BIRMINGHAM - SOLIDARITY WITH GAZA GROWS
By Ger Francis
A quite remarkable event took place in Birmingham on Sunday night. Between 800 and 1,000 people packed in to the Sparkbrook Islamic Centre for a meeting organised by Sheikh Zahir Mahmood - one of the participants in the Viva Palestina convoy. Built largely by word of mouth, the meeting raised an incredible £26,000 to support the activities of Viva Palestina in the city.
Billed as an eyewitness report from Gaza, the meeting was chaired by local Respect councillor Mohammed Ishtiaq and addressed by George Galloway and Sheikh Zahir.
The audience heard a very moving account of the journey from Birmingham to Gaza from Sheikh Zahir. A powerful speaker, he clearly touched the mainly Muslim audience with his humour and pathos. Describing the outpouring of warmth and support he experienced from ordinary people across North Africa and Egypt, and the suffering he witnessed when visiting hospitals in Gaza packed with victims of Israeli aggression, he had many people around me wiping tears from their eyes.
His speech was remarkable in two other regards. He lauded the efforts of the Chavez government for the solidarity shown to the Palestinians and he severely criticized those mosque in the city who refused to host this and similar events because they were ‘political’.
Contrary to media stereotypes, it is not our experience in Birmingham that Muslim religious figures in the city are eager to speak out against the government on foreign policy. Many are only too keen to keep their heads down. It is encouraging to hear someone who holds a position of authority and respect in the community unafraid to reflect the concerns of ordinary people and help channel those concerns in a positive direction. He finished his speech with a pledge that come the next convoy in October there will be a hundred vehicles leaving Birmingham alone!
George Galloway brought home the broader political significance of Viva Palestina. He emphasized the critical role the provision of aid could play in advancing the movement for Palestinian solidarity in this country and abroad. The spreading of Viva Palestina to the USA vindicates his argument and points to the huge potential to create an international movement to break the siege.
What is clear from this meeting is that the deep pro-Palestinian sentiment in Birmingham is continuing to mobilise extraordinary numbers of people. The future for Viva Palestina in the city is very bright.
Plans are being developed to put the £26,000 raised to very good use. This includes establishing a network of Viva Palestina shops so that people can do some ethical shopping and provide practical solidarity at the same time. Plans are afoot to open a shop in the Moseley and Kings Heath area to start broadening the appeal of Palestinian solidarity.
And excitement is building about the next convoy. Indeed the experience of the maiden voyage of Viva Palestina in Birmingham has already inspired another dozen lorries stuffed with aid to set out for Gaza last week. They have been joined by Respect supporters including Sparkbrook councilor Nahim Ullah Khan.
Viva Palestina convoy on the TV
The documentary ‘Lifeline to Gaza’ about the Viva Palestina convoy will be aired in two parts of 26 minutes on Press TV on Wednesday 13th May (tomorrow) and Thursday 14th May.
Part 1: Wednesday 13th May at 9.30am, 2.30pm, 9.30pm (Times are for the UK - GMT +1hr)
Part 2: Thursday 14th May at 3.30am, 9.30am, 2.30pm (Times are for the UK - GMT + 1 hr)
It is the first of two hour long documentaries covering the convoy from different angles.
The second one can be expected towards the end of June.
Press TV is available on Sky Channel 515 or watch online at http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.presstv.ir
Comment by Support Viva Palestina — 13 May, 2009 @ 1:21 pm
“This includes establishing a network of Viva Palestina shops so that people can do some ethical shopping and provide practical solidarity at the same time.”
Good idea! Any plans to open one in London?
Comment by Strategist — 13 May, 2009 @ 1:35 pm
By the way Ger, 2 Respect cllr’s have quit in Newham. Apperantly they were not going to get the nod for the next election… wewre seen as never doing anything and never turning up to any meetings, events. No campiagns, no resistance, no solidarity. Amazing they were allowed to keep getting away with it. Thought u should know because the Respect websire and SUN have not posted anything at all.. so in the interests of openess and democracy………….
Comment by ll — 13 May, 2009 @ 1:35 pm
II,
Looking at the Respect Party from outside, the likes of you and I can only speculate, but for what it’s worth, it seems to me that the differences are over what political direction the party should take.
There are those who are arguing for a broad, progressive centre-left coalition and others who take a more class-orientated perspective.
