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Showing posts with label Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Show all posts
February 19, 2016
Latest News from Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign
August 07, 2015
Scottish PSC reaffirms commitment to anti-racism while CounterPunch reaffirms commitment to antisemitism
The Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign has sent an open letter to the US Campaign to End the Occupation supporting the latter's disassociation from certain white supremacist and antisemitic elements who seek to legitimise themselves by cosying up to the Palestine solidarity movement.
Here's a chunk, indeed the gist of SPSC's letter:
The back story to the controversy mostly in the US between Palestine solidarity activists who believe the movement must be anti-racist across the board and those who believe that the movement should be so broad as to accommodate racists has become a little complex now but it began with Jewish Voices for Peace writing privately to a fairly high profile antisemite, Alison Weir, stating their disapproval of her approach and her associations. She went public on the spat and far-rightists seem to have taken the opportunity to try to steer the movement their way. Here's the take of the US Campaign to End the Occupation. I'll just provide the intro here:
Support for the far-right came from an unexpected quarter when Louis Proyect, a high profile former leftist published an utterly bogus defence of Alison Weir and an attack on JVP on his blog which he still calls Unrepentant Marxist. Subsequently he also posted some kind of petition to support Alison Weir that he hasn't actually signed himself as far as I could see last time I looked.
Well I was wondering when CounterPunch would host something in support of their antisemitic occasional (but by no means isolated) guest. I assumed they would come up with something denying the antisemitism but I was wrong. They've posted something openly antisemitic. Certainly the article by a Jack Dresser repeats all the lies and glossovers you can see on Louis Proyect's blog and which are ably exposed in US Campaign's statement but Dresser introduces a real howler:
Now I have to say, from what I have seen of CounterPunch over the years this kind of thing is by no means atypical.
I blogged about Elise Hendrick's post titled CounterPunch or Suckerpunch where using samples of posts from CounterPunch she demonstrated that the motivation of the editors appears to be the promotion of some kind of red-brown alliance given the ratio of far-right posts to leftist posts. All the various supporters of CounterPunch have managed to do so far is quibble over her arithmetic.
The idea that CounterPunch is bona fide leftist publication is no longer tenable (if it ever was) unless essentialising bigotry aka racism is part of the leftist credo.
Here's a chunk, indeed the gist of SPSC's letter:
Across the whole range of Palestine solidarity groups and networks in the UK, none could write or appear even once in White supremacist newspapers or social media; it is unthinkable. Any association with any brand of extreme right, racist formations would disgust and repel all those who currently give us active and passive support. It would be madness.
The back story to the controversy mostly in the US between Palestine solidarity activists who believe the movement must be anti-racist across the board and those who believe that the movement should be so broad as to accommodate racists has become a little complex now but it began with Jewish Voices for Peace writing privately to a fairly high profile antisemite, Alison Weir, stating their disapproval of her approach and her associations. She went public on the spat and far-rightists seem to have taken the opportunity to try to steer the movement their way. Here's the take of the US Campaign to End the Occupation. I'll just provide the intro here:
The following statement, issued by the Steering Committee of the US Campaign to End the Israeli OccupationAmong many issues raised regarding Weir was a clearly antisemitic article she had published in CounterPunch where she reran the allegation that Israel hunts people down and kills them specifically to take their internal organs (the kernel of truth being that Israel, in common with several other states including the UK, has indeed taken organs from the dead) and she linked this to the allegation that Jews killed Christians in medieval times to use their blood for ritual purposes.
1. summarizes our receipt of a complaint against Alison Weir and the organization If Americans Knew and our subsequent action following that complaint,
2. provides further discussion of our position on the political issues that this case touches upon,
3. and provides evidence and documentation that undergirds the decisions that have been made by the organization.
Support for the far-right came from an unexpected quarter when Louis Proyect, a high profile former leftist published an utterly bogus defence of Alison Weir and an attack on JVP on his blog which he still calls Unrepentant Marxist. Subsequently he also posted some kind of petition to support Alison Weir that he hasn't actually signed himself as far as I could see last time I looked.
Well I was wondering when CounterPunch would host something in support of their antisemitic occasional (but by no means isolated) guest. I assumed they would come up with something denying the antisemitism but I was wrong. They've posted something openly antisemitic. Certainly the article by a Jack Dresser repeats all the lies and glossovers you can see on Louis Proyect's blog and which are ably exposed in US Campaign's statement but Dresser introduces a real howler:
Alison’s politically incorrect policy has been to disseminate salient facts to anyone, anywhere to achieve the broadest possible reach among American citizens, without political discrimination. The expelling organizations undoubtedly fear that the knowledge will feed anti-Semitism. Maybe it will, but the appropriate remedy would be a collective demand by the Jewish diaspora to end the Zionist project, make reparations to its victims, and establish a democratic state, not to withhold information from people who might use it to make Jewish Americans uncomfortable.[emphasis added]Ok, let's leave aside the guy's ignorance of the fact that many zionists are antisemitic and vice versa but how do Jews issue a collective demand? Really, unless you believe there is such a thing as a worldwide Jewish conspiracy to which all Jews are party, how can you believe that Jews are capable of issuing a collective demand?
Now I have to say, from what I have seen of CounterPunch over the years this kind of thing is by no means atypical.
