London Indymedia

Facing down fascists on Oxford Street - 12/02/04

Sara Waits | 14.02.2004 00:35 | Anti-racism | London

Where are the supporters of the Palestinians in this country?

Regular Thursday Picket of Marks and Spencer – Report 12/02/04
Every day the situation for the Palestinian people gets worse, with more atrocities committed against them by the racist, aggressive, expansionist Israeli state. Responsibility for this situation lies with the British state who enabled the Zionists to get a foothold in Palestine and have supported their racist state ever since. The Israelis learnt their techniques of oppression from the British: holding innocent Palestinians without charge or trial; methods of torture; invading their homes and destroying their possessions (the Israelis use Caterpillar bulldozers to demolish entire Palestinian houses); murdering arbitrarily. During the Great Rebellion of 1936-1939 the British used such tactics to crush the Palestinians. Today they continue to arm Israel and give ideological support.
There is growing awareness in Britain of the dreadful situation Palestinians face but where is the challenge to the forces here that contribute to the suffering of the Palestinian people? How successful is the Boycott Israeli Goods campaign??
The Boycott of Barclays Bank provided a focus in the anti-apartheid movement, which had a significant effect on the fall of the racist regime of South Africa, with Barclays forced to pull out. But apartheid has not been eradicated from the world; Israel is carrying out apartheid policies in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The Boycott Israeli Goods campaign could be effective if it maintains a focus on the biggest corporate offender in this country – Marks and Spencer. They support Israel ideologically and with £240 million of trade every year.
Palestinians need solidarity urgently. They suffer every day and we cannot wait for one peaceful demonstration through the back streets once in 6 months. Their struggle must be voiced repeatedly by those with awareness or experience because the mainstream media does not give the full picture. Yet the movement in Britain to support them spends its time in cosy meeting rooms learning and discussing and doing nothing! It is important that British people travel to Palestine to help defend the people against the heavily armed Israeli army and to inform those that can’t go about the situation, but where do they go and what do they do on their return?
Every week for just two hours in the evening when Marks and Spencer opens late on Oxford Street VTI holds a picket to spread information and urge people to boycott M&S. We face Zionists fascists whose only reason for being there is to shut us up. The struggle is happening in this country, on the streets. Some join us, old and new faces, but this movement is going nowhere. Where are those who have seen with their own eyes the oppression of Palestinians? While the Zionists gather gullible youths to drop stink bombs in their pathetic attempts to stop us from communicating the truth to a wider public, the ‘pro-Palestinian pseudo intellectuals’ cannot bear to boycott M&S because they could not dream of buying their knickers from somewhere else, or complain that the picket gives voice to communists and Muslims. These people do not care about the Palestinian people, only about their selfish sectarianism. Why do we not hear the testimonies on the streets of those privileged to visit Palestine?
The Zionists are threatening us here in London. This group – Betar – send funds to the IDF, believe that Israel, the all Jewish state, should run from the Nile to the Euphrates. In other words they do not wish solely to occupy Palestine but also Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Jordan and part of Iraq. Check out their Website. They have attacked Palestinian supporters in France and in Britain. This week a group came and faced us head on in front of the picket. Unsurprisingly the police were slow to respond, but they react quickly when one of our picketers steps out of the cage they have imprisoned us in.
What will it take for the Palestinian supporters out there to act? When the Palestinians are completely crushed? When our small picket of dedicated and passionate individuals is fatally attacked by thugs who uphold Israel as a great democratic country and a victim? It is no coincidence that they hold up British flags next to their Israeli ones (and US flags of course).
Victory to the Intifada is fighting racism on the streets in Britain and calls for people with a minimal sense of justice and sensibility to oppose Zionism, and stand up against the bloody violence that the British government and corporations, particularly M&S, feed.

M&S foots the bill: Israel uses cash to kill! Fight Racism!Fight Imperialism! Free Palestine!

Join us: Thursdays 6-8pm, M&S, Marble Arch end of Oxford Street, London.
Contact:  victoryintifada@hotmail.com

Sara Waits
- e-mail: victoryintifada@hotmail.com
- Homepage: http://www.rcgfrfi.easynet.co.uk

Comments

Hide the following 8 comments

SMASH THE "PALIFASCIST AUTHORITY"

14.02.2004 13:01

Betar sound great to me. I think I might join up. Do they accept non-Jewish members? I hope to join the M&S picket against the Arab imperialist fascist 'Palestinian' child murdering regime soon. Thanks for the tip.

i want to join betar


Yes they do accept non Jewish memebers and here is a link to their site

14.02.2004 14:07

Here is a link to the Betar website, yes they do accept non Jewish members:  http://www.betar.co.uk

Israel defender


god save us from religion

14.02.2004 14:21

F##k em both Maybe if all these religious extremists kill emslves were get rid of this mass delusion about GOD (if i had an invisinle friend who tlod me tokill people theyd lock me away )

kcgkhglhj


Its not about religon!

14.02.2004 18:25

70 per cent of Israels' Jewish population is non-othordox, and 70 per cent of Jews worldwide are non-othordox! Jews have been persecuted down through the ages not because of their religon but because they are easily identified and can be easily singled out for use as scapegoats. Its the same with Catholics in Northern Ireland 80 per cent of Northern Irelands Catholics are non orthordox, non praticising catholics, but they are singled out for discrimination because of their background and because they come from a different community to the majority of Protestants.

Israel is not a stuanchly zionist state, 20 per cent of Israel's population belong to ethnic minorities and include christians and muslims. These groups are free to practice their religon and culture unhindered within the state of Israel.

Under the arab states Jews and Christians had to pay a tax to the Muslim state for the right to practice their own religon and for the right not to be muslims. Jews were especially discriminated against in arab muslim states and were often subject to pogroms whenever they became too successful.

If the Muslim terrorists really believed in God they would obey the command not to kill civilians in war which is written in their Koran. Israel is not anti-muslim, it has very good relations with the muslim states of Turkey and since 1978 Eygpt.

Israel defender


Thanks I.D.

14.02.2004 20:56

I look forward to 'facing down the [keffiyeh wearing] fascists' on Oxford Street after I hear back from Betar. Thanks for the information, Israel Defender, and thanks to the poster of the article for motivating me to join - you Arab nationalists can't be as bad as they say, cheers!

iwtjb


nationalism - the refuge of the idiot

15.02.2004 15:58

Union Jack waving BNP bigots and Israeli racists hit it off !
Zionists in Italy suck up to facist organisations also. ha ha

Inbreeds lovin' it!

no war between nations - no peace between classes.

Victory to the intifada! IDF = cowards who shoot old women.

@kells


Eichmann... Arafat... Qurei... Rantissi... Yassin

16.02.2004 14:17

The Pali war criminals, erm, terrorists, erm, anyway... they uphold the highest principles.

The 2 month old baby murdered in Haifa by Islamic Jihad terror-whore Hanadi Jaradat in October last year posed a real threat to Arafat's Arab reich. That's true mujahideen bravery for you. Look into the baby's eyes and then burn everyone alive.

IDF


Shoot Sharon - Shoot Arafat

16.02.2004 18:21

IDF= Scared Kids used and betrayed by political parasites and war criminals.

Go sweat it off in India schmuck, Goa-way ;)

@kells


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