Nottinghamshire Indymedia

Events

Startpage

> UK Indymedia
> Global Indymedia

> Guidelines
> Chatroom
> About Us
> Security

> Projects
> On Ya Mobile
> Local Weather

Support Us

We are an all volunteer collective and receive no regular funding. Please consider donating.


Local Events

This events wire is no longer being updated. Please use the new site to publicise events.

More local events on Veggies/Sumac Diary


Freedom of Information

Search archives

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
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista

Kollektives

Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World

Other UK IMCs
Bristol/South West
London
Northern Indymedia
Scotland

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

Gaza: Weekend of Protest Across the Midlands

Notts IMC | 20.01.2009 18:59 | Palestine | Terror War

On Saturday 17th January Israel declared a "unilateral ceasefire," ending (for the timebeing at least) the brutal assault on Gaza it began on 27th December. With the full extent of the devestation wrought only now becoming clear, protests against the attack and wider Israeli policy towards the Palestinians continued up to and beyond this declaration. The "ceasefire" came during a weekend of protests against the assault in Nottingham and across the Midlands, building on a widespread sense of anger, particularly amongst Muslim communities.

On Friday 16th January there was a vigil outside the Council House. Around 150 people attended and were addresed by a range of speakers. The next day there was a very large march from the Forest Recreation Ground to Market Square, with a rally next to the statue of Brian Clough. On Monday 19th January, a number of Nottingham residents made their way to UAV engines in Staffordshire to protest against the company's involvement in the production of Israeli military drones.

Previous Feature: Nottingham Responds to Gaza Massacre

Newswire: Protest at Arms to Israel from Staffordshire | Gaza Protest March Through Nottingham to Market Sq : Pix 1 | 2 | Nottingham Gaza Protest 'candle-lit' Vigil : Pix 1 | 2 | Stop the Slaughter in Gaza - Lincoln Protest | Nottingham Gaza Emergency Protest: Pics 1 | 2 | Gaza Public Meeting at Bobbers Mill Community Centre

Links: Nottingham Stop the War Coalition | Free Gaza | Palestine Solidarity Campaign | Indymedia Notts Palestine topic page



On Friday 16th January from 5.30pm onwards, there was a Protest 'candle-lit' Vigil outside the Council House in the Old Market Square on Friday evening, called by Nottingham Stop the War Coalition, Nottingham Mosques and supported by many groups. People began to gather from 5:30pm, some coming straight from work. There were speakers, including Alan Simpson MP (Lab, Nottingham South), Hicham Yezza from Nottingham University (recently wrongly imprisoned under the terrorism laws), Nottingham City Labour councillors and others. There was a chance for members of the crowd to express their opinions as well as a silence to remember the Palestinians and Israelis killed during the conflict.

On Saturday 17th January people began meeting at 10.30 am on the Forest Recreation Ground. Again, this had been called by Nottingham Stop the War Coalition and was supported by all the Nottingham Mosques. Demonstrators assembled with banners, placards, several coffins carried by local children behind a hearse. Numbering as many as a couple of thousand, they marched down the Mansfield Road into the Market Square for a rally once again addressed by assorted local dignitaries.

These protests follow a well-attended rally in the Market Square at the end of last year and a public meeting in Bobbers Mill Community Centre. Like similar events across the UK and the world, these have been large events, drawing in numbers not seen since the run-up to the invasion of Iraq.

On Monday 19th January, Nottingham residents joined campaigners from across the Midlands at at demonstration outside UAV Engines, Lynn Lane, Shenstone, Lichfield. The protest aimed to question whether the company (owned by the Israeli defence contractor Elbit systems) is making engine components for the Hermes 450 drones that the IDF ( Israeli Defence Force) are using to carry out surveillance and targeting for the IDF strike fighters. Elbit's own website states that UAV Ltd produces engines for the Hermes 450. Protesters called for an immediate stop to the UK governments arms exports to Israel.

Elsewhere at least 150 people braved the cold to protest on Lincoln High Street on Saturday 17th January. Organised with only a week's notice, the rally followed an earlier demonstration on 3rd January called by local mosque leaders. Speakers included Muslim community leaders, a Palestinian doctor who had lost 16 family members in the attacks, local councillors, as well as trade unionists and socialists. There was one arrest, a fascist who was taken into custody for refusing to stop openly photographing the men, women and children on the demonstration.

While the current phase in this conflict is over it seems unlikely that the plight of the population of Gaza, facing a humanitarian crisis even before the latest assault, will be resolved quickly. Similarly, the struggle for Palestinian rights will continue even if the story drops from the front pages. A further national demonstration (the third since the Israeli attack began) has been called for the coming Saturday, with transport going from Nottingham.

Notts IMC

Download this article in pdf format >>
Email this article to someone >>
Submit an addition or make a quick comment on this article >>