Delegation of UK students prevented from reaching Gaza on board of HOPE FLEET
www.actionpalestine.org/from-palestine/free-gaza-boat…kers-kidnapped/
Today Israeli Occupation Forces attacked and boarded the Free Gaza Movement boat, the SPIRIT OF HUMANITY, and abducted 21 human rights workers from 11 countries. A delegation of UK students are amongst those abducted. The passengers and crew are being forcibly dragged toward Israel.
Cynthia McKinney, a former U.S. Congresswoman and presidential candidate, who is amongst those abducted, said “This is an outrageous violation of international law against us. Our boat was not in Israeli waters, and we were on a human rights mission to the Gaza Strip. President Obama just told Israel to let in humanitarian and reconstruction supplies, and that’s exactly what we tried to do. We’re asking the international community to demand our release so we can resume our journey.”
The student delegation, coordinated by Action Palestine, a UK umbrella organization which facilitates grass roots coordination between Palestine groups and campaigning on campuses, was to meet with students and staff to explore ways of improving solidarity links with UK Universities and Student Unions. The delegation aimed to highlight difficulties and educational needs due to the blockade and amongst the devastation of the Israeli bombing of December and January.
Schools, Colleges and Universities in Gaza were severely damaged during the bombing and many students were killed or injured. Other vital educational supplies are being deprived – according to UNWRA, Israel’s continuing blockade is also preventing ink, paper and other learning materials such as crayons and colouring books from entering into Gaza.
The delegation was to visit Al-Aqsa University, the Islamic University, the Al Azhar University and the Al Quds University. The information and networking gained from the delegation’s meetings with Universities in Gaza would have helped strengthen international student and education focused solidarity campaigns, in particular the academic boycott.
Gaza’s 1.5 million inhabitants were enduring their worst conditions for over 40 years according to aid agencies last year, with 80 percent of the population dependent on food aid, due directly to the Israeli blockade depriving normal food, infrastructure and medical supplies. As life became increasingly hard with death and malnutrition, Israel then launched an air and ground attack in late December and early January that killed a further 1300 people, over 300 children. Many thousands more were injured and the vast majority of the casualties were civilians. Over 4,100 houses were destroyed and a further 17,000 seriously damaged. 50,000 people are now homeless, tens of thousands lacking power, water and sanitation, as well as food and medical
treatment.
The Free Gaza Movement, a human rights group, sent two boats to Gaza in August 2008. These were the first international boats to land in the port in 41 years. Since August, four more voyages were successful, taking Parliamentarians, human rights workers, and other dignitaries
to witness the effects of Israel’s draconian policies on the civilians of Gaza. On December 30, their boat, the DIGNITY was rammed three times while 90 nautical miles out, in international waters, on its way to deliver emergency medical supplies to the people of Gaza, while
they were under the infamous attack by Israel. Contact them at www.freegaza.org.
One of our delegates, Adie Mormech features on the following video about the preparation for
the boat: www.youtube.com/gazafriends
For more information please contact: Naji 00972599791585
Boycott campaign “now reaching critical mass” say activists
The University and College Union, representing approximately 120,000 teaching and related staff in colleges and universities in the UK, today passed a number of strongly-worded resolutions in support of the human rights of the Palestinian people and condemning Israeli atrocities in Gaza.
The motions had been submitted by a range of bodies within the union.
Motion 24, from the National Executive along with two branches in Further Education colleges, condemned the Israeli military attacks on Gaza and called on UCU to affiliate to the national twinning campaign; to organise events
to mark the UN International Day of solidarity with the Palestinian People on 29th November; and to collect information on academics and students prevented from travelling to or from Palestine.
Motion 25, from the Disabled Members’ Standing Committee, pledged solidarity to Palestinians left injured by the Israeli assault in Gaza.
Motion 26, from UCU Scotland, agreed to disseminate the report of the President of UCU Scotland, who had recently taken part in the STUC visit to Palestine. That visit had resulted in an endorsement of Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) by STUC Congress. The motion also welcomed the student campaign for disinvestment from arms companies such as BAe.
Motion 27, from the Black Members’ Standing Committee, called for “recognition of the democratically elected Gaza government” and for Israel to be tried for human rights violations.
