Support the M&s Picket next Saturday

After the attack of a Pro-Palestinian Picket in Manchester, the following statement has been issued by the Iraq Solidarity Campaign (UK).

On Saturday the 11th July, members of the Iraq Solidarity Campaign (UK) attended the boycott picket of Marks and Spencer’s in Manchester, in protest to the company’s trading policies towards the state of Israel and in protest to an attack on the picket that took place the week before.

3rd July 2004

People from a variety of campaigns also attended the picket because on Saturday the 3rd July, the Boycott Marks and Spencer’s picket was attacked by 7 men, who later revealed to one Jewish Newspaper that they were all ex-members of the Israeli Defence Force.

On the 3rd of July, according to witnesses present, the seven men got out of cars facing the picket line and proceeded to verbally abuse people, tear up campaign literature which explained to members of the public what kind of conditions Israel was placing upon the Palestinians and they even chased one woman who was trying to call the Greater Manchester Police.

11th July 2004

Also present at Marks and Spencer’s on the 11th, was the Likud organiser for Manchester, who was standing out side by the doors of the shop and may have been observing the picket line and making complaints to Marks and Spencer’s security services, because after he was seen speaking to security staff, they were coming out and complaining about the picket line, like the sticking up of bandage material with Anti-Wall slogans written on them.

Whilst on the picket line, the stall was approached by many people who took literature and spoke to members of the campaign. A few Jewish young people, who explained to picketers, that they attended a Jewish High School in Manchester and enquired why Palestine had taken Israel’s land, also approached the stall.

Whilst no trouble occurred at the picket line of the 11th, one Jewish Newspaper, that cannot be named for obvious reasons, stated that a “counter-picket” was being called by a Manchester based Zionist organisation for Saturday the 17th July, outside of Marks and Spencer’s in Manchester’s city centre.

After some discussion, with the Picket organisers and a variety of anti-war, Iraq groups and pro-Palestinian organisations, it was agreed that all peace groups should mobilise in defence of Palestine and Iraq, on Saturday the 17th July 2004 and should assemble out side Marks and Spencer’s, Market Street, Manchester, starting at 12 noon!

If there are enough picketers and supporters, we plan to deter any further attacks on the Marks and Spencer’s picket by showing our support to the Palestinian people and like the picket of the 11th July, People had attended in various capacities. You don't have to leaflet if you don't want to but you can come as a legal observer or just as moral support.

Yours sincerely,

The Iraq Solidarity Campaign (UK)

Check out the Iraq Solidarity Campaign Website
 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Iraqisolidarity/

sorry, but the reasons for not mentioning the Jewish Telegraph as the paper with the report in it are not obvious to me - especially if (I've not read it, just been told...) it incites readers to come down to counter-demonstrate, supporting violent verbal and physical attacks against the M&S picket.

... come down to the picket, especially those from certain 'manchester based' zionist organizations (or from the london betar) ...

... who's going to be guarding their base?

Know what I mean?

No 'I don't know watcha mean' Karen.

If you think the revolution will be won by overthrowing a few tosser's outpost somewhere in London while they're not 'guarding it' you must be severly out of touch with how this war of ours will be won.

Don't diss me, the palestinian cause must rise in the dawn of liberty. Tell the public, inform them till they are sick!

The petty rubbish you speak of does not matter.

M and S have their AGM this coming Wednesday July 14th at the Royal Festival Hall, Belvedere Rd, London SE1, very close to Waterloo Rail and underground station. I heard this as the animal rights group Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty www.shac.net are planning a demo there from 10am to protest against their involvement with Huntingdon Life Sciences see www.shac.net

i don't understand the reasons for not mentioning which paper either (i didn't mention it because i couldn't remember what it was called not for any "obvious" reasons). if the paper (whatever it is) wishes to sue or whatever, then get on with it. can't think why otherwise.

but hey, thats not the point.

it would be good if people come on saturday. i know there is always other things going on but if we let this one get past us in manchester, we are looking at the possibility of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBO) being served on protesters. We are looking at the almost certaincy of city councils and corporate buisness working together, to get "undesirables" as in people protesting, off the streets. I think, the "mr nice guy" policing we have had since the council question time, court case, etc. regarding the M & S picket is now over.

