Viva Palestina!

I saw a mini bus turning the corner at Hyde Park decked with Palestine flags and stickers, it dawned on me that I was not far away from the convoys going to Gaza. It was a pretty amazing site at the North Carriage Drive, Hyde Park seeing all these vehicles lining the road ready to move off to Gaza. Ambulances, fire trucks, mini buses, caravans and cars, it was a wonderful sight. And of course the people volunteering to go to Gaza.

There was a brief rally where Tony Benn, George Galloway, Yvonne Ridley and Andrew Murray spoke.

Andrew Murray (StWC) rightly mentioned the colleges in occupation over Gaza (around 23 colleges have been in occupation and haven’t had the media attention they so deserve!!) and how they need our support and solidarity.

He also said that if any of the countries refuse the convoys entry then Stop the War will organise a picket of the embassy.  A very good way of keeping the political spotlight on them, along with putting political pressure on them to do the right thing!

Around 11.40am the convoys set off to Westminster, there were people lining the route along Hyde Park shouting good luck and cheering.

Overall I think this is an excellent initiative as it shows international solidarity with the people of Gaza.

I was cheering as the convoys were leaving Hyde Park and a woman, flushed from running up and down the route turned to me and said excitedly, ‘At least now we can do something’!

Indeed we can.

Viva Palestina.

There is a harrowing report by two surgeons from the UK in Gaza on the StWC website.

Urgent news

Just received an email from Norma Turner (Viva Palestina)

Nine members of the viva palestina convoy – delivering humanitarian aid to gaza – were arrested last night under “anti-terrorist” legislation. six have now been released but without passports. three from burnley are still held; plus the ambulance they were driving.

The BBC are scanadlously uncritically reporting the arrests as “terrorists”.

so its ok as far as the BBC are concerned to report Israel’s onslaught on the palestinians as a legitimate conflict – and its ok for the UK to supply arms to Israel and gunboats to maintain the siege of gaza – but if humanitarian aid is on its way to help the people who have lost families, homes, schools, hospitals and livelihoods, then its “terrorism”.

* urgent assistance needed with breaching the BBC (continued) blockade of the truth.
* urgent assistance needed with breaching the anti-terrorism laws in order to free the drivers and vehicles still held.
* and urgent assistance needed to breach the siege of gaza and to assist the convoy getting through.

please pass this on please contact press and BBC and MPs and complain loudly

see www.vivapalestina.org  for updates

Suzanne Vega: Left of center

One of my favourites from Suzanne Vega.

If you want me
You can find me
Left of center
Off of the strip

In the outskirts
In the fringes
In the corner
Out of the grip

When they ask me
“What are you looking at?”
I always answer
“Nothing much” (not much)
I think they know that
I’m looking at them
I think they think
I must be out of touch

But I’m only
In the outskirts
And in the fringes
On the edge
And off the avenue
And if you want me
You can find me
Left of center
Wondering about you

Mad girl’s love song – Sylvia Plath

Mad Girl’s Love Song – Sylvia Plath (1953)

I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead;
I lift my lids and all is born again.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

The stars go waltzing out in blue and red,
And arbitrary blackness gallops in:
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I dreamed that you bewitched me into bed
And sung me moon-struck, kissed me quite insane.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

God topples from the sky, hell’s fires fade:
Exit seraphim and Satan’s men:
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I fancied you’d return the way you said,
But I grow old and I forget your name.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

I should have loved a thunderbird instead;
At least when spring comes they roar back again.
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

Jean-Charles de Menezes: CPS won’t prosecute any of the cops….

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has decided not to prosecute any of the coppers involved in the shooting of Jean-Charles de Menezes.

Understandably the family are very angry at this appalling decision especially in light of the jury’s verdict at the inquest that questioned the police officers’  version of the truth.

Further evidence that truth and justice doesn’t prevail.

From the Justice4Jean website

Menezes Family Condemn CPS Decision Not to Prosecute

Vivian Figuierdo

“Today’s decision is deeply upsetting to my family. The CPS have not met with us or our lawyers about this, we have been totally shut out of the process again. We are all in shock and simply cannot understand how the deliberate killing of an innocent man and an attempt by the Metropolitan police to cover it up does not result in a criminal offence. We condemn the CPS decision and reject the logic of their argument.

The inquest put the truth out there for all the public to see, but the authorities want us to forget the truth to stop us getting justice. But we will never forget.