However, it would be more informative - and more accurate - to hear direct from the protagonists within Respect and your point about this site’s reporting of the SWP’s recent internal conflict is well made.
Comment by Karl Stewart — 13 May, 2009 @ 2:03 pm
sounds like an excellent event.
I hope someone had UAF stuff there - Birmingham inner city wards have quite high turn-outs for local elections but if the Euros aren’t involving local campaigners in the same way then a valuable component of the ant-bnp vote could get lost.
Comment by swp member — 13 May, 2009 @ 2:04 pm
Yeah, it’s not bad. But what’s it got to do with UK now? Bank crisis; MPs with snouts in trough; banks meltdown. 2 - 3,00O jobs to be lost in Middlesbrough and so on and so on. It would be good to organise some aid convoys in Britain. But that might raise questions about why, why oh why - the left is so *weak* across most of the UK. Great to support stuff 3,000 miles away but people are losing their jobs and houses HERE in Britain NOW.
As for the SWP. What is it? What does it represent? Why is that after over 30 years as an organisation it is INCAPABLE of launching any meaningful alternative to the BNP in the current crisis?
Mr iLL can critise - but what has the SWP got to offer as a viable alternative? Answer - Respect? No - they’ve been booted out; left alternative? Socialist Alliance? SWP? Everywhere I go - Manchester, London, Birmingham, Sheffield - I don’t see much evidence of SWP and what evidence I do find seems demoralised and lacking in any political direction.
The biggest political and economic crisis of capitalism; and the left is …????
Comment by left out — 14 May, 2009 @ 12:37 am
#3 ll is a particularly sad specimen of acute sectarianism syndrome (ASS), displaying the usual symptoms of incredible stupidity with a pathological surplus of bile. Perhaps he could tell us why the Socialist Workers Party website has never posted news of the purge of three of its long-standing Central Committee members last November together with their (by the standards of the far left and the traditions of the SWP) generous pay-off packages, in the interests of openness and democracy of course. And also why the Central Committee did not then bump at least some of them off the Stop the War steering committee which they were put on by the SWP CC in the first place. Incidentally, the Democracy Commission’s 51 page first internal bulletin makes fascinating reading, not. I particularly liked the contribution on the speaker list system, a clear indication, if ever there was one, that an organisation had completely lost the plot.
Comment by gobsmacked — 14 May, 2009 @ 8:06 am
#7 Sorry, that should have said speaker slip (not list) system.
Comment by gobsmacked — 14 May, 2009 @ 8:09 am
Gosh, from Birmingham Respect to the SWP speaker slip system in 8 posts. A record perhaps?
I can only assume from the lack of reply that UAF got forgotten last Sunday which is worrying. Respect in South Brum must have a solid base of 6 to 10,000 votes, and I hope that there wiull be an attempt to make sure that these votes turn out on June 4th. Otherwise there could be a low poll there, cos people either aren’t aware of the election or stay at home cos Respect aren’t standing.
Comment by swp member — 14 May, 2009 @ 9:05 am
Love of the speaker slip system is the root of all evil dontcha know?
Comment by DuncanB — 14 May, 2009 @ 9:07 am
#3 Actually we don’t know how long the councillors were failing in their duties, etc. But there are two reasons why there might be a delay in doing something about it anyway. First, you might want to give them a chance to buck up. Perhaps they are just going through a bad patch. Second, sitting councillors who get deselected can do you damage. I know because three Labour councillors got deselected in Tower Hamlets last time round. All stood as independents taking crucial votes away from Labour. Sad but true that that’s the whip hand any incumbent has. What strikes me about this event is that Newham Respect had the guts to risk the damage given their councillors weren’t acting as they should. All praise to them for that.
Comment by rachel trickett — 14 May, 2009 @ 9:32 am
swp member is right about the importance of encouraging Respect voters to turn out for the euro elections. Our newsletter for door to door distribution is going to press shortly and will include an article encouraging a vote to stop the BNP. We have also planned media work over the next couple of weeks that will concentrate on getting this message out. Like everyone else we will be up against the traditional apathy over European elections but we will do what we can…
Comment by Birmingham Respect Member — 14 May, 2009 @ 9:55 am
“Gosh, from Birmingham Respect to the SWP speaker slip system in 8 posts. A record perhaps?”
