Report of the weekly picket of Marks and Spencer in Oxford Street Thursdays 6-8pm in support of the Palestinian struggle
Victory to the Intifada picket of Marks and Spencer
in Oxford Street, London 6 May 2004 – weekly picket 6-8pm all welcome
The history of Britain's biggest clothing retailer Marks and Spencer demonstrates how consumer habits in Britain are tied to the oppression of other peoples. Marks and Spencer has championed the state of Israel and thus connived in the dispossession and suppression of the Palestinians. Our comforts and pleasures, which Marks and Spencer so eagerly service, have been bought at an unacceptable price.
That is why we continue to picket Marks and Spencer as part of the Boycott Israeli Goods campaign and the weekly picketers were out in force again tonight. The police have increased their intimidatory tactics over the last four to six weeks but we have stood our ground, defended our right to protest and continued to be vocal about our support for the Intifada and defending the Palestinian struggle. We will not be silenced. We will not stand by as the State of Israel continues its barbarism against the Palestinian people and while the British state – the Labour government – continues to arm and fund the Zionist settler state.
The occupation of Iraq by imperialist troops and the occupation of Palestine by Israel supported by the imperialists is coming up against resistance. It is our duty to defend the resistance both in Palestine and Iraq and demand the end to the occupation. Peace and justice in the Middle East cannot be achieved while there is no justice for Palestinians.
So join our weekly picket – come and speak, chant, sing, discuss, petition – be part of telling the passing public the truth about the situation in Palestine and help them to understand the urgency of the situation.
Boycott Marks and Spencer – shop with a conscience! Victory to the Intifada!
See you next week.
in Oxford Street, London 6 May 2004 – weekly picket 6-8pm all welcome
The history of Britain's biggest clothing retailer Marks and Spencer demonstrates how consumer habits in Britain are tied to the oppression of other peoples. Marks and Spencer has championed the state of Israel and thus connived in the dispossession and suppression of the Palestinians. Our comforts and pleasures, which Marks and Spencer so eagerly service, have been bought at an unacceptable price.
That is why we continue to picket Marks and Spencer as part of the Boycott Israeli Goods campaign and the weekly picketers were out in force again tonight. The police have increased their intimidatory tactics over the last four to six weeks but we have stood our ground, defended our right to protest and continued to be vocal about our support for the Intifada and defending the Palestinian struggle. We will not be silenced. We will not stand by as the State of Israel continues its barbarism against the Palestinian people and while the British state – the Labour government – continues to arm and fund the Zionist settler state.
The occupation of Iraq by imperialist troops and the occupation of Palestine by Israel supported by the imperialists is coming up against resistance. It is our duty to defend the resistance both in Palestine and Iraq and demand the end to the occupation. Peace and justice in the Middle East cannot be achieved while there is no justice for Palestinians.
So join our weekly picket – come and speak, chant, sing, discuss, petition – be part of telling the passing public the truth about the situation in Palestine and help them to understand the urgency of the situation.
Boycott Marks and Spencer – shop with a conscience! Victory to the Intifada!
See you next week.
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Comments
Hide the following 14 comments
You forgot to mention...
06.05.2004 23:41
On this occasion a man who was spotted previously in the VTI picket came up to the pro Israel demo. He starred at everyone present for a good 30 seconds and yelled out "Heil Hitler". Stupidly, he did this infront of two police officers and was promptly led away. He was later arrested.
Oh this world is filled with such hate.
The Innapropriate Responder
Appropriate
07.05.2004 09:47
Maybe they should apply the same rules to everyone- people called Phillip with inbred families and big ears take note.
Furat Al-Samaraie
Not ours
07.05.2004 10:13
VTI supporter
marks and sp[encers is jewish, that's the real reason
07.05.2004 11:07
victory to the intifada indeed.
anyway talking about british support to israel, in 1939 the british made a rule that only a certain number of jews could enter palestine every year, so during the holocaust, lots of jewish refugees were sent to prison camps in cyprus and had to enter palestine illegaly
the voice of common sense
Marks and who?
