Demo outside Marks and Spencer, Britain's biggest corporate sponsor of Israel, takes on internationalist direction.
Each week it just keeps on getting bigger and bigger.
I am of course talking about the demonstrations outside of Marks and Spencer on Oxford St that are protesting against the corporations ongoing support of Zionism. An estimated 30-40 people at any one time took to the street to demonstrate and chant against the brutality of Israel. We are fortunate at this time of year to get a lot of support from visitors to Britain, in particular the Gulf. However, those who actually joined the demonstration were not just from the Gulf but from all over the world - Italy, France, Spain, South Africa and Pakistan. A couple of US citizens passed as well, it turned out that they were part of a Palestinian solidairty movement based in Chicago, one of them was a Jewish lady who had been campaigning for over 25 years in the US for the Palestinian people. She joined us and got on the megaphone and made a speech condemning the Zionist occupation and the war against Iraq. 25 years is a long time and it made a lot of us on the picket realise that struggling for justice is something that has no end.
At this time of year it is quite easy to have strong and vibrant demonstrations but what is essentiail is that we continue to build ongoing weekly support from British people and not to rely on sympathetic tourists who will go away along with the Summer sun. There is now a strong and dedicated contingent of Brits on the demo and we urge all progressive people reading this to come and join us, be a part of weekly work to spread and build the demos as part of the Boycott Israeli Goods movement and highlight the links of this country to Zionism. I only right these reports each week for this reason alone: to spread the word and urge people to come along.
I wish to say something quickly about the racist counter-demonstration organised by Betar (the youth wing of the fascist Likud). I don't want to waste my time on these people but there is something which needs to be said and I shall be as concise as possible. Last week on this site Betar members have adopted the tactic of claiming that we are linked to the BNP. They have gone to the sad extreme of impersonating individuals from anti-fascist organisations such as Anti Nazi League ANL to Palestinian picketers with the intent of claiming that we are harbouring fascists. They bizarrely used photos of a few neo-fascist tossers in Germany as their evidence. Let's make something extremely clear:
We are an anti-racist picket first and foremost. No racism, particularly anti-Jewish racism is tolerated. Anybody expressing or showing any form of racism on our picket will be removed.
Secondly, Victory to the Intifada organisers have never once received warnings of known fascists on our pickets from ANL or anybody. Any such reports would be taken with the upmost seriousness.
Why do these Zionists persist in these ridiculous claims? Well, because they trade on anti-Semitism. It is difficult for them to justify and explain the ethnic cleanisng of millions of Palestinians and the Occupation of millions more. To try and hide their crimes they must continually play the anti-Semitic card - that anyone who supports the Palestinians are therefore automatically anti-Semitic. Anti-Semitism has always been used and manipuilated by Zionists to serve their own ends, from Zionsits attacking Jews in Iraq to further immigration to Palestine, to Jabotinskys links with the Nazis and fascist movements in Europe and more recently with Sharon riding the anti-semitism in France and other parts of Europe to call for further immigration into Israel.
When we look we can of course see that it is not us, but the Zionists who are the real fascists. This week Betar UK has been stripped by the Charities Commision of its charitable status for being in breach of the Charities Commisions guidelines. The CC correctly identified Betar as a political organisation, not a group dealing with educating Jewish youth in their history as Betar claimed. It is Betar's links to the fascist UK Independence Party which caused the investigation in the first place...and they than have the nerve to call us fascists! UKIP and the BNP are two sides of the same fascist coin, yet Betar have no problem with propagating the racist writings of Kilroy Silk and other anti-Muslim anti-Arab UKIP filth on their site. How disgusting! To claim yourself as a charity with the benefits that entails while being involved in such racist political work. well, justice is slowly coming about. Betar have benefited from various tax breaks and so forth over the years, a nice bill may well soon be coming their way. Particularly considering that they've failed to produce financial reports at the CC's request...naughty, naughty.
Anyway I've wasted time, enough of these sick people! Come and support the pickets of Marks and Spencer! Come and show your support for the Palestinian people! Muslims, Jews, Christians, Communists, anarchists, democrats, asylum seekers, the unemployed, the destitute...come and join us. BNP and UKIP fascists fuck off to the other picket with your Zionist friends!
