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.

A Hyde Park Democracy - from London to Palestine

(removed as per author's request) | 18.07.2006 12:43 | Analysis | Repression | London | World

The emergency conference called by ‘Stop the War’ on the crisis in Palestine drew a packed house. After a promising start we were left with the same options, a candle lit vigil and a state sanctioned march. With Gaza being bombed day and night surely it is time to step out of our comfort zone and reflect the courage of Palestinians.

‘A Hyde Park Democracy’
by ***** (removed as per author's request) 18/07/06

The emergency conference called by ‘Stop the War’ on the crisis in Palestine drew a packed house. Speakers varied their addresses to the audience; the relationship between Israel and the US, the links between Israel and Iran, and the damning of the UK’s silent complicity, were high on the respective presenter’s agendas. These areas are important but I was there to meet with people and discuss forms of direct action that would reflect the courage Palestinians have shown for decades. None of the speakers opened the floor out for discussion about forms of direct action. What we were given were the following options, a candle vigil in Parliament Square and a march in London. Dr. Mustafa Barghouti’s speech available on ‘War on Wants’ web-site asks for international support, asks that we organise forms of civil disobedience, and asks that we bring the truth of what is happening to Palestinians out into the public domain. A protest march, one that follows well worn routes, past fluttering flags and the eyes of watching police is a ‘state sanctioned march.’ It is what those in the Middle-East laughingly call a ‘Hyde Park democracy’ where the English are allowed to march by the state. What I would like to see are forms of civil disobedience that reflect the courage of Palestinians. The courage that bears witness to a people’s resistance of an occupation on a daily basis over decades. In order to reflect that courage we must step out of our comfort zones, take inspiration from those activists before us. Get creative organise die-ins, get your cars and ram the roads outside MPs homes, surround houses, buildings with bodies, people, cars, fences whatever comes from your imagination. Why must we now do something different? In July Dr. Juma Al Sakka (2006) from Gaza stated, “the Israeli military are using new forms of chemical warfare. “Israeli bombings are entering the body and fragmenting, causing internal combustion leading to up to fourth degree internal burns, exposing the bone, and affecting the tissue and skin." The doctor added, "These tissues die, they do not survive, which obliges us to perform arm or leg amputations, and there are fragments which penetrate the body and do not show up on X-rays. When entering the body they spark like a combustion firearm, but not chemically. They seem radioactive.” This is one of the hideous realities of Gaza. Dr. Mustafa Barghouti ended his speech by stating, “There comes a time when people can no longer endure injustice that time has come to Palestine.” Let us all reflect the integrity of these words through the actions we now take.

(removed as per author's request)
- e-mail: (removed as per author's request)

Comments

Display the following comment

  1. advanced 'ologyism — tool of justice
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