After almost four years of tireless campaigning by my family and a struggle which has disrupted all of our lives in unimaginable ways, it is clear to us that the state will continue to block any of our attempts to achieve justice through the legal system. We have therefore decided not to continue with our legal challenges. We now turn our efforts to parliament. Justice for Jean will be done one day and we are determined to follow any route to get it”

A spokesperson for the Justice 4 Jean Campaign said

“The decision by the Crown Prosecution Service today marks another low point in appalling way the British legal system has dealt with the killing of Jean Charles de Menezes. Last year, the jury at the inquest found that Jean was not lawfully killed; rejected the police’s versions of events and found that the police lied. How can the public have faith in the police service if they know officers can literally get away with murder? The Menezes family, their lawyers and supporters now call on parliamentarians to act on repairing the failing legislative framework around deaths in custody and police accountability and we will be stepping up their campaign in this area.

Almost exactly 10 years from the publication of the Stephen Lawrence inquiry today’s decision makes it clear that there has been no progress in achieving any sense of a decent system of police accountability in the UK and while the shoot to kill policy remains in place, another family could go through the same horrendous ordeal as the Menezes family “

Harriet Wistrich, solicitor for the Menezes family said

We are disappointed that the CPS have communicated their decision to the media before providing the family with any warning that a decision was about to be made or an opportunity to consider the reasoning for what will undoubtedly be considered a disappointing response. By coincidence, the family had just prepared detailed representations to the CPS of reasons why
a prosecution of certain officers should be considered and we have requested a meeting with the DPP.

After careful consideration regarding the proposed judicial review challenge to the coroner’s decision not to return an unlawful killing verdict, the family have decided not to proceed with this challenge for a number of reasons including the following:

• whilst we maintain that the ruling of the coroner in respect of unlawful killing was wrong, we are acutely aware of the very significant cost to the public purse of pursuing judicial review proceedings – it islikely that in addition to the legal costs to the family and the coroner, the five other interested persons at the inquest will also wish to be legally represented and probably all will require public funding; the proceedings are likely to be protracted and appealed to a higher court by the losing party
• if we were to succeed in our judicial review challenge, the only remedy for the family would be for the court to order a fresh inquest and we cannot see any great benefit in re-hearing all the evidence to enable a different jury to come to a verdict, particularly bearing in mind the very high cost of holding such an inquest, such costs being borne by the residents of Southwark, Lambeth, Greenwich and Lewisham.
• we believe that in the light of the answers given by the jury, they may well have returned an unlawful killing verdict if they had been permitted to.
• we consider that in the light of the jury’s verdict and the significant further evidence that emerged during the course of the inquest, that there is ample ground for the DPP to reconsider the question as to whether any officers should be prosecuted.
• we also believe there are good grounds for the IPCC to reconsider its decision in relation to potential disciplinary proceedings against certain officers and will be making further representations to them.

The letter from Stephen O’Doherty of the Crown Prosecution Service can be downloaded here [PDF, 67K]

Hana Ibrahim: our freedom will come

Hana is on the right of the pic.

Iraq Occupation Focus invited Hana Ibrahim from Women’s Will Association to speak this evening. She spoke about life for women under occupation. The organisation has documented testimonies of women prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison.

Hana mentioned the gang rape and murder of 14 year old Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabialong withher family. She believes it symbolises the continuous injustices, abuse and violence Iraq has experienced under imperialism. And with the case of Abeer and her family, the American soldiers were tried in the States.

The position of women in Iraq has worsened, again the ongoing violation of the whole of Iraqi society. Women involved in this organisation take a massive risk as they are watched by the occupiers and anyone else who dislikes women taking a lead. They are very courageous women who defy the occupation.

She gave a graphic statistical account of the sum total of war and occupation:

4 million refugees

1-3 million Iraqis dead

850,000 arrested

5 million orphans

3 million widows

1 million children working illegally

50% of Iraqis living under the poverty line…

And the occupiers, along with multi-nationals can’t wait to steal the oil!

Hana also mentioned Palestinians displaced in Iraq who are now refugees living in camps on the Iraq/Syria border.

The hospitals lack basic medicines, oxygen, water, electricity, and so on. Infrastructure in Iraq lacks the basic functions such as sewers and water supply. Yet many women are resilient and continue to fight the occupation.

As Hana argues, how can you have democracy under occupation. She believes that we need to work together and to resist our government and pressure them into withdrawing the troops.

Listening to a woman like Hana I was struck by how brave and defiant she was, the woman constantly fights against the occupation. And this echoes the struggle women face in Iraq just to survive, and that’s a form of resistance in itself.

Iraq is still under occupation, and women like Hana need our support and solidarity. The immediate withdrawal of troops is vital as ever.

She mentioned that the 20th March (the war started on that day in 2003) will be a day to remember girls/women like Abeer who were raped and murdered by the occupiers, symbolic of the destruction of Iraq. And the continued struggle and resistance against imperialism and occupation.

Section 28: activist days…

Wow…. this brings back memories, 21 years ago…..

One of the protesters against Section 28 who ‘invaded’ the Six O’clock news way back in 1988 is having her t-shirt exhibited at the From the Closet to the Collection: Haringey LGBT Exhibition at Bruce Castle Museum.

I will certainly pay this exhibition a visit.

There was so much activity, direct action and campaigning against the homophobic and pernicious Section 28. I remember it as a positive time as well as energising and dynamic as so many people came together to fight this vile Section. I do have very good memories of that particular time, especially the alliances being made.

And I used to own a t-shirt like the one on show (I wished I had kept my old politico t-shirts…. !!) and another which was similar (the actual Section was reprinted on the back of the t-shirt).

There was some excellent campaigning and activism back then that raised political consciousness about oppression and discrimination. Like I said, I have some good memories of that time being active and involved….

Youthful exuberance….

Hat tip: The F Word

They really are a bunch of ….bankers!

So if an employee states some unpalatable truths just sack ‘em. And if they take you to an employment tribunal don’t worry there’s always a gagging order.

And don’t worry you still will be able to climb the greasy corrupt financial pole to new dizzy heights such as becoming a deputy chair of the independent (Ha!! Ha!! Ha!! Ha!!) FSA and a pal of Gordon Brown.

Oh, and naughty old Lloyds have been caught with their fingers in the financial cookie jar, tax avoidance scams.

And they still want their bonuses…….

“I’m a photographer…not a terrorist”….

From the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008

Terrorist offences

76 Offences relating to information about members of armed forces etc

(1) After section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000 (collection of information) insert—

“58A Eliciting, publishing or communicating information about members of armed forces etc

(1) A person commits an offence who—

(a) elicits or attempts to elicit information about an individual who is or has been—

(i) a member of Her Majesty’s forces,

(ii) a member of any of the intelligence services, or

(iii) a constable,

which is of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, or

(b) publishes or communicates any such information.

(2) It is a defence for a person charged with an offence under this section to prove that they had a reasonable excuse for their action.

(3) A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable—

(a) on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years or to a fine, or to both;

I am indebted to Madam Miaow who brought my attention to this media event organised by Mark Thomas, National Union of Journalists (NUJ), British Journal of Photography, and Marc Vallée to protest outside New Scotland Yard by simply, taking photographs.

Under this new Act it is will be an offence to take a photograph of police officers ‘likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism’. And if guilty you could be looking at a 10 year stretch!

So, photographers on a demonstrations, protests and so on could be defined as terrorists. This attacks our core civil liberties as photographers involved in documenting police actions whether violent or not can be arrested under Section 76.

This erodes basic human rights and freedom of expression. Documentation of events are an important aspect in a democracy, this legislation gives further powers to the cops to stop anyone documenting any kind of disturbance or altercation with Her Majesty’s Finest.

This exposes further the authoritarianism of NL. It is more akin to a lousy tin-pot dictatorship than a democracy. And what basis can they stop someone taking photos? The cops already have so to pick from the Public Order legislation.

Also, this Section has has the capacity to stop images of police violence from being made public. Again, the uses of documentation are vital to tell the public what is going on, from the Miners’ Strike, Wapping, Poll Tax and the anti-Bush demo last summer and so on and so on.

This section has serious and far reaching  implications and consequences.

On Monday 16th February, the Counter-Terrorism Act will come into force. Turn up to New Scotland Yard at 11am.

Marc Vallee says:

The plan is simple, turn up with your camera and exercise your democratic right to take a photograph in a public place.

I’ll be there with my camera…!!!

It is becoming an offence to criticise the establishment with them using the excuse of ‘terrorist’…

Lobby of Parliament: Welfare Reform Bill

Just a reminder for your diaries and please pass this onto people who may be interested:

Lobby of Parliament – organised by the TUC and PCS union

3rd March from 12:30 – 2:30pm

I will confirm room and speakers asap. But in the meantime put this date in your diary and if you can please turn up and show your opposition to this draconian Bill. Please show your support and