Boycott Marks and Spencer on Oxford St (Marble Arch end) this and every Thursday from 6 till 8pm.
I am of course talking about the demonstrations outside of Marks and Spencer on Oxford St that are protesting against the corporations ongoing support of Zionism. An estimated 30-40 people at any one time took to the street to demonstrate and chant against the brutality of Israel. We are fortunate at this time of year to get a lot of support from visitors to Britain, in particular the Gulf. However, those who actually joined the demonstration were not just from the Gulf but from all over the world - Italy, France, Spain, South Africa and Pakistan. A couple of US citizens passed as well, it turned out that they were part of a Palestinian solidairty movement based in Chicago, one of them was a Jewish lady who had been campaigning for over 25 years in the US for the Palestinian people. She joined us and got on the megaphone and made a speech condemning the Zionist occupation and the war against Iraq. 25 years is a long time and it made a lot of us on the picket realise that struggling for justice is something that has no end.
At this time of year it is quite easy to have strong and vibrant demonstrations but what is essentiail is that we continue to build ongoing weekly support from British people and not to rely on sympathetic tourists who will go away along with the Summer sun. There is now a strong and dedicated contingent of Brits on the demo and we urge all progressive people reading this to come and join us, be a part of weekly work to spread and build the demos as part of the Boycott Israeli Goods movement and highlight the links of this country to Zionism. I only right these reports each week for this reason alone: to spread the word and urge people to come along.
I wish to say something quickly about the racist counter-demonstration organised by Betar (the youth wing of the fascist Likud). I don't want to waste my time on these people but there is something which needs to be said and I shall be as concise as possible. Last week on this site Betar members have adopted the tactic of claiming that we are linked to the BNP. They have gone to the sad extreme of impersonating individuals from anti-fascist organisations such as Anti Nazi League ANL to Palestinian picketers with the intent of claiming that we are harbouring fascists. They bizarrely used photos of a few neo-fascist tossers in Germany as their evidence. Let's make something extremely clear:
We are an anti-racist picket first and foremost. No racism, particularly anti-Jewish racism is tolerated. Anybody expressing or showing any form of racism on our picket will be removed.
Secondly, Victory to the Intifada organisers have never once received warnings of known fascists on our pickets from ANL or anybody. Any such reports would be taken with the upmost seriousness.
Why do these Zionists persist in these ridiculous claims? Well, because they trade on anti-Semitism. It is difficult for them to justify and explain the ethnic cleanisng of millions of Palestinians and the Occupation of millions more. To try and hide their crimes they must continually play the anti-Semitic card - that anyone who supports the Palestinians are therefore automatically anti-Semitic. Anti-Semitism has always been used and manipuilated by Zionists to serve their own ends, from Zionsits attacking Jews in Iraq to further immigration to Palestine, to Jabotinskys links with the Nazis and fascist movements in Europe and more recently with Sharon riding the anti-semitism in France and other parts of Europe to call for further immigration into Israel.
When we look we can of course see that it is not us, but the Zionists who are the real fascists. This week Betar UK has been stripped by the Charities Commision of its charitable status for being in breach of the Charities Commisions guidelines. The CC correctly identified Betar as a political organisation, not a group dealing with educating Jewish youth in their history as Betar claimed. It is Betar's links to the fascist UK Independence Party which caused the investigation in the first place...and they than have the nerve to call us fascists! UKIP and the BNP are two sides of the same fascist coin, yet Betar have no problem with propagating the racist writings of Kilroy Silk and other anti-Muslim anti-Arab UKIP filth on their site. How disgusting! To claim yourself as a charity with the benefits that entails while being involved in such racist political work. well, justice is slowly coming about. Betar have benefited from various tax breaks and so forth over the years, a nice bill may well soon be coming their way. Particularly considering that they've failed to produce financial reports at the CC's request...naughty, naughty.
Anyway I've wasted time, enough of these sick people! Come and support the pickets of Marks and Spencer! Come and show your support for the Palestinian people! Muslims, Jews, Christians, Communists, anarchists, democrats, asylum seekers, the unemployed, the destitute...come and join us. BNP and UKIP fascists fuck off to the other picket with your Zionist friends!
Boycott Marks and Spencer on Oxford St (Marble Arch end) this and every Thursday from 6 till 8pm.