If we leave it now, don't turn up (question: Palestinain Solidarity Campaign, Socialist Workers Party, Workers Power, and the rest., WHERE ARE YOU? doesn't this matter? its about being on the streets, arrrgh)

if they can do ASBOs, let thugs beat people up, and whatever else, THEN YOU SHOULD BE THERE.

and if you're not. then remember. its ok as long as you put your stall inthe middle of market street, DONT interfere with any business and keep the police sweet.

and hope you are not seen as so persistant, you get the ASBO next..

Come on people, forget whatever differences you have and turn up for a few hours on Saturday morning. If you can't do it for other people, do it for yourselves.

... for the general public to arise ...

Find somewhere comfortable!

Meanwhile, progress will be made by 'removing' the obsticles of reactionary elements.

This can be done by mobilisation and through concentration of force. This does not necessarily mean violence against the person - but you would have to be a fool to bin that option.

Do you think the thugs preparing to attack the picket can be persauded through verbal confrontation?

I don't.

Until either they melt away or recognise that they are outnumbered - they will persist.

History teaches us that in 99 times out of 100 - the strong will domintate and exploit the weak. Yes we should be working towards the state of human affairs where this is no longer a self evident truth - but I'll be damned if I join the ranks of the meek!

The issue is not actually what our personal thoughts and feelings are on this matter, wherether the names of a paper have been printed etc but yes, that is a valid point that has been raised, but the important question for us, is with the bigger issue of what is happening to the Palestinian people as a consequence of Israel's policies and what we believe is giving them "Solidarity".

The reality is, that yes, here in the UK to some people 7 thugs may not appear to be a lot of people but when in Palestine that 7 is infact 70, 170 or even 700 it really should put things into perspective, espeacially if it was our homes being destroyed, our children being shot, our brothers or sisters who have been killed at a check point or harrassed on the way to school, college or university.

Over here in the UK, we complain about the Police even stopping and searching some one, atleast with this you can keep you clothes on, but when a woman is forced to strip in public, over in Palestine, she is then made to squat so that the Israeli troops can see if she has a device inside of her.

This kind of behaviour, is carried out by these kind of "thugs", who disrupted the picket two weeks ago and will try again this saturday and they are pardoned by publications like the Jewish Telegraph, so lets be realistic about this, if we cannot stop "seven" or more of these people next Saturday, then how can we help the Palestinians over here in England?

And if the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the Workers Power and Socialist Worker crew do not turn up to support the Boycott Marks and Spencers Picket, then we must seriously ask them one simple question, who exactly do you support?

A couple of us in the Anarchist Federation wrote this. It was intended for Resistance, our newssheet, but got ommitted. We may use something similar in Manchester.

Israeli State vs Palestinians or All governments murder
Manchester Anarchist Federation went to a picket outside Marks and Spencer in the city centre on 24/7/04. The pro-Palestinian Victory to the Intifada (VI) has picketed every Saturday for the past 3 years. They chose M&S because of its financial support for the Israeli State. A few weeks before, Likud (right wing Israeli party) began an aggressive counter picket. If we had not known, we would have thought Likud was the BNP or Combat 18.

Bloc against bloc
VI have adopted a policy of not talking to Likud, not wishing to be involved in violence and knowing that M&S would use this as an excuse to slap ASBOs on them. Amongst the Zionist group were big, aggressive men resembling football thugs hiding behind baseball caps and high-buttoned jackets. Their role was to provoke VI through racist and homophobic insults. ASBOs would suit them just fine. Also present were ordinary Jewish people with their sons. Few Zionist women were there. The kids handed out leaflets referring to the pickets as National Socialists, the Nazi Party’s name in Germany.


What made this a shocking demonstration?
Because of so much fear and aggression, neither group was engaging in any discussion. The VI adopted dignified silence as their tactic. Likud heavies made sure that no Jews could talk to the VI. The riot police made a wall between them. Anarchists believe in connecting with individuals on a human level. When we tried to talk to the thug element they said, “If you don’t understand the question, you are too unintelligent to talk to.” They labelled us as unintelligent just as the Nazis labelled their victims in the Holocaust. Labelling people means you can treat them as less than human which is exactly what the Israeli State is doing to the Palestinians. Manchester Anarchists talked creatively to the more ordinary Jews, putting forward an Anarchist solution of no state and showing how all the leaders were murdering workers and children, Israelis and Palestinians.


One aggressive Likud member screamed repeatedly at the VI demonstrators, “One state or two? One state or two?” We would answer NO STATE but an Anarchist World.

a samll request for information; how was this situation resolved? did the counter-picket protest break the solidarity? how long did pickets continue for and were they successful (in part or in full)?
please email with news
Sir Marky De La Trüt