Gaza - protests against Israel

[mickyv]

[Colston]

My mate got back to me... direct from Ash.

Sent him a text. His reply was *edited

If we could keep this amongst ourselves would appreciate it.

[nekokate]

[Colston]

[faceless]

I've edited it out just in case

[Colston]

[modern]

[luke]

GOVERNMENT BLOCKS GAZA DEMONSTRATION AT ISRAELI EMBASSY

Ministers are obstructing the holding of a national demonstration on Saturday
to protest against the Israeli invasion of Gaza, march organisers said today.

Officials of the Royal Parks Agency, acting under the authority of Culture
Secretary Andy Burnham, have blocked a plan to hold a rally in Kensington
Palace Gardens near the Israeli Embassy in London.

The demonstration, organised by the Stop the War Coalition, Palestine
Solidarity Campaign and British Muslim Initiative, is expected to attract tens
of thousands of people from across the country, outraged at the massacre of
Palestinians taking place in Gaza.

"The arrangements for our march and rally were notified to the police days
ago," Stop the War Coalition chair Andrew Murray said today. "We have now
found that they are being blocked by the Parks authorities, in consultation
with ministers, on the spurious pretext of a lack of precedent.

"This nonsensical argument recalls government attempts to stop the rally
against the Iraq war in February 2003 on the grounds that the grass in Hyde
Park might be damaged.

"Ministers should understand that the anger against Israeli aggression against
the Palestinian people is also without precedent. We are determined to
exercise our democratic right to express that outrage in a public space near
the Israeli Embassy.

"Attempting to block our plans - which have been drawn up with a view to
ensuring a peaceful and orderly protest on Saturday - risks making thousands of
people angrier still.

"We are therefore seeking an urgent meeting with Mr Burnham to ensure that he
removes these bureaucratic obstructions and allows our protest to proceed as
planned."

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Andrew Burgin: 07939 242 229
Press Office
Stop the War Coalition
27 Britannia Street
London WC1X 9JP
www.stopwar.org.uk

[Colston]

[faceless]

Tommy Boyd used to be a talksport presenter.

[Colston]

[mickyv]

The London Daily News January 7, 2009

"The London Daily News has learned there is an informal news blackout at BBC Radio over the mounting public outrage following the Gaza incursion by Israeli troops.

According to sources, radio station phone in's have been screening out any callers wanting to talk about the Israeli air strikes and ground offensives in the Middle East.

The BBC's Have Your Say comment sites are being heavily moderated - its main board 'How can a truce be achieved in Gaza?' has had half of its 4,500 comments rejected on the basis of defamation, incitement to crime and hate, harassment, abuse, threats, harmful, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, homophobic or racially offensive language.

On the board 'Are the Israeli strikes on Gaza justified?' Half of the 5,000 comments have also been removed for breaking the House Rules stated above.
Radio ban

Producers and presenters have been told to 'stay away' from the subject despite thousands taking to the streets the past few weeks in protest and support of the military action that has seen 600 killed and just recently 40 dead from an air strike at a school.

The self imposed ban has also been reflected in commercial radio with stations like Talksport rarely wanting to broach the subject and many others clearly steering away from on-air debates on the topic. LBC has attempted to tackle the subject with on air debates. "

The article was a lot longer, but has now been pulled from the Daily News site.

Also I note that GG was at the demo outside the Israeli last night, and only because it was mentioned by people attending an opposing pro-Israeli demo;

http://www.hurryupharry.org/2009/01/08/at-the-israeli-embassy-last-night/

[faceless]

I imagine that a lot of comments in favour of the Palestinians are directly attacking the Israelis and I'm not surprised. Apparently in the 'civilised' society in which we live, you can pretty much say and do anything you like as long as you are fucking polite about it.

If you get passionate about the people being indiscriminately murdered on a real human level - one of outrage for the suffering of other humans who are already being oppressed - then you are not considered worthy of listening to. The irony being that I don't believe anyone's worthy unless they are prepared to show their genuine anger and resentment towards any oppressive government.

I completely accept that Hamas' policies are unworkable and have railed against them for their thuggish tactics in the past, but beating people with sticks, or helping to build rockets which, 99 times out of 100, don't even break the tarmac when they hit, isn't in the same league as deliberately firing a tank shell into a known school building. There is no fucking justification for it - and you don't need to support the Palestinian cause to see that - you just need to be a balanced human. And using the metaphysical nature of that balance, I say fuck Israel.

[luke]

[luke]

from craig murray;

I watched BBC World News for a timed hour yesterday. In that time I saw:

Pro-Israeli (including US government) speakers - 17
Pro-Palestinian speakers - 2

Mentions of Hamas Rockets as reason for war - 37
Mentions of illegal Israeli settlements - 0
Mentions of Palestinians killed by Israel during "ceasefire" - 2
Mentions of Sderot - 12
Mentions Sderot used to be Palestinian - 0

If you don't believe me, try it yourself.

and facebook has shut down the interpal facebook page