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Comments
Hide the following 7 comments
repeated post
13.08.2004 19:08
please ask the poster(s) to introduce a bit of variation or stop bothering us
ta
revcom cut n paste
Actually
13.08.2004 19:43
It is important to clarify something about Betar and the charity commission. Betar asked the charity commission to relinquish its charitable status as Betar acknowledged that it was no longer a charity. Betar is an activist movement that engages in social activism, Israel trips and tours, and educational programmes and workshops. If these programmes are not charitable, so be it. In regards to Kilroy Silk, the controversy came before Kilroy was a member of UKIP and Betar has no ties to UKIP or any other UK political group. It does have ties to the Likud Movement (not the party) in Israel. Betar’s support for Kilroy Silk came as a response to the BBC’s decision to suspend Kilroy. Betar believes that the BBC’s decision was ludicrous considering that racists such as Jim Davidson, who has given vile racist abuse in his shows to all white audiences, is given prime time slots at the BBC and Kilroy was suspended over much much milder comments. Betar also holds the view that the suspension of Silk was dangerous as it may deter people from criticising corrupt Arab regimes which quite frankly, need to be criticized.
Mazkir
Betar and the Charity Commission
13.08.2004 20:39
Heres the other version ........
"Text of email circulated by Betar - 6th August 2004
Betar’s removal from the register of charities is a result of a direct attack from an Arab British group called CAABU. This attack is a part of a national campaign conducted by Arab Muslim groups in the UK against Jewish charities. Betar has never used its charity status and there for, preferring to spend its funds on Jewish Zionist education instead of expensive lawyers we have voluntarily requested to be removed from the register of charities ............."
So which is it, Betar recognised that it was an "activist" movement, and asked to be removed - or Betar decided not to fight the removal because it doesn't want to incur legal fees (or see a futher investigation into its activities....)
(
Cos the findings from the Charity Commission look a wee bit grim:
Findings
6. The Commission found that the activities of the Charity appeared to be in furtherance of a political purpose rather than the charitable purpose stated in the governing document. It is not permissible for a charity to have a political purpose, as the public benefit of such a purpose cannot be assessed.
7. The Commission was informed that there were no properly appointed trustees of the Charity.
8. The Charity had not supplied Accounts to the Commission for the financial years ended 31 March 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003. The Charity failed to supply these Accounts despite requests from the Commission during the course of the Inquiry.
and there was going to be a further investigation.
(
Seems to me that Makzir is telling part of the story.........
freethepeeps
message to the posers
13.08.2004 23:56
Fuuuuck... how petty!
I am not a member of Betar, or a Jew, or an Israeli, or a Zionist, or an American, a capitalist or any other sinister group you pretend is 'monitoring' your actions to justify your tragic faux-activist fetishism.
I did post photos of 'a few neo-fascist tossers in Germany' as evidence that some right wingers were exploting the pro-palestinian movement. Not as evidence it was happening in the UK, or that it was widespread, but evidence that it is possible and something that should be guarded against.
I assume you don't WANT to rub shoulders with fascists?
The loud protestations that any anti-fascist who questions the infiltration of fascists into the movement is a Betar loving Zionist Jew Nazi ... laughable.
But then, you're doing more damage to the Palestinian cause than Betar could ever hope. Too paranoid to take seriously, to pathetic to encourage solidarity, and too vicious to inspire sympathy.
Here's one former supporter who's going to look for REAL ways to support the Palestinian people.
gerry
such as what gerry?
14.08.2004 21:47
You point out a possible problem - fine, and then say that because it is not a current problem and people may have over-reacted to you suggesting it was, you are not going to play with us any more (supposing you did in the first place) but are off to find something better to do. Fine, there are plenty of ways to support a struggle - it isn't a hierarchy of activism. But if you have good ideas for solidarity, share them - here or by coming and talking to activists who might appreciate it (and yes you'll find them, not a bunch of fascists, outside M&S every Thursday).
Then again you can be a committee of one and see what you can achieve.
All this takes your comment at face value that you are indeed a pro-Palestinian and not some Zionist troll - its so hard to tell these days!!
victoria
More Betar Lies
16.08.2004 09:08
Sid
don't stop!
19.08.2004 00:39
Andy
e-mail:
ldxar1@resist.ca