Skip to content or view mobile version

Home | Mobile | Editorial | Mission | Privacy | About | Contact | Help | Security | Support

A network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues.

Isreali Ambassador Greeted by Protest During Cambridge Visit.

Cameraboy | 26.10.2014 16:49 | Palestine | Social Struggles | Terror War | Cambridge | World

On Monday October 20th Daniel Taub, the Isreali Ambassador for London visited The Cambridge Debating Union (aka the Union) to speak, and was greeting by a noisy protest.

The view from Park Street.
The view from Park Street.

Fortress Union!
Fortress Union!

Private Security, turned their backs on photographers, but I got this one!
Private Security, turned their backs on photographers, but I got this one!

Police were also present.
Police were also present.

This van had at least half a dozen Isreali State Security in it.
This van had at least half a dozen Isreali State Security in it.

Letting the punters inside the ring of steel.
Letting the punters inside the ring of steel.

Noise at the protest was provided variously by drums...
Noise at the protest was provided variously by drums...

...And Piquetero style saucepans!
...And Piquetero style saucepans!

Banner Art #1
Banner Art #1

Banner Art #2
Banner Art #2

Banner Art #3
Banner Art #3

Banner Art #4 (names of the dead)
Banner Art #4 (names of the dead)

Banner Art #5
Banner Art #5

When I grow up...
When I grow up...

No Left Turn, apparently.
No Left Turn, apparently.

Activists kept up the noise...
Activists kept up the noise...

...Throughout the whole evening.
...Throughout the whole evening.

Greeting attendees with more noise as they left.
Greeting attendees with more noise as they left.

Genuine 'spooks' were in evidence...
Genuine 'spooks' were in evidence...

...and a (mostly likely) bullet proof convoy of 4x4s.
...and a (mostly likely) bullet proof convoy of 4x4s.


According to The Cambridge Student (TCS) newspaper all laptops and 'phones were banned from the debating chamber and the Union's usual live web stream was also switched off.

As well as this the Union building looked like a fortress outside, with in effect a ring of steel fences blocking all entrances, along with not only private security gaurds, but it turns out about half a dozen specialist Isreali state security in attendance, ironically dressed in black shirts.

There was clearly some collusion with the Isreali team and the local police, as they were seen getting into a blue riot van outside on Park Street, and then spirited away at great speed to destination unknown (probably Parkside station).

It would also seem that from speaking to people who attended the talk there was also possibly some selection of questioners going on, as attendees who repeatedly put up their hands to ask Palestine related questions were overlooked.

A coalition of both local Cambridge Palestine Solidarity Campaign (CamPalSoC) and a student Palestine Society surrounded the building throughout the whole session, making their own feelings clear to all inside by being as noisy as possible! This entailed chanting and singing, whistles, drums, loudhailers and piquetero style use of bashing saucepans to maximise decibel levels.

By all accounts the tactic worked, as according to talk attendees, the protest was clearly heard inside the building throughout the whole session.

Things got very interesting at the end when the Abassador left the building, as it was like something from a spy movie. Not only did Mr. Taub have a convoy of three 4x4 vehicles in tow with blacked windows, but also a full complement of dark coated 'spooks', replete with the requsite head mounted comms and prerequisite bad attitude.

One of those spooks, on seeing me taking pictures made a special effort to cross Bridge Street and push me about! It didn't work, as I'd already got some pictures (including his), which are published here.

Nice to know that freedom of the press is so important to them.

The Union itself was recently rescued from financial oblivion (an approximately £700k debt) by a controversial teaming up with Deloitte, although when they continue to book controversial speakers like Daniel Taub, which compells them to spend who-knows-how-much on private security it should come as no surprise they got into trouble.

Cameraboy
- Homepage: http://campalsoc.org/

Upcoming Coverage
View and post events
Upcoming Events UK
24th October, London: 2015 London Anarchist Bookfair
2nd - 8th November: Wrexham, Wales, UK & Everywhere: Week of Action Against the North Wales Prison & the Prison Industrial Complex. Cymraeg: Wythnos o Weithredu yn Erbyn Carchar Gogledd Cymru

Ongoing UK
Every Tuesday 6pm-8pm, Yorkshire: Demo/vigil at NSA/NRO Menwith Hill US Spy Base More info: CAAB.

Every Tuesday, UK & worldwide: Counter Terror Tuesdays. Call the US Embassy nearest to you to protest Obama's Terror Tuesdays. More info here

Every day, London: Vigil for Julian Assange outside Ecuadorian Embassy

Parliament Sq Protest: see topic page
Ongoing Global
Rossport, Ireland: see topic page
Israel-Palestine: Israel Indymedia | Palestine Indymedia
Oaxaca: Chiapas Indymedia
Regions
All Regions
Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World
Other Local IMCs
Bristol/South West
Nottingham
Scotland
Social Media
You can follow @ukindymedia on indy.im and Twitter. We are working on a Twitter policy. We do not use Facebook, and advise you not to either.
Support Us
We need help paying the bills for hosting this site, please consider supporting us financially.
Other Media Projects
Schnews
Dissident Island Radio
Corporate Watch
Media Lens
VisionOnTV
Earth First! Action Update
Earth First! Action Reports
Topics
All Topics
Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista
Major Reports
NATO 2014
G8 2013
Workfare
2011 Census Resistance
Occupy Everywhere
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands
G20 London Summit
University Occupations for Gaza
Guantanamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
COP15 Climate Summit 2009
Carmel Agrexco
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Stop Sequani
Stop RWB
Climate Camp 2008
Oaxaca Uprising
Rossport Solidarity
Smash EDO
SOCPA
Past Major Reports
Encrypted Page
You are viewing this page using an encrypted connection. If you bookmark this page or send its address in an email you might want to use the un-encrypted address of this page.
If you recieved a warning about an untrusted root certificate please install the CAcert root certificate, for more information see the security page.

Global IMC Network


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech