The appalling Israeli assault on the people of Gaza which in one week has killed more than 450 and left over 2000 injured met with a strong response from the people of Portsmouth on Saturday (3 Jan)
Over 400 people assembled in the Guildhall Square at a Rally called by Portsmouth Stop the War Coalition and Portsmouth Network for a Just Settlement of the Arab-Israeli Conflict. This was a superb turn out at short notice – the largest Rally in Portsmouth since the day they invaded Iraq - and the crowd was an excellent mix of young and old, students andtrade unionists, black and white, muslim and non-muslim.
The rally was chaired by John Molyneux (Sec. Stop the War and SWP member) and Angus Geddes (Convenor of the Portsmouth Network) and heard strong speeches from among others Suleiman Shaik, a Palestinian lecturer at Southampton University who has family in Gaza at this moment, from another Palestinian, Osama, who defended the right of the Palestinians to resist and Dave Fysh who delivered a powerful critique of media bias.
After the speeches every one marched through Commercial Rd to chants of ‘Free, Free Palestine’ and ‘In Our Thousands and Our Millions we are All Palestinians’, to the area by Tesco and Marks and Spencer, where leaflets were distributed urging a boycott of Israeli goods.
Outside Tesco the police arrested John Molyneux and have charged him under Section 11 of The Public Order Act 1986, with organising a demonstration without providing the require 6 days notice to the police. We in Portsmouth SWP consider this arrest a direct attack on the democratic right to protest and ask concerned people to send letters/emails of protest to The News (copies to Hampshire Police, Portsmouth City Council).
As this is being written the Zionists are invading Gaza with ground troops, thus creating an even worse catastrophe. There is clearly going to be need further protest.
1 comment:
We should spread the word about this. Let us know what's happening and I will stick it up on my blog
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