On the 4th of May Ron Prosor Ambassador of Israel to the United Kingdom visited St Andrews for an event ran by the IPA (International Politics Association), to discuss 'The Case for Israel', tickets costing £5 with an undisclosed location and even an undisclosed speaker until an hour before the event.
The members of several groups including the Scottish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, St Andrews Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, Jews for Justice, St Andrews University Left Society and the Scottish Socialist Party, whom had been raising awareness in the form of a stall outside the presumed event location Holy Trinity Church on South Street, decided to protest the event. Reception of the stall went well, manifesting in a mass of locals and students who joined the above groups. Despite this and the large police presence at the church the location was changed approximately an hour before it was scheduled to happen, and so the 150 protesters took to the streets heading for the New Medicine Building (the new location) to protest outside.
The police were hospitable but protesters had to stay behind an erected barricade during the entrance of ticket holders. The security was high with some 40 Police men and women, University security on the door, and Ron's own security force inside. 5 People were refused entry for no apparent reason, one was simply wearing a Palestinian scarf for fashion reasons, after refusal of entry he joined the protest, one man was told he could not enter as he had a criminal record a "fact" which turned out to be untrue. All this added to the passion of the protesters.
The high security meant that it took an hour for all the people wishing to hear the speaker to enter the building, after this had happened the protesters moved to a window where they could see the event and disrupt it from, it was apparent that their chants could be heard inside.
After the event Ron sped off in his vehicles. The protest lasted a good three hours and was successful in disruption with some ticket holders deciding to join the protest rather than entering. Those who joined should be pleased with the achievements of the day.
Viva Viva Palestina
By James Morris
Showing posts with label Campaign. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Campaign. Show all posts
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
Sunday, 2 May 2010
Protest Called in St Andrews - Scottish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign
Source: SPSC
Protest Scottish visit by ambassador of murder, illegal occupation and apartheid
Israeli Ambassador, Ron Prosor, will be given a platform in Holy Trinity Church, St Andrews on Tuesday 4 May to make the case for Israel's crimes. The least of these crimes was the recent use of British passports by an Israeli murder squad in Dubai.
The ambassador of blood, white phosphorus, starvation and theft will appear in St Andrews at a time when Scottish civil society, from Government to grassroots organisations, has become increasingly aware of Israel's violations of Palestinian rights, not to mention basic norms of human decency.
Nuclear-armed Israel, which has attacked its neighbours on many occasions and openly plans to attack Iran, faces the possibility of prosecution at the International Criminal Court following the UN's Goldstone report. It is a scandal that the International Politics Association in St Andrews is providing a platform for the ambassador of a rogue state.
Assemble Holy Trinity Church, South Street, St Andrews at 5pm
Join Palestine solidarity stalls in St Andrews from 12noon on Tuesday 4th May - visit the SPSC Website.
Protest Scottish visit by ambassador of murder, illegal occupation and apartheid
Israeli Ambassador, Ron Prosor, will be given a platform in Holy Trinity Church, St Andrews on Tuesday 4 May to make the case for Israel's crimes. The least of these crimes was the recent use of British passports by an Israeli murder squad in Dubai.
The ambassador of blood, white phosphorus, starvation and theft will appear in St Andrews at a time when Scottish civil society, from Government to grassroots organisations, has become increasingly aware of Israel's violations of Palestinian rights, not to mention basic norms of human decency.
Nuclear-armed Israel, which has attacked its neighbours on many occasions and openly plans to attack Iran, faces the possibility of prosecution at the International Criminal Court following the UN's Goldstone report. It is a scandal that the International Politics Association in St Andrews is providing a platform for the ambassador of a rogue state.
Assemble Holy Trinity Church, South Street, St Andrews at 5pm
Join Palestine solidarity stalls in St Andrews from 12noon on Tuesday 4th May - visit the SPSC Website.
Monday, 22 March 2010
Green protestors set up camp near Oakley - Dunfermline Press
A GROUP of activists have climbed trees and started a protest camp on the Blair House open cast coal site near Oakley.
Around 20 campaigners are involved in the protest and say they are acting in solidarity with local opponents of the development.
UK Coal were given permission to mine 720,000 tonnes of fuel on the site despite 150 objections.
The activists say trees have been chopped down as part of preparatory work and they are acting to prevent any more being lost.
Fiona Richards, one of the protestors, said, "This new coal mine is only one of 20 such others to have recently been given planning permission in Scotland.
"If we are to have any chance of limting dangerous climate change and protecting communities from carbon intensive industries direct action must be taken as councillors, mining companies and the Government have shown their unwillingness to solve the problems we face."
West Fife villages councillor Gerry McMullan was planning to visit the protestors this afternoon (Monday).
