At a Gaza protest? Post your thoughts here

[Sam_b]

Sorry if this has already been done, or in the wrong place yadda yadda.

Back from the Edinburgh demo which saw an angry and militant response from all over the community. 5,000 on the march (police figure c.3,000) which went past the American consulate and to the First Minister's residence. At one point there was an attempt to occupy or at least obstruct M&S. Speakers on the platorm from various Trade Unions and parties wholeheartedly supporting sanctions and a boycott of Israel. The Stop the War and Scottish Jews for a Just Peace speakers gave highly militant speeches urging for the expulsion of the Israeli Ambassador and to shut down the Israeli Embassy.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/10246953.stm - weak overview by the BBC here.

Will be posting photos when I get them.

[Red Conall]

highly militant speeches urging for the expulsion of the Israeli Ambassador and to shut down the Israeli Embassy.What's "highly" militant about that? I'll be impressed when they call for Israel's unmitigated defeat at the hands of the masses of the Middle East.

[Sam_b]

What's "highly" militant about that?

That a broad organisation is calling to not recognise Israel as a country and to impose sanctions. Look at the context.

[Universal Struggle]

i have to say sam B your a miserable fuck, but i enjoy reading your threads.

Andthe comrade who dismissed this, we must see it in its context, we are not in a revolutionary state yet, this is great and inspires hope.

People do not just become marxists overnight, this is how revolutionary conditions come about, after a long time of working class conciousness rising.

[Sam_b]

As promised:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4056/4672294057_4cec39469c.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1272/4672294369_185158bef3.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4003/4672295735_b46d0da9bd.jpg

More here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/duncanbrown/sets/72157624210728154/)

[Hoggy_RS]

I was at one on monday but couldnt make yesterdays protest in cork as i had work. One of my comrades took these photos:
http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/8088/protest.jpg (http://img295.imageshack.us/i/protest.jpg/)
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/2820/protest1v.jpg (http://img132.imageshack.us/i/protest1v.jpg/)
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/7721/protest2.jpg (http://img405.imageshack.us/i/protest2.jpg/)
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/8172/protest3.jpg (http://img441.imageshack.us/i/protest3.jpg/)

More photos and article:http://www.indymedia.ie/article/96871

[Chambered Word]

Photos from the emergency demo in Perth last week. We had another protest today, will post photos when I get the chance.
http://perth.indymedia.org/storyuploads/151842/_Gaza_0013.JPG
http://perth.indymedia.org/storyuploads/151842/_Gaza_0017.JPG
http://perth.indymedia.org/storyuploads/151841/_Gaza_0022.JPG
http://perth.indymedia.org/storyuploads/151841/_Gaza_0023.JPG
http://perth.indymedia.org/storyuploads/151841/_Gaza_0025.JPG
http://perth.indymedia.org/storyuploads/151841/_Gaza_0027.JPG

[Rusty Shackleford]

i was at a Sacramento protest yesterday, i dont have pics yet but i will at some point.

i was also at another sacramento protest on monday last week on the same issue.

the second one was a bit larget and definitely more honks from traffic :)

the Palestianian/Arab Community organized it and so far they are doing a great job

[Kaze no Kae]

Specifically the national ones yesterday? Fraid not, I had to sit it out cos of leg injuries from a vigil on Thursday (spent a total of about an hour kneeling on the ground chalking "Gaza - bombed, shelled and economically strangled" and "homes, schools, hospitals not repaired since 2008 Gaza bombing because of Israel's blockade of construction material - break the siege now" on the pavement). Turnout at the Manchester demo on Tuesday was phenomenal though, and we almost succeeded in occupying the BBC

[Crux]

The PFLP bloc at the emergency demo in gothenburg:
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs291.snc3/28233_423203384746_516004746_5531370_5995241_n.jpg

[Chambered Word]

I said I'd post the photos from the more recent protest, so here goes. The estimate of numbers was 500, and for Perth that is pretty damn good. Hopefully future protests are even more successful.

http://perth.indymedia.org/storyuploads/151879/_Gaza__0003.JPG
http://perth.indymedia.org/storyuploads/151877/_Gaza__0016.JPG
http://perth.indymedia.org/storyuploads/151877/_Gaza__0017.JPG
http://perth.indymedia.org/storyuploads/151877/_Gaza__0019.JPG
http://perth.indymedia.org/storyuploads/151877/_Gaza__0023.JPG
http://perth.indymedia.org/storyuploads/151877/_Gaza__0025.JPG

This time we marched to the US-Israeli consulates. Hey, at least we got an article in the local news: http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/national/7353954/australians-blast-israel-over-aid-deaths/

http://l.yimg.com/fv/xp/aap/20100606/18/452676251.jpg
The support for Turkey kinda peeves me.

I should mention that on Wednesday the PM Kevin Rudd held a community cabinet meeting in Perth and naturally Friends of Palestine WA turned up. Apparently Rudd completely ignored Alex Whisson and FoPWA when choosing people to ask questions. How typical.

