Public Meeting: Justice for Gaza-London protesters 2nd March
Next Tuesday March 2nd, 6.30 pm - 8.30 pm, House of Commons (St Stephens entrance, allow plenty of time to get through security).
Speakers include: Jeremy Corbyn MP; George Galloway MP; Ben Soffa, PSC; Andrew Murray, Stop the War; British Muslim Initiative and others
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign, British Muslim Initiative and Stop the War coalition have called a public meeting to discuss the shocking sentences given to those who protested against Israel's assault on Gaza last year as a ‘deterrent' for future protesters.
Seventeen people - all Muslim - have already been given extremely harsh and
disproportionate custodial sentences to the alleged offence of violent disorder. Last week, a 19 year old aspiring to be a dentist, was sentenced to a year in prison for throwing a water bottle in the direction of the Israeli embassy. Despite the judge's admission that the young man had an excellent character and the bottle thrown did not hurt anyone, he wanted ‘to send a message of deterrent to the rest of the community'.
The court has also failed to take into account any evidence of police brutality - including beating up protesters and refusing to allow them to leave - and had used the controversial "kettling" technique.
For further information about the meeting please contact the PSC office.
Read more about this miscarriage of justice here, including an excellent article by Seumas Milne in this week's Guardian.
Planning for the Global BDS Action: 27th - 30th March
With the Global Day of Action only a month away, the PSC urges all activists to start planning:
- 1. Take action: Go into your local supermarket with friends and raise the boycott - get leaflets/stickers/badges from the PSC office.
- 2. Stunts: Organise an eye-catching event with your local group - maybe do a supermarket crawl round the town centre!
- 3. Order materials: Use our new ‘ban settlement goods' postcards - get your family, work colleagues and friends to fill them in too!
- 4. Media work: Do an advance press release to make your local media aware of what action you plan to.
- 5. Engaging communities: Involve your local Palestine student societies; trade union branches; faith groups and other sympathetic organisations. Make the BDS target relevant to each group - e.g. if a university has a contract with Eden Springs or Veolia, focus the student work towards that company.
- 6. Spread the word: Facebook, twitter, letters in the local paper, blogs, articles in trade union and student magazines are all ways to let different audiences know what you intend to do and just how their everyday actions - such as buying a particular herb - may in fact be supporting the Israeli occupation.
Let us know what you are planning to do by emailing info@palestinecampaign.org. Look out for more information about what is happening in your local area and what you can do on the PSC website.
BDS News: New EU Ruling - West Bank goods are not Israeli
In a new ruling touching on the status of the West Bank, the European Union Court of Justice said the disputed area is not part of Israel and Israeli goods made there are subject to EU import duties ( no preferential tratement under the EU-Israel trade agreement such as waiver of custom duties).
Plus: BNC response to French PM's insinuations about BDS work.
PETITION: Allow Palestinian farmers to participate in fair-trade fortnight
Three Palestinian farmers denied visas by the government for fair-trade fortnight These farmers, whose olive oil is the only one in the world to carry the Fair-trade mark,
have been invited by a UK social enterprise, Zaytoun, and were to be accompanied by a leading British NGO. The shocking refusal to allow those producers from newly certified Fair-trade Cooperatives into the UK to attend events across England, Wales and Scotland, comes exactly one year after the Prime Minister endorsed the scheme. Sign the petition here.
Plus: Fairtrade fortnight - Organise a olive oil tasting and events guide
International tribunal on EU Complicity in the occupation of Palestine next week
The first international session of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine will be held in Barcelona on the 1, 2 and 3 March to consider the extent to which the European Union and its member states are complicit in the ongoing occupation of Palestinian territory and in Israel's violations of the rights of the Palestinian people.
Live streaming it will start on 1st March at 10am here: http://www.bcnsolidaria.tv/tv/
NEWS:
Mass arrest of children in Jalazun refugee camp West Bank strike over Israeli tomb heritage claimJamal Juma: Up against the wall: challenging Israel's impunity
BDS news: Scandinavian financial institutions drop Elbit due to BDS pressure
Israeli blockades preventing reconstruction in Gaza
Efforts underway to 'bury' UN Gaza report
EVENTS:
- 1st March: Parliamentary report back event on the successful trip to the occupied Gaza Strip
- Ronnie Kasrils and Ilan Pappe on Israel and Apartheid, 10 March, 7pm, House of Commons.
- PSC & MEMO Public meeting with Karen Abu Zayd: ‘Palestinian human rights and justice after the Goldstone report' Karen Abu-Zayd was UNWRA's Commissioner-General in Gaza. 24th March, 7.30pm, Cayley Theatre, Luxborough building, Westminster University.