07.05.2004 11:33
JAck Cohen who founded TESCO was.
The ethnic/religious origin of the bosses is not the point. The politics of the current board is.
You are right about the British govt's historic racism and anti-semitism. It introduced immigration laws here in 1938 requiring visas fro anyone coming from Austria or Germany. Its easy to guess who was trying to come.
This same racist attitude now operates against ARabs, Muslims, Palestinians. Imperialists are fickle. They change allegiances as suits them. Their racism is subservient to their need to conquer and control.
Rifka
the difference
07.05.2004 11:42
Well you're wrong.
Chomsky's jewish, and we obviously have a lot of time for that guy. Some of us are jewish. Some of the protestors don't know that M&S "is jewish" -as you put it. There are still protests.
M&S supports a racist state that engages in terrorist activity, ethnic cleansing, systematic torture, extra-judicial murder and forced deportations. That's why there are protests outside M&S.
Keep that claim of racism/antisemitism (or whatever you are trying to insinuate) back in your ass, where I've just shoved it.
Furat Al-Samaraie
haha
07.05.2004 13:22
-and that country is called Turkey, coming to the EU soon.
Sort your priorities out.
The Innapropriate Responder
Who are the real racists
07.05.2004 22:14
It is the (unholy) alliance of Communists (those who would tell you that Stalin's
murderous rule or Castro's brutal regime are paragons of virtue and sweetness) and
the Islamofascist scum who want the whole world to kneel to their False prophet
or face the sword (or bomb) of the Jihadi beast. These elements, the dregs of society in
the civilised world, these apologists for suicide bombings, roadside shootings,
massacres of women and children simply because of their religion (or because they are not
muslim), these are the"indymedia" the VTI the vile racists on our streets and not the Jews
fighting for their right to live in peace in their tiny homeland. The Arab terrorists
and their apologists big myth is that it is all about land- really?
Well the Arabs have 22 states and 500 times the land of Israel. They claim it is about poverty- really? Well the Arabs have 78% of the World's oil but instead of using their
vast riches for good they spend their money on terrorism and their campaign for Genocide of the Jewish people living in their tiny homeland Israel. The only democracy in a region of tyranny. The light of freedom in a sea of darkness, opression, sexism and racism.
Victory to the intifada- the morons cry, what does it mean? It means victory to the Jihadi scum, to the suicide bomber and sniper- but more than that it means wiping Israel off the map and replacing it with another Arab tyrannical regime- similar to that ruled previously by that other Indymedia hero- Saddam Hussein- the "democratically elected " ruler of Iraq. As democratic as Assad the murderor and pillager of Lebanon, or Mubarak the thief of Egypt or Arafat the Egyptian murderor occupying Israeli land..
Sorry guys there will be no victory. Your evil, like its ancestor- Nazism- will be vanquished. Israel is here forever, the PLO and the fakestinians are living on borrowed time. Victory to Israel. Justice for the Jewish people.
Arab tyranny will end!
Yehuda Haivri
Castro the racist ,my arse
07.05.2004 22:52
The real fascists are Sharon and Bush. Not in Castro's league mate, in any way ever.
Hands off Cuba, hands off Palestine, hands off middle eastern oil and try paying for it for once in your sad little, sick lives.
che
Castro
08.05.2004 01:34
Oh, i was talking about Castro the Israeli clothing label.
were you talking about the Cuban dictator? Well if everything is so cosy in Cuba, why are thousands trying to flee to America on a daily basis?
The Innapropriate Responder
why do they flee cuba?
08.05.2004 10:32
the voice of common sense
Quicker route to the USA
08.05.2004 10:45
There they can partake of all the Freedom-Lovin' Goodness and Democracy they can bear. This is normally administered with a leash, hood and electrical wires.
But the wages are higher in Miami, so it's more usual to take the long route.
Ian
And..
08.05.2004 12:54
The Innapropriate Responder
More beautiful than US Jarheads in Guantanamo ?
08.05.2004 17:59
Ian