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Israel: Off Your Trolley

FRFI | 07.12.2009 06:25 | Anti-racism | Palestine | Workers' Movements | Sheffield

On Saturday 5th December supporters of Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! held a lively demonstration in support of Palestine to mark one year since Israel’s brutal attacks on Gaza. Using the slogan, ‘Israel: off your trolley’, protesters staged a rolling picket of high street companies involved in supporting Israel economically and politically.






Around 20 protesters wore matching green t-shirts with an image of a shopping trolley and the words ‘Isolate Israel! Boycott Now!’ They used flash-mob tactics to assemble in the fruit and vegetable section of Marks and Spencer, catching security by surprise. Protesters handed out leaflets to encourage shoppers to join the growing boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, while one comrade used the megaphone to talk about the dire situation facing Palestinians almost a year after the attacks on Gaza.

One demonstrator, Cheryl Banfield explained, ‘We targeted Marks and Spencer first because it is the biggest British corporate supporter of Israel. As well as trading with Israel it is very active in the British-Israeli Chamber of Commerce and so it gives the Zionist Israeli state ideological support.’

The security made a b-line for the camera man, who was manhandled by security guards and dragged out of the store by police. Security guards acted with disproportionate aggression, attempting to tear the megaphone out of the hands of one activist and then pinning him against a pillar. He continued speaking on the megaphone until the police came and arrested him. He was later released without charge, where supporters were waiting for him at Etal Lane police station.

The protest continued at the front entrance of M&S before heading to Fenwicks, where demonstrators sang alternative Christmas Carols about the occupation of Palestine in front of the Ever Since stall which sells Israeli bath salts from the Dead Sea. It then continued to Schuh, stockists of Caterpillar boots, a company which is contracted by Israel to produce specially armoured bulldozers to demolish Palestinian homes and olive groves. The protest finished outside Old Eldon Square, location of Waitrose and Starbucks, both companies that support Israel.

The demonstration attracted young and old. One young supporter, 15 yr old James West, heard about it online and came out to protest for the first time. He said, ‘I decided to come because I learnt about Palestine on Facebook after Gaza was attacked and felt I had to do something about it. I thought the protest was really good because it seemed like people were taking notice of us so hopefully some of them will stop buying Israeli products. I’d definitely do it again.’

Mark Pearson, who was released without charge said, ‘We have a right to speak up against the actions of our government and British companies that we don’t agree with. The police tried to stand in our way today by claiming that freedom of speech is actually a breach of the peace. But they were unsuccessful as our message was heard by a lot of people and we have not been put off from continuing solidarity actions with Palestine.’

FRFI
- e-mail: frfinortheast@googlemail.com
- Homepage: http://www.revolutionarycommunist.org/

Comments

Hide the following 4 comments

Brilliant!

07.12.2009 15:49

Great action, well done!

tut


Love the tee-shirts

07.12.2009 16:36

Are you selling those tee-shirts because I would like to buy one.

Also, it's good to see many young people in the pic's.

Splatter


However -- supporting ????

07.12.2009 16:42

This is NOT arguing against your interpretation of "boycott" and I am not saying that your actions are wrong. But to help you understand why our traditions are different, I want you to take a closer look at what you call "supporting".

See, I would interpret protests against these companies (as opposed to an informational picket advising cutomers not to buy Israeli products while in there) to be directed against their not supporting YOUR side of the question. Except in the case of a company going out of its way to deal with Israel, and these examples don't seem to fit the bill, they would represent NEUTRALS.

Yes I understand the concept "if you are not FOR us then you are AGAINST us" but that isn't quite the same thing as saying "then you are FOR them". See, anybody who thought they didn't have to CONVINCE me to join them, who thought they could PRESSURE me to do so, are "against". I might give in, I might resist, but the ONLY issue with regard for ME in that case would be the practicalities of the matter. Irrelevant would be the rightness or wrongness of your case against your original opponent.

Understand? The fact that I might choose to resist has NOTHING to do with (or at least little to do with) that I support this opponent. I might even be inclined to oppose that opponent of yours but I'm damn sure to oppose anybody who thinks they can pressure me rather than convince me to do or not do ANYTHING. In other words, they better have more "firepower" and even if they do at the moment and I have to give in, they must be prepared for me to later get a boot in if they are ever down.

That's why even most radicals here are leery about secondary and tertiary boycots. We see those as purely POLITICAL restraint only lightly connected to the orginal conflict. May be effective but have made you an enemy who will not forget (NOT an ally in your fight). Convincing them that your cause is right might be slower, but then you do have an ally.

MDN


Video now online

09.12.2009 01:57

A short video of this protest is now online here:

 http://www.youtube.com/user/FRFInortheast

There's also a newly edited video of a previous action in June.

Victory to the Intifada!

FRFI


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