All the above motions were carried overwhelmingly, as was Motion 28 from two regional committees of UCU. This motion demanded that the British government ban “arms sales and economic support to Israel”, called for a ban on imports of all goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the OPT and demanded the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador. Controversially, Congress also voted overwhelmingly for an amendment to this motion which affirmed support “for the Palestinian call for a boycott, disinvestment and sanctions campaign” despite a statement from the General Secretary that on legal advice this amendment would be treated as being “void and of no effect” if carried.
Motion 29 was brought by two branches at universities and one at an FE college. Tom Hickey, proposing the motion on behalf of a University of Brighton branch, stated that his branch wished to amend its own motion, changing the words “Congress affirms support for the Palestinian call for a boycott, disinvestment and sanctions campaign” to “Congress urges branches to discuss prior to Congress 2010 the Palestinian call for a boycott, disinvestment and sanctions campaign”. Hickey explained that this change was only being made in order to accommodate the current legal advice and prevent the motion from being ruled “void” like motion 28. This was accepted by Congress, who voted to support both the amendment and the motion. The outcome is that UCU has voted to host a Trade Union conference in the Autumn to “investigate the lawful implementation of the strategy, including an option of institutional boycotts”.
Sue Blackwell, a BRICUP member who is on the National Executive Committee of UCU, commented,
“This was a smart piece of tactical voting by supporters of academic boycott of Israel and other forms of BDS. We made it quite clear that we support BDS in principle, whatever the law says about implementing it. There is nothing illegal in discussing boycott campaigns, and we will now be doing just that along with activists in other unions, including people from Scottish TUC who have just passed a BDS resolution at their Congress.”
Hickey suggested in his summing-up speech that the time had come for UCU to obtain a court ruling to settle the question once and for all and to put a stop to the legal threats to which the union has been subjected over the past few years. He expressed his “extreme disappointment” with members of his own union who resorted to such threats instead of pursuing their arguments through the union’s internal democratic processes.
BRICUP members will now be encouraging trade unionists to attend the forthcoming BDS conference in order to broaden the campaign.
BRICUP’s fringe meeting before the start of Congress heard speeches from Ewa Jasiewicz (co-ordinator of the Free Gaza Movement), Samia al-Botmeh (BirZeit University, Palestine) and Prof. Haim Bresheeth of the University of East London. At the meeting, a statement was read out from a group of Israeli academics who were calling on international colleagues to boycott their institutions. “We are now reaching critical mass”, said Blackwell. “Boycotts, disinvestments and sanctions against Israel are breaking out everywhere, from South Africa to Norway and even within Israel itself. BRICUP is very proud to be playing a part in the growing campaign alongside our Palestinian brothers and sisters and their supporters worldwide.”
Dr. Amjad Barham, President of the Palestinian Federation of Unions of University Professors and Employees, is attending UCU Congress as an official guest of the union. He will address Congress tomorrow (Thursday).
[ends]
Notes for Editors
1. Please note: while we believe that the motions have been accurately summarised above, this press release represents the views of BRICUP and not of UCU.
2. The full text of all the motions, except for late motions and late amendments, can be read here on the UCU website:
http://www.ucu.org.uk/circ/html/UCU180.html
3. The PACBI (Palestinian BDS campaign) press release is here:
http://www.pacbi.org/etemplate.php?id=1017
4. The national Twinning campaign website is at:
http://www.twinningwithpalestine.net/
The Free Gaza Movement website is at:
http://www.freegaza.org/
From Amnesty International
16 March 2009
A group of 16 of the world’s leading war crimes investigators and judges – backed by Amnesty International – has urged the United Nations to launch a full inquiry into alleged gross violations of the laws of war committed by both sides during the recent conflict in Gaza and southern Israel.
An open letter – entitled ‘Find the truth about Gaza war’ – was sent to the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday. The letter’s signatories include Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson and judge Richard Goldstone, formerly Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda.
A UN inquiry is currently investigating attacks which were carried out against UN facilities and personnel in Gaza during the three-week conflict.
“The UN investigation is not sufficient as a response to the grave violations that were committed during the conflict. Hundreds of civilians were killed or injured, and it is vital that the circumstances in which they were attacked are fully investigated,” said Malcolm Smart, Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme.
“Those responsible for war crimes or other serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights abuses must be held to account.”
“What is needed is a comprehensive international investigation that looks at all alleged violations of international law – by Israel, by Hamas and by other Palestinian armed groups involved in the conflict.”
The letter’s signatories – who have led investigations of crimes committed in former Yugoslavia, Kosovo, Darfur, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, East Timor, Lebanon and Peru – say that they have been “shocked to the core” by events in Gaza.
They have urged world leaders “to send an unfaltering signal that the targeting of civilians during conflict is unacceptable by any party on any count.”
The letter calls for the establishment of a UN commission of inquiry into the Gaza conflict that:
· Has a mandate to carry out a prompt, thorough, independent and impartial investigation of all allegations of serious violations of international humanitarian law committed by all parties to the conflict
· Acts in accordance with the strictest international standards governing such investigations
· Can provide recommendations as to the appropriate prosecution of those responsible for gross violations of the law by the relevant authorities
Prof. William A. Schabas, former member of the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission, said: “The international community must apply the same standard to Gaza as it does to other conflicts and investigate all abuses of the laws of war and human rights.”
The Smash EDO campaign has been contacted by a group of campaigners who forced entry into the ITT/EDO MBM arms factory early this morning, Saturday 17th January. They destroyed equipment inside the factory that is used to make the weapons used in Israel’s wholesale slaughter of
civilians in Gaza.
ITT/EDO MBM, on Home Farm Road, Brighton, manufactures release clips for F 15s and F 16s as well as the Paveway system of munitions which are currently being used by the Israeli military against civilians in Gaza.
We are witnessing a genocide in occupied Gaza carried out by the Israeli military with weaponry supplied by the United States government. ITT/EDO MBM, in Home Farm Road, Brighton, manufactures vital components for the F-16’s and the Hellfire missile that are being used to destroy civilian
infrastructure in Gaza contrary to the Geneva Conventions.
More than one thousand Palestinians have been murdered by the Israeli Army, navy and airforce since December 27th- more than one third of these casualties are children. While Israel claims to be argeting Hamas infrastructure they have targeted schools, hospitals, police stations,
United Nations compounds and civilian homes.
Chloe Marsh, spokesperson for the Smash EDO campaign, said: “The citizens of Britain are no longer prepared to stand idly by whilst Israel commits genocide with the backing of our own government and arms. industries. This is a peace messenger city,ITT/EDO MBM is an obscenity that must be removed
from Brighton and the directors of this foul company ought to be tried for war crimes by the International Criminal Court.”
Notes for Journalists:
The Company
EDO MBM Technologies Ltd are the sole UK subsidiary of huge U.S weapons manufacturer EDO Corp.From their base in Moulescoombe Brighton, EDO MBM manufacture vital parts for the Hellfire and Paveway weapons systems,laserguided missilesused extensively in Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine and Somalia. EDO Corp were recently acquired by ITT in a multi-billion pound deal. ITT’s links to fascism go back to the 1930s. The founder Sosthenes Behn was the first foreign businessman received by Hitler after his seizure of power.
The Campaign
There has been active campaign against the presence o f EDO MBM in Brighton since the outbreak of the Iraq war.Campaigners include students, Quakers ,Palestine solidarity activists, anti-capitalists and academics.
Despite an injunction under the protection of harassment act (which failed) and over forty arrests the campaign is still going strong.Their avowed aim is to expose EDO MBM and their complicity in war crimes and to remove them from Brighton. They hold regular weekly demos outside the
Moulescoombe factory on Wednesday’s between 4 and 6.
THE FILM
On the Verge is an independent film about the SMASH EDO Campaign “In 2004 a group of Brighton peace campaigners began to bang pot and pans outside their local arms manufacturers EDO MBM in disgust of their part in the Iraq war. This has grown into the Smash EDO campaign, which has cost the
company millions, been the subject of large scale police operations and has tested the right to protest in the UK.Using activist, police and CCTV footage plus interviews with those involved in the campaign, ‘On The Verge’ tells the story of one of the most persistent and imaginative campaigns to emerge out of the UK’s anti-war movement and direct action scene.”
Chloe Marsh
- e-mail: smashedopress@riseup.net
- Homepage: http://www.smashedo.org.uk