A huge banner bearing the words "Stop Israel's Apartheid Wall" was draped across
a high building on Edinburgh's busy Princes street last Saturday, September
27th. The stunt coincided with a rally on the Mound nearby, one of hundreds
around the world opposing the occupations in Palestine and Iraq. The bold red
lettering was painted over a background depicting the 8 metre-high structure
which virtually encloses the Palestinian town of Qalqilya. This is part of a
"security barrier" Israel is building through the West Bank, which in other
places consists of barbed wire, electrified fences, trenches, ditches, and
roads. When the barrier is completed it is estimated that from 10 to 42% of the
Palestinian West Bank will be effectively annexed on the "Israeli" side of the
barrier. Among a number of activists gathered below was Mick Napier who has
recently returned from Palestine. He said "The wall in itself constitutes a
crime which will, according to Israeli human rights organisations devastate the
lives of many tens of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands of Palestinian
civilians. The same bulldozers which are tearing down the walls of Palestinian
houses may well be involved in helping to build this wall."

Minutes after the banner was unfurled, several police cars and vans arrived at
the scene and arrested three men as they descended from the scaffolding
surrounding the building. They were held for three hours before being released
pending charges. On the streets below the reaction was overwhelmingly positive.
Many members of the public expressed support to the Scottish Palestine
Solidarity Campaign activists who had gathered there. The banner remained in place for around 3 hours until it was removed by
workmen at the request of the police.