He said, "I was one of the few councillors to vote against this development especially given the site's close proximity to homes in the area.
"However, during that democratic decision making process we heard nothing from this group who are Johnny Come Latelys on this issue.
"They're not interested in health or the environment. All they're interested in is causing disruption."
For Fife police, Chief Superintendant Brian Plastow said, "This appears to be a peaceful protest and there has been no impact on the local roads or public, We will continue to liaise with the protestors and monitor their actions."
Around 20 campaigners are involved in the protest and say they are acting in solidarity with local opponents of the development.
UK Coal were given permission to mine 720,000 tonnes of fuel on the site despite 150 objections.
The activists say trees have been chopped down as part of preparatory work and they are acting to prevent any more being lost.
Fiona Richards, one of the protestors, said, "This new coal mine is only one of 20 such others to have recently been given planning permission in Scotland.
"If we are to have any chance of limting dangerous climate change and protecting communities from carbon intensive industries direct action must be taken as councillors, mining companies and the Government have shown their unwillingness to solve the problems we face."
West Fife villages councillor Gerry McMullan was planning to visit the protestors this afternoon (Monday).
He said, "I was one of the few councillors to vote against this development especially given the site's close proximity to homes in the area.
"However, during that democratic decision making process we heard nothing from this group who are Johnny Come Latelys on this issue.
"They're not interested in health or the environment. All they're interested in is causing disruption."
For Fife police, Chief Superintendant Brian Plastow said, "This appears to be a peaceful protest and there has been no impact on the local roads or public, We will continue to liaise with the protestors and monitor their actions."
Monday, 17 August 2009
Appeal for support from Scottish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign activists on trial for ‘racism’
An arrest warrant was issued at Friday’s court hearing against Sofiah MacLeod, Scottish PSC Secretary currently in Palestine witnessing Israel’s racist dispossesion of Palestinians. The warrant was cancelled shortly afterwards, however. Sofiah will bring her recent experiences of Israeli state-driven racism when she goes on trial accused of ‘racism’. Three of the other four accused will similarly produce evidence from first-hand experience of Israel’s programme of ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.
On trial for ‘racially aggravated conduct’ are five Scots who responded to the Palestinian appeal for boycott of Israel. We protested a visit by the Israeli state-sponsored Jerusalem Quartet to the 2008 Edinburgh International Festival. Next appearance in Edinburgh Sherriff Court is on Thursday October 1st, when our lawyers will argue to dismiss the case against us .
The Scottish legal authorities will attempt to prove that shouting ‘End the siege of Gaza’, and ‘Boycott Israel’ equals ‘racism’. We five will argue that boycott of Israel is a duty while that State violates every canon of international law.
This is a political show-trial, encouraged by the stated positions of the British Government, and is aimed at intimidating Palestine supporters. We shall certainly not be intimdated: last year we saw off some Zionist rascals from SCoJeC (Scottish Council of Jewish Communities) who were unwise enough to claim in print that Scottish PSC is anti-Semitic. They then had to pulp 6,000 copies of a book, Scotland’s Jews, in open admission that the claim was without foundation and libellous.
We will show in our defence/attack that
1.we are bound to oppose grave Israeli crimes and British Government complicity in those crimes, including political, diplomatic, economic and military support for Israeli Governments
2.the nearest domestic political equivalent in Britain to the factions in the Isaeli Government is the neo-Nazi British National Party (BNP)
3.Israel is an apartheid state as defined in international law
the Palestinian-inspired BDS campaign is a duty for consistent supporters of human rights, i.e. those who repudiate a racist attitude that Palestinians, Iraqis, Afghans and others have a lesser entitlement than others
4. the Jerusalem Quartet are indeed, as we claim, institutionally linked to the Israeli Army and its State, and thus to be boycotted by human rights supporters
Expert witnesses - Palestinians, Israelis and others - will show that the growing support for the Palestinian BDS appeal is
justified by
1. the history of ethnic cleansing carried out by the Zionist movement and its State from 1948 to the present
2. the conscious determination of the Israeli State to continue with further criminal acts of ethnic cleansing
3. the failure of the British Government to honour its international legal obligations to opppose Israeli apartheid, specifically the illegal Wall and settlement building
Witnesses who have agreed to give expert evidence or personal testimonies for the defence include:
Leila Khaled, Palestinian refugee and resistance fighter, Member of Palestinian National Council
Dr. Ghada Karmi, Palestinian writer and academic
Omar Barghouti PACBI (Palestinian Academic and Cultural Boycott)
Dr. Hisham Genayem, Palestinian refugee and surgeon
Dr. Moshe Machover, Israeli academic and anti-Zionist political activist
Dr. Michael Kearney, University of York (t.b.c)
Dr. Keith Hammond, University of Glasgow
Yael Kahn, Israeli human rights activist
Marion Woolfson, Hon. President of Scottish PSC
Liz Elkind, ex-President of the STUC, moved successful report and recommendation for BDS at STUC 2009 Perth Conference
Tony Greenstein, (JBIG) Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods
Rt. Hon. Peter Hain MP, veteran anti-apartheid campaigner in the 70’s, Chair of Stop All Racist Tours (awaiting reply)
Members of the public who witnessed the protest during the performance
BBC sound technicians who recorded the entire event (awaiting reply)
We are asking supporters to
1. send letters of support to campaign@scottishpsc.org.uk
2. invite one of the accused to speak and explain the background and aims of the campaign to your trade union, political party branch, mosque, church or campaign group
3. turn up outside, and inside, the Court on October 1st and later sessions
make a donation to the campaign (Judge Horseburgh criticised the Legal Aid board severely for refusal to provide legal aid to one of the accused.)