[Absolut]

Ive been to all the protests in my town, and I have to say, Im not going to any more of them. Im sick of it. The social democrats are handing out their flyers and newspapers amongst the crowd, the Left Party is calling for people to vote for them and the Muslims are waving green flags with quotes from the Koran and shouting Allah Akhbar. The only people that are respecting the demonstration and the fact that its a manifestation in solidarity with the Palestinians and not some fucking rally meeting for the social democrats, are the communists. Ill do what I can, when I can, but Im fucking sick of people trying to use the manifestations for their own purpose.

[Chambered Word]

Ive been to all the protests in my town, and I have to say, Im not going to any more of them. Im sick of it. The social democrats are handing out their flyers and newspapers amongst the crowd, the Left Party is calling for people to vote for them and the Muslims are waving green flags with quotes from the Koran and shouting Allah Akhbar. The only people that are respecting the demonstration and the fact that its a manifestation in solidarity with the Palestinians and not some fucking rally meeting for the social democrats, are the communists. Ill do what I can, when I can, but Im fucking sick of people trying to use the manifestations for their own purpose.

People hand out leaflets and sell papers at most protests, from what I've seen and heard it sounds pretty normal. Muslims here sometimes shout 'allahuakhbar', I really don't see why all of this would turn you off going to Gaza protests.

[Barry Lyndon]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt_sYsGFOBM

This was the one I went to in Chicago. A couple hundred showed up, but I was disappointed, I expected there should be more in a city this size. It largely consisted of young Muslim men screaming 'Allahuakhbar!' and the usual socialist groups trying to sell people their shitty newspapers. :bored:

[Devrim]

I didn't go. The protests here were organised by an alliance of right-wing unions, Islamicists and fascists and were backed by the state.

Devrim

[Absolut]

People hand out leaflets and sell papers at most protests, from what I've seen and heard it sounds pretty normal. Muslims here sometimes shout 'allahuakhbar', I really don't see why all of this would turn you off going to Gaza protests.

Because I go to the protests to support the Palestinian people, not to support the social democrats or the Left Party, and certainly not to be shouted allahuakhbar at. I think its shit that people try to use the protests to their own advantage, and I think it shows a complete disrespect for everyone who came only to show their support and solidarity. Apart from that, I think it alienates people.

[Enragé]

^Then try to show in practice a way of action that doesnt alienate, maybe you can even impact the character of whats happening. But don't stay away.

Here in the netherlands there was a demonstration in The Hague, shortly after what happened, with close to 800 people. Then later there were manifestations at the same time in Amsterdam and The hague, in amsterdam 500 showed up in The Hague like a hundred i heard.

On another note: wa allah, bismillah, allah-ou-akbar! :P

[Chambered Word]

Because I go to the protests to support the Palestinian people, not to support the social democrats or the Left Party, and certainly not to be shouted allahuakhbar at. I think its shit that people try to use the protests to their own advantage, and I think it shows a complete disrespect for everyone who came only to show their support and solidarity. Apart from that, I think it alienates people.

I think you're treating demonstrations as simply an event to go to so you can make lots of loud noise without any other purpose. Not that I don't like marching.

I'm becoming curious about the significance of the takbir to Muslim people, especially when they chant it at protests. Are people who chant 'allahuakhbar' all Islamic fanatics?

[Absolut]

I think you're treating demonstrations as simply an event to go to so you can make lots of loud noise without any other purpose. Not that I don't like marching.

And you gather that from my posts how?

What I simply dont like, is people using protests like these for their own political or religious agenda. If people want to hand out their own political propaganda, do it further down the street, and not amongst the protestors, and if the muslims insist on praying or shouting allahuakhbar, they can do it after the meeting. Just as an example, I, as an atheist, would never dream of shouting anti-religion slogans when I know it will provoke people with differing opinions, when weve come together to unite against a common enemy. Likewise, I wouldnt loudly proclaim that out of all the living organisms in the world, the social democratic party is the most disgusting (to quote Gustav Landauer), for the same reason as above.

[Coggeh]

Sorry if this has already been done, or in the wrong place yadda yadda.

Back from the Edinburgh demo which saw an angry and militant response from all over the community. 5,000 on the march (police figure c.3,000) which went past the American consulate and to the First Minister's residence. At one point there was an attempt to occupy or at least obstruct M&S. Speakers on the platorm from various Trade Unions and parties wholeheartedly supporting sanctions and a boycott of Israel. The Stop the War and Scottish Jews for a Just Peace speakers gave highly militant speeches urging for the expulsion of the Israeli Ambassador and to shut down the Israeli Embassy.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/10246953.stm - weak overview by the BBC here.

Will be posting photos when I get them.
What will a boycott or a sanction do to achieve anything ? if sanctions haven't done much to Iran but hurt the working class populance why bring them up let alone support them .

One thing i do think should be mentioned is the fact that outside Turkey, the largest protests were not in paris, London or Dublin but in Tel aviv which bears a huge significance as Israeli arabs & jews both united against the murdering of peace activists

[Enragé]

Are people who chant 'allahuakhbar' all Islamic fanatics?

From experiences with multiple pro-palestine demonstrations, i would say no. Especially after shocking events like the slaughter on the ship carrying aid, and the attack on Gaza in the start of 2009, the whole allahuakhbar thing seemed to me more of an emotional outlet for people far beyond the islamic fundamentalist spectrum.