Britain has a lot to answer for!
Speech by Janis Blackburne for SFoP Demo on Saturday 5th October 2024
On Monday it will be October 7th. The date many people believe was the beginning of the conflict. But of course this is not the case. Britain has a lot to answer for regarding what has happened in Palestine over the last century. It was Britain which set up the Zionist settlement with the Balfour agreement, this was a political project doomed to fail.
The use of ‘National Home’ is deliberately vague and unconstitutional.
No mention is made of political rights! (Only civil and religious) The idea of inequality between Jews and Arabs was built into British policy from the start.
Over 100 years later and the British government has yet to take responsibility for what they have done to the Palestinians.
Since the Nakba in 1947 the Palestinian people are a nation that is geographically fragmented between refugee camps in a country upon which their ancestors have lived for time immemorial.
Since 1967, the USA has been the biggest supporter of Israel. This is linked to the USA’s ambitions in the middle east. All Presidents have supported Israel in its setting up of its apartheid regime.
Jumping to the present day - Many of our MPs have had paid trips to Israel - including Damien Moore who referred to his trip in the recent hustings. Interesting to find out who pays for these trips.
Keir Starmer said ‘Israel does have that right’ when asked about cutting of water and other vital supplies to Gaza. He later denied it.
The Israel lobby here in present day is flourishing - Labour Friends of Israel have funded numerous MPs and have had influence in the selection of candidates in the recent elections. Been a lot in the news recently about funds to political parties well…!
Businessman Gary Lubner, supporter of United Jewish Israel Appeal, has donated 6 million to Starmer’s Labour. He called Corbyn’s former leadership a ‘cancer’ - which gives some explanation to why Jeremy Corbyn could not be allowed to be PM.
Pro Israel lobbyists have donated to 13 other of Labour’s 25 cabinet members. To mention a few: Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner David Lammy and Lisa Nandy.
It’s not surprising that local and national politicians who may privately support the Palestinian cause are too cowardly to come out and say so.
Some of you here may have attended the protest at the council meeting in April, where two Independent councillors put forward a motion on the genocide and to ask the leader of the 2 major parties for a permanent ceasefire. The Labour majority brought forward an amendment which weakened the motion. The Tory and Labour councillors voted to the amended motion. The Lib Dems abstained on the amendments along with the 2 independents.
Some of us cried out in the gallery of the council chamber that this was shameful. The amended motion did not say they would write to the leader of the (then) opposition to call for a permanent ceasefire, also took out the word ‘condemn’ and replaced it with regret referring to the genocide. They also changed ‘permanent’ to ‘immediate’ referring to the ceasefire.
That’s what we are dealing with!
Do you ever see any local councillors here at the demo - with the exception of Sean Halsall? Lib Dem Ian Brodie Brown came once.
Even Union Leaders are reticent in coming out to speak about the genocide. It’s notable that Unite leader Sharon Graham is one of those.
Stand up comedian Reginald D Hunter was removed from Manchester’s Laughterama because of a joke he made about Israel in his Edinburgh fringe show in August.
And now this policy of supporting Israel has resulted in the devastating expansion of the Middle East. Netanyahu says nowhere in the Middle East is out of Israel’s reach.
What can we do as ordinary citizens?
Keep doing this! Protest does have an effect. Patrick Hurley would prefer us not to be here. He was invited to come and has been asked to meet with members of SFoP
Write to MP and councillors - Jim has written to our local councillors several times
Don’t vote Labour or Tory in any elections
There is a new party being established here called Southport Community Independents. So in locals vote for-Southport Community Independents or the Green Party
Sign petitions
Donate to causes if you can afford it
Be aware of which products come from Israel and avoid (there are apps and other ways of checking)
Research on a site called bdsmovement.net for details of who and what to boycott
Finally - what about our media?
Journalist and linguist, Abdulkader Assad said: Language is the most powerful tool outside of the battlefield and western media know it and are using it well to the advantage of Israel.
We can see this when they use terms like war when there isn’t an equal contest. What is going on in Gaza and the West Bank is not war.
On numerous right wing news sites protestors are frequently framed as antisemitic, violent and pro Hamas.
This from a report from the Muslim Council of Britain. Sadly Islamophobia has risen by 335% since 7th Oct.
Closing Words...
A poem by Laurence Ferlingetti written in 2007 after a poem by Khalil Gibran written in 1934
“PITY THE NATION”
“Pity the nation whose people are sheep
And whose shepherds mislead them
Pity the nation whose leaders are liars
Whose sages are silenced
And whose bigots haunt the airwaves
Pity the nation that raises not its voice
Except to praise conquerors
And acclaim the bully as hero
And aims to rule the world
By force and by torture
Pity the nation that knows
No other language but its own
And no other culture but its own
Pity the nation whose breath is money
And sleeps the sleep of the too well fed
Pity the nation oh pity the people
who allow their rights to erode
and their freedoms to be washed away
My country, tears of thee
Sweet land of liberty!”