I blogged about Elise Hendrick's post titled CounterPunch or Suckerpunch where using samples of posts from CounterPunch she demonstrated that the motivation of the editors appears to be the promotion of some kind of red-brown alliance given the ratio of far-right posts to leftist posts. All the various supporters of CounterPunch have managed to do so far is quibble over her arithmetic.
The idea that CounterPunch is bona fide leftist publication is no longer tenable (if it ever was) unless essentialising bigotry aka racism is part of the leftist credo.
January 10, 2013
New Year greetings from Scots Palestine Solidarity
Best wishes for a fulfilling 2013 to all who want to act in solidarity with Palestinians.
We mourn the loss of friends - Ron Deen, Stephen Maxwell, Marion Woolfson, Rev Hugh Drummond - whose stalwart defence of Palestinian rights inspires us to continue and intensify our own efforts.
2012 was an active year for Palestine solidarity in Scotland, against a background of escalating Israeli dispossession and massacre, with full UK government backing of the criminal and apartheid state. The question is still open whether the worldwide movement of disgust at Israeli crimes and sympathy for the Palestinian cause can be turned into active solidarity of sufficient impact to force an end to Israeli crimes before the Zionist project is completed.
SPSC is simply still too small as 2013 opens; we need your energy and your ideas to prevent the complete colonisation of all of Palestine with all Palestinians herded into walled and electronically controlled prisons.
Unsurprisingly, UK Foreign Secretary Hague supported the November surge in Israeli killing of Palestinians without reservation, and Tony Blair stills slouches around the Middle East, at huge public expense, as our official 'peace-bringer'. We expect by now that Hague and Blair will rub salt in the open wounds of Palestinians, but many were surprised when the Scottish Government dropped the First Minister's previous rhetorical commitment to sanctions against Israel and opted for normalisation.
2012 witnessed the development of Scottish-Israeli trade and technical cooperation, diplomatic relations unhampered by Israel's violations of international law, and Scottish Government defence of its financial aid to Israeli settler company, Eden Springs, to forward its business plan promoting the products of another Israeli settler company, Soda Stream.
2012 also saw ordinary citizens and civil society institutions take a stand against Israeli crimes, with the building of the BDS campaign, boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel until it conforms to minimum standards of justice for Palestinians.
Seven Scottish PSC members participated in the World Social Forum - Free Palestine, in Brazil in November, which went ahead despite sustained Israeli and local Zionist efforts to prevent it.
Observing South America, Palestinians can draw inspiration from current successes of indigenous peoples there to challenge colonial-settler systems based on racial domination by a white elite of mainly Spanish European decent. The current Bolivian President, Evo Morales, describes the Bolivian struggle as similar to that of South Africans. The inspiration is two-way; some talk of the indigenous people's intifada.
We appeal to you personally to help us build a stronger campaign in support of Palestinians and against UK and Scottish Governmental complicity. Please support SPSC.
- Join - wherever you are. Even if you can't attend the AGM from Alaska, you'll know you're helping.
- Donate - we are all volunteers and no-one makes a dime out of our activism.
- Network - ask your group, campaign or friends to join our mailing list and receive occasional updates. Use Scottish PSC as a resource to put you in contact with groups/activists in your area or to get you started with a local solidarity group.
Alone you can do something, but if you organise with others of your ilk you can do much more. Together we have a real chance to consign apartheid Israel to the dustbin of history with apartheid South Africa.
Mick Napier
On behalf of Scottish PSC
- Scottish PSC correspondence with the Scottish Government - http://bit.ly/UBulQx
- Scottish PSC: looking back at 2012 - http://bit.ly/XkVo4U
Coming events
- 9 February: Agricultural trade day of action against complicit companies - http://bit.ly/VIbjco
- 23 February, Dundee: Scottish PSC AGM - http://bit.ly/Wu2q4R
- 23 & 24 February, Dundee: Members meeting - Scottish PSC campaign planning 2013 (email secretary@scottishpsc.org.uk for details)
- 14-16 June, Comrie: Scottish PSC residential weekend - politics of solidarity (email secretary@scottishpsc.org.uk for details)
Take action now
- Vote for G4S in the worst company of the year awards - http://www.publiceye.ch/en/
vote/g4s/ - Time For Justice, a call from Palestine to EU citizens: Write to your MEP - http://palsolidarity.org/
timeforjustice/
October 19, 2012
Cameron on BDS
I got this from a Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (SPSC) email the other day. It's a speech by UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, to a gathering of zionists in the UK under the banner of the United Jewish Israel Appeal. After the obligatory sycophancy which manages to tar all Jews with the zionist brush,
I will always stand by the Jewish people. And it is humbling to be here tonight and to be called a friend.he takes a swipe at BDS:
to those in Britain’s universities and trades unions who want to boycott Israel and consign it to an international ghetto, I say not only will this Government never allow you to shut down 60 years worth of vibrant exchange and partnership that does so much to make both our countries stronger but I also say this: we know what you are doing – trying to delegitimise the State of Israel - and we will not have it.Well SPSC isn't having any of that:
Yes, you will have it, David, and sooner rather than later. As you know, Margaret Thatcher opposed sanctions against apartheid South Africa as long as she could and told her Ministers that the ANC was “a typical terrorist organisation” (even while she supported the genocidal Khmer Rouge). Later, she, and you, were keen to have your photos taken with Nelson Mandela.
Hmm, yesteryear Johannesburg, next year, Jerusalem? Well, maybe some years yet....You had to eat her words about apartheid South Africa: who will eat yours about Palestine and apartheid South Africa?
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