stopped and threatened down a side ally to Oxford St by two middle-aged Zionist demonstrators. They stated - ‘you’re with them Arabs aren’t you? We’re going to fuck you up and cut you up. We know where you live,’ and other similar stuff. Senseless threats most likely this time, but we know that Betar, the main extreme Zionist group on the demonstration, was responsible for attacks on Palestinian supporters in Paris last year. So we take such incidents seriously.
Join Us!
Maybe this is too serious for some of you, the reader to handle. Real politics in the street, confronting British fascists and Zionists. Revolution, intifada, struggle - these are not just in our heads - but are being made.
Not really the cup of tea that people joining the nice respectable left/solidarity groups really want to get involved in. Too confrontational…
almost too…well…real. A nice speech in a warm room by Mr Galloway is unfortunately the ongoing reality of ‘struggle’ in this country at present, not actual…you know…stuff on the street. Action.
But this is the reality of building a movement in support of Palestine. What side of the fence are you on? Some sectarians would say that these pickets of M&S only exist because FRFI want to recruit a load of people. The truth is, whether you haven’t even the slightest intention of joining FRFI/RCG we still want people to come. Communists, socialists, anarchists, Muslims, Jews, Christians, all humanitarians and democrats - whatever label (or not) you’d give yourselves - come! Bring your own papers, your own leaflets and if you have none of these then just bring your own voices. Why?
This time there was as many fascists as there were us. On our street. The brutality in Palestine is continuing and the Zionists are mobilising here. Our we going to mobilise to? Are we all going to come out for the next picket? There’s lots of words of support going around but little action. These demonstrations are the only continuous events in support of Palestine, focused on the biggest British sponsor of Israel, nationwide and week after week for 3 long years without a break.
Your help is essential. Are we going to let the fascists win? Or will we? The power is in our hands. M&S, the Zionists, the state, they want us to be afraid - that is why they threaten us. But there is no need to be afraid, they are out on the streets because THEY are scared, there was hardly any such thing as a Palestinian solidarity movement in this country before the intifada, that is why Zionists are on our street.
Besides, what we have to go through is not much - 2 hours a week. The Palestinians and Iraqis and all those fighting around the world against oppression are the real heroes facing the real heat. The strength of Simon Chapman and the Thessaloniki 7 (see www.wombles.org for more info) who have just been victorious with real risks to their lives against the brutality of the Greek police is an example to all of us that when we do stand up and fight we can win, despite the threats that are held against us by cowards. United we are strong. Divided we are weak. Next picket of Marks and Spencer is next Thursday 6 till 8pm. Let’s make ourselves heard. Victory to the Intifada!
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Comments
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sectarianism
28.11.2003 09:47
Because we don't want to join their hierarchical sect, that make us "sectarians"?
Heh heh, and they say trots don't have a sense of humour! Of course they want to recruit. Pickets like this are the "Revolutionary Communist Group"'s prime means of recruiting, since they possess virtually zero working class support.
Don't bother turning up to this picket unless you're ready to fend off a sales pitch from this tiny but aggressive trot splinter group.
j
Capitalism is the real enemy not Israelis or Palestinians
28.11.2003 10:39
In 1998 the Israel and Palestine government leaders met under the supervision of United States President Bill Clinton. An agreement was made to try and stabilize the violent cross-border disputes. Socialists say that this is for naught.
The creation of the state of Israel after World War II introduced a new dynamic into the Middle East. Rather than exert a blatant imperialist intervention for control of the area as in the past, a new state was formed to ensure a capitalist and state-capitalist foothold. This threatened the moribund quasi-feudal and growing capitalist elements of Arabic countries.
Enter into this dynamic a reactionary nationalism, racism and religious animosity, skilfully manipulated by political leaders, religious fanatics and vested capital interests on both sides. Zealots from Israel expounded Jewishness as a separate race and Islamic fundamentalists did the same. Both looked upon the other side with an irrational hatred. This reflected itself in continuous war, forced settlements by Israeli citizens, the evictions of Palestinian workers and the bulldozing of their homes, arrests and torture of those who fought back. Palestinians were swept up in terrorist activities, bombings and the reactionary Islamic fundamentalism of "Hamas". A sickening war ensued that shattered the lives of many.
With the establishment of recognized "self-rule" in Palestine many hoped that things would be for the better. The first thing that Palestinian leaders did was to implement a standing police force and army not only to defend their border interests, but as a force to preserve capitalism's new gains against potential class clashes. Yet the violence continues.
The political leaders of Israel and Arabic countries say that their choices are based on the vested interests of "the people". But Socialists take a more critical view. "The people" do not exist except as an ideological construct, an abstraction manipulated by defenders of a capitalist status quo (through government, media, schools) to cover up very real class divisions.
The land, the factories, the oil - none is owned by "the people", but by a small group of capitalists who profit very well, safe, many miles away from the violence.
Socialists have always argued that the workers of all countries have more in common with each other than with those representing the interests of capital. The poor worker from Palestine and other Arabic countries face the same condition as the Israeli worker. Both are faced with the fundamental problem of capitalism which forces worker against worker not for their own interests, but for the interest of profit.
We ask that workers set aside the reaction of nationalism, religious bigotry, ethnic hatred, racism and join together to root out the real problem itself - capitalism.
World Socialism
Fair comment
28.11.2003 10:53
Mark @ ISM London
Homepage:
http://www.ism-london.org
And whats wrong with that?
05.03.2004 23:02
PS to call the RCG Trotskyist is another peice of stupidity, as anyone who knows the least about them will know the RCG is against Trotskyism as a deviation from Marxism-Leninism!
Ed