4. boycott everything Israeli, except those Israelis supporting Palestinian human and national rights
5. join the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign to help us build this campaign
On trial for ‘racially aggravated conduct’ are five Scots who responded to the Palestinian appeal for boycott of Israel. We protested a visit by the Israeli state-sponsored Jerusalem Quartet to the 2008 Edinburgh International Festival. Next appearance in Edinburgh Sherriff Court is on Thursday October 1st, when our lawyers will argue to dismiss the case against us .
The Scottish legal authorities will attempt to prove that shouting ‘End the siege of Gaza’, and ‘Boycott Israel’ equals ‘racism’. We five will argue that boycott of Israel is a duty while that State violates every canon of international law.
This is a political show-trial, encouraged by the stated positions of the British Government, and is aimed at intimidating Palestine supporters. We shall certainly not be intimdated: last year we saw off some Zionist rascals from SCoJeC (Scottish Council of Jewish Communities) who were unwise enough to claim in print that Scottish PSC is anti-Semitic. They then had to pulp 6,000 copies of a book, Scotland’s Jews, in open admission that the claim was without foundation and libellous.
We will show in our defence/attack that
1.we are bound to oppose grave Israeli crimes and British Government complicity in those crimes, including political, diplomatic, economic and military support for Israeli Governments
2.the nearest domestic political equivalent in Britain to the factions in the Isaeli Government is the neo-Nazi British National Party (BNP)
3.Israel is an apartheid state as defined in international law
the Palestinian-inspired BDS campaign is a duty for consistent supporters of human rights, i.e. those who repudiate a racist attitude that Palestinians, Iraqis, Afghans and others have a lesser entitlement than others
4. the Jerusalem Quartet are indeed, as we claim, institutionally linked to the Israeli Army and its State, and thus to be boycotted by human rights supporters
Expert witnesses - Palestinians, Israelis and others - will show that the growing support for the Palestinian BDS appeal is
justified by
1. the history of ethnic cleansing carried out by the Zionist movement and its State from 1948 to the present
2. the conscious determination of the Israeli State to continue with further criminal acts of ethnic cleansing
3. the failure of the British Government to honour its international legal obligations to opppose Israeli apartheid, specifically the illegal Wall and settlement building
Witnesses who have agreed to give expert evidence or personal testimonies for the defence include:
Leila Khaled, Palestinian refugee and resistance fighter, Member of Palestinian National Council
Dr. Ghada Karmi, Palestinian writer and academic
Omar Barghouti PACBI (Palestinian Academic and Cultural Boycott)
Dr. Hisham Genayem, Palestinian refugee and surgeon
Dr. Moshe Machover, Israeli academic and anti-Zionist political activist
Dr. Michael Kearney, University of York (t.b.c)
Dr. Keith Hammond, University of Glasgow
Yael Kahn, Israeli human rights activist
Marion Woolfson, Hon. President of Scottish PSC
Liz Elkind, ex-President of the STUC, moved successful report and recommendation for BDS at STUC 2009 Perth Conference
Tony Greenstein, (JBIG) Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods
Rt. Hon. Peter Hain MP, veteran anti-apartheid campaigner in the 70’s, Chair of Stop All Racist Tours (awaiting reply)
Members of the public who witnessed the protest during the performance
BBC sound technicians who recorded the entire event (awaiting reply)
We are asking supporters to
1. send letters of support to campaign@scottishpsc.org.uk
2. invite one of the accused to speak and explain the background and aims of the campaign to your trade union, political party branch, mosque, church or campaign group
3. turn up outside, and inside, the Court on October 1st and later sessions
make a donation to the campaign (Judge Horseburgh criticised the Legal Aid board severely for refusal to provide legal aid to one of the accused.)
4. boycott everything Israeli, except those Israelis supporting Palestinian human and national rights
5. join the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign to help us build this campaign
Wednesday, 17 June 2009
Crunch Time for Trident - Sing Out For Peace - 20th June
'Join with us (CND) to march and sing for peace and against the Government's plan to spend billions of pounds on nuclear weapons.
Saturday, 20 June 2009, 11:00am - 2:00pm
11 am Assemble George Square Glasgow
11.30 am March Off from city centre to Kelvingrove Park
12.30 pm Sing Out for Peace, Kelvingrove Park
Compere Dave Anderson. Choirs including Protest in Harmony and Euradyce.
Organised by Scotland's for Peace'
Quoting Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Saturday, 20 June 2009, 11:00am - 2:00pm
11 am Assemble George Square Glasgow
11.30 am March Off from city centre to Kelvingrove Park
12.30 pm Sing Out for Peace, Kelvingrove Park
Compere Dave Anderson. Choirs including Protest in Harmony and Euradyce.
Organised by Scotland's for Peace'
Quoting Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Sunday, 17 May 2009
Make Greed History Update
The Make Greed History (SSP European Elections Campaign) was officially launched on the 13th of May in Dynamic Earth Edinburgh attended by former MSP for the Lothians Colin Fox (top of the SSP EU Election List), the SSP’s youngest candidate Angela Gorrie and Willie Marshall Secretary of Scotland No.2 Branch CWU (Postal).The campaign is now well under way with the party being featured in the BBC's Politics Today and by an array of news sources. Our Election Broadcast will take place on the 21st of May on BBC 2 at 17:55 and BBC 1 at 18:55.
However the SSP need to raise £15,000 to pay for the election campaign. To date we have raised £11,500 from our members, supporter and friends for the campaign fund.
If you wish to help the SSP in the Euro Elections you can make a financial contribution* to the fund by texting Jim McVicar your donation details to 07810205747 with your e mail address, he willl get back to you with the details of how to pay your donation to the SSP Euro Election Fund.
*The SSP can only accept financial donations from UK registered voters
Pictures from the Campaighn Launch (taken by Eddie Truman and Craig Maclean):
However the SSP need to raise £15,000 to pay for the election campaign. To date we have raised £11,500 from our members, supporter and friends for the campaign fund.
If you wish to help the SSP in the Euro Elections you can make a financial contribution* to the fund by texting Jim McVicar your donation details to 07810205747 with your e mail address, he willl get back to you with the details of how to pay your donation to the SSP Euro Election Fund.
*The SSP can only accept financial donations from UK registered voters
Pictures from the Campaighn Launch (taken by Eddie Truman and Craig Maclean):
Tuesday, 12 May 2009
St Andrews Make Greed History Stall Success
Three Taycoast Branch SSP members along with two members of the University of St Andrews' Left Society ran a successful Make Greed History stall this Monday to help gain local interest in the campaign.
It was recieved generally well by the public with the group gaining a few hundred signatures for a 'Say No to Privatising the Post Office' petition, as well as handing out numerous campaign leaflets.
It is hoped that the five will meet again prior to election day (details will be left on this blog for anyone else interested in attending).
It was recieved generally well by the public with the group gaining a few hundred signatures for a 'Say No to Privatising the Post Office' petition, as well as handing out numerous campaign leaflets.
It is hoped that the five will meet again prior to election day (details will be left on this blog for anyone else interested in attending).
Saturday, 9 May 2009
Make Greed History Stall - St Andrews - This Monday
There will be a Make Greed History (SSP European Elections) Stall in St Andrews this Monday from 10.30am till mid-afternoon.
We will be distributing Make Greed History Leaflets, selling copies of the Scottish Socialist Voice and attempting to gain stickers for the Make Greed History Petition.
If you are interested in getting involved and coming to help at the stall meet across from St Andrews Post Office (South Street), near to Holy Trinity Church, or contact James (07854444640).
We will be distributing Make Greed History Leaflets, selling copies of the Scottish Socialist Voice and attempting to gain stickers for the Make Greed History Petition.
If you are interested in getting involved and coming to help at the stall meet across from St Andrews Post Office (South Street), near to Holy Trinity Church, or contact James (07854444640).
Sunday, 3 May 2009
Edinburgh May Day - Big Success
The SSPs European Election Campaign - Make Greed History had its first outing yesterday where the parties banners took pride of place in the Edinburgh May Day March (celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Cuban Revolution).
Hundreds turned out to participate in and watch the march and rally, giving the SSP a superb chance to start distributing campaign leaflets which were received with pleasure and support.
Click Here To Visit The Make Greed History Homepage
Hundreds turned out to participate in and watch the march and rally, giving the SSP a superb chance to start distributing campaign leaflets which were received with pleasure and support.
Click Here To Visit The Make Greed History Homepage
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