You might want to have a word with your comrade “ll” there. You didn’t seem to spot where the thread diversion came from.
“I can only assume from the lack of reply that UAF got forgotten last Sunday which is worrying.”
Only if you’re returning to your sectarian roots, swp member. You’ll note that none of the organisers has posted here, so for you to even speak of a “lack of reply” is to set up a false fight.
But here’s a story to cheer you up: In Respect, we tried to get UAF involved with a few things last year. They didn’t reply to emails (loads) or phone calls (a few). In the end when someone complained about it (to an SWP member), they were told that UAF staff (an SWP member) were too busy to respond.
That really *was* a “lack of reply”.
In addition, in different parts of the country, there are different relationships with groups. In my union, people only really work with Searchlight. Your view that it’s “worrying” if UAF weren’t contacted is, again, rooted in sectarianism. You didn’t say “I hope HnH were contacted”. It’s sadly typical of the myopic view of sections of the left - only their “approved” organisations are worth mentioning.
Something else to mention. Before the SWP went off on its wrecking spree last year, it would’ve had its finger on the pulse of local events in places like Birmingham. They would’ve just made sure to turn up and to bring whatever local material was relevent. You know that’s true: Part of the point of having a load of local organisers is that those people are on top of what’s going on.
The sad fact is, the SWP (and therefore its front organisations) has pretty much boycotted most of the convoy and aftermath. Which is so fucking stupid, because it was a massive chance to engage with sections of the working class that is crying out with anger at what’s happening.
Instead of throwing themselves into it, even in small ways (such as UAF contacting Viva Palestina and asking if there’s any joint work they can do), you get things like, two paper sellers standing outside a convoy meeting in Tower Hamlets, then coming inside for twenty minutes and leaving: No engagement with the 200-strong audience, no willingness to actually mix with people. Only selling papers then leaving.
You can’t go on about some pretend unwillingness to involve UAF when the SWP has organisers up and down the country who, if they had the slightest interest, would’ve made damned sure that SWP activists in whatever form they felt best (UAF in your example) were involved in what have proved to be really big public meetings. If someone in Viva Palestina forgot to contact them, UAF should’ve contacted Viva Palestina. Or are you arguing that UAF activists should only turn up if they’re invited now?
Comment by external bulletin — 14 May, 2009 @ 10:06 am
Did a big post. it vanished.
Brum respect member, cheers for that.
External bulletin. Splits are bad. On that we agree.
Comment by swp member — 14 May, 2009 @ 10:53 am
#14 Next time, then, it would be a good idea to avoid a split and expulsions and all that. Now Rees and German have gone, there’s no good reason why SWP members can’t learn from the disastrous path they were led down, even if that’s done privately in the first instance.
Comment by Where's John? — 14 May, 2009 @ 1:56 pm
Shorter EB: “You started it”. But then, that’s pretty much the extent of all of his posts. Same holds for ll. Maybe they are the same person?
Comment by christian h. — 14 May, 2009 @ 5:59 pm
so who do Respect comrades recommend a vote for where Respect aren’t standing? Is it for whoever the Respect member feels closest to? is it whoever is most likely to win, if not the BNP?
I was never in Respect, remaining in the Labour Party (which is who my union is affiliated to and which remains the only ‘mass’ party of the uk working class) tho i do know a few of Socialist Resistance (ISG/Outlook actually) comrades…
The most important thing, which i think my stewards’ cttee
is also in favour of (and it’s a real struggle to get to that, which i am supposed to be entitled to attend despite the recogntion agreement that my local management disregard) is the NO PLATFORMING of the BNP centred on the independent action of the working class!
destroy the adverts the BNP are reportedley buying; stop them from holding rallies and/or leafletting or selling their filthy paper; pressure journalists to disallow them from getting positive publicity,
and fight for a socialist alternative which can only be a revolutionary one!
Comment by Steve R — 14 May, 2009 @ 11:51 pm
You’re a confusing character SteveR,
In one breath you tell us you’re a Labour member and that we should vote Labour, then you follow that up with a call for a “fight for a socialist alternative which can only be a revolutionary one.”
It’s got to be one or the other Steve, which is it?
Comment by Karl Stewart — 15 May, 2009 @ 12:00 am
DELETED CONTENT
Comment by Jim Denham — 15 May, 2009 @ 12:04 am