Skip Navigation | HOME | UK Indymedia | Editorial Guidelines | Mission Statement | About Us | Contact | Help | Support Us

manchester Indymedia

Demonstration against Israeli exhibition at the Scottish Parliament

Paul O'Hanlon | 01.05.2010 21:00 | University Occupations for Gaza | Anti-militarism | Anti-racism | Palestine | World

There was a demonstration outside the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday 26th April 2010 from noon to about 1.35pm when around 70 people turned up to listen to a number of speakers condemn the exhibition.






















Demonstration against Israeli exhibition at Scottish Parliament on April 26th 2010



There was an exhibition of `Israel’s contribution to medicine, Science and Technology’ at the Scottish Parliament which ran for three days from Tuesday April 26th through to Thursday April 28th. The exhibition was organised by ‘Scottish Friends of Israel’ and Labour MSP for Eastwood Kenneth Macintosh. (Eastwood is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament which borders onto North Ayrshire, East Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire and the City of Glasgow.)


[In January 2005 Kenneth Macintosh (Eastwood, Labour) asked then First Minister Mr Jack McConnell how Scotland would commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and the end of World War Two.

Mr McConnell said that there are a number of events to commemorate the holocaust and that he would be attending a memorial service in Hamilton later that evening. He also revealed that education packs in schools will be launched to educate pupils on the horror of WW2. ]


There was a demonstration outside the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday 26th April 2010 from noon to about 1.35pm when around 70 people turned up to listen to a number of speakers condemn the exhibition.

Introduced by chair Mick Napier of the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign the first speaker was Bill Kidd of the SNP (Scottish National Party). He said that he was ashamed that the Scottish Parliament had allowed the exhibition and drew attention to the 400 symbolic Palestinian coffins which were arranged in rows outside the Parliament.

The second speaker was Khalid Awaisi from Dundee, though originally from Hebron in the occupied West Bank. Khalid said that 400 children had been killed in the Israeli assault on Gaza during operation ‘Cast Lead’ which lasted from December 27th 2008 to January 22nd 2009. He spoke of the daily humiliation of Palestinians at Israeli checkpoints in Hebron. He added that the amount of settling in the West Bank is increasing.

Next speaker Rab Paterson of the Midlothian Trade Union Council told of the British support for Israel.


Then Dr Sarah Glynn of Scottish Jews for a Just Peace spoke. She said that the idea that all Jews support Israel is propaganda. Jews who criticise Israel are accused of being racist and ‘self-hating Jews’. She went on to say that “We do not like colonialism” and she also said that she and other Jews like Alice Coy (who had come from Glasgow) were there to counter propaganda.

Around ten to one former Independent MSP for Falkirk West Dennis Canavan spoke, he told of the time he had been trying to cross the Allenby Bridge between Jordan and the West Bank when he was ordered around by an Israeli soldier with a gun. He opined that there should be self determination for the Palestinians.

A British Doctor who wished only to be identified as ‘Colin’ addressed the assembly. He told of the horrible injuries caused to the human body by phosphorus. He related a story of how a female doctor was so traumatised in treating a child with wounds caused by phosphorus that she was unable to continue.


The following speaker was Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP for Central Scotland Hugh O’Donnell. He told the crowd of the 17 hour boat trip from Larnaca in Cyprus to Gaza which was intercepted half way across by Israeli supply boats. The mission was to deliver one and a half tons of medical supplies to the people of Gaza. The delegation returned to Scotland taking two Gazans with them.

Mick Napier of the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign said that the multinational French company Veolia had lost contracts worth billion of Euros in Stockholm, Sweden and contracts worth hundreds of millions of Euros in Bordeaux, France as a result of the boycott movement. (Veolia has activities in four main areas - water supply and water management, waste management, energy and transport services.)


Edith Constable from Dundee spoke next to say that she had not campaigned vigorously for a Scottish Parliament so that it could have an Israeli exhibition in it.


There was a contribution from Eddie Truman of the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) before Carole Alubaid of Women in Black spoke. She told of the Israelis who are claiming holy sites in Iraq and also condemned the use of pilotless drones in Pakistan.



Then Kevin Connor of Scottish Palestine Solidarity spoke to say that anger had to be turned in to activity. Israel, he said, does not fear anger; Israel fears boycott and sanctions. Kevin went on to say that politicians need pushing.


Then Egyptian Scot Mahmoud Mahdy spoke to condemn the dictatorship in Egypt and to say that 99.9% of the people there are against the war. Egypt and Muslims are at one in their opposition to the Apartheid wall separating Israel and the West Bank.



Rafat Abu Shaban from Gaza thanked all those present and reminded everyone that the siege of Gaza is still going on.

At 1.35pm Mick Napier closed the event by saying that the BNP (British National Party) has sided with Israel. He jokingly apologised to the police for using a loudspeaker as these are often banned at demonstrations in Edinburgh.




20 photos of the day are included



Related websites:

1/ Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign:  http://www.scottishpsc.org.uk/

2/ Scottish Friends of Israel:  http://www.scottishfriendsofisrael.org/index.html

3/ Kenneth Macintosh MSP:  http://www.kenmacintoshmsp.co.uk/

4/ BBC Scotland News report:  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8646606.stm

5/ Another Indymedia report of the event:  http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2010/04/449973.html

Paul O'Hanlon
- e-mail: o_hanlon@hotmail.com

Download this article in pdf format >>

Email this article to someone >>

Submit an addition or make a quick comment on this article >>

Comments

Display the following 2 comments

  1. Tumbleweed — Pete
  2. @Pete — anon

Publish

Publish your news

Do you need help with publishing?

Kollektives

Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World

Other UK IMCs
Bristol/South West
London
Northern Indymedia
Scotland

Manchester Topics

Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista

Manchester Actions 2010

Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands

Manchester Actions 2009

COP15 Climate Summit 2009
G20 London Summit
Guantánamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
University Occupations for Gaza

Manchester Actions 2008

2008 Days Of Action For Autonomous Spaces
Campaign against Carmel-Agrexco
Climate Camp 2008
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Smash EDO
Stop Sequani Animal Testing
Stop the BNP's Red White and Blue festival

Manchester Actions 2007

Climate Camp 2007
DSEi 2007
G8 Germany 2007
Mayday 2007
No Border Camp 2007

Manchester Actions 2006

April 2006 No Borders Days of Action
Art and Activism Caravan 2006
Climate Camp 2006
Faslane
French CPE uprising 2006
G8 Russia 2006
Lebanon War 2006
March 18 Anti War Protest
Mayday 2006
Oaxaca Uprising
Refugee Week 2006
Rossport Solidarity
SOCPA
Transnational Day of Action Against Migration Controls
WSF 2006

Manchester Actions 2005

DSEi 2005
G8 2005
WTO Hong Kong 2005

Manchester Actions 2004

European Social Forum
FBI Server Seizure
May Day 2004
Venezuela

Manchester Actions 2003

Bush 2003
DSEi 2003
Evian G8
May Day 2003
No War F15
Saloniki Prisoner Support
Thessaloniki EU
WSIS 2003

Languages

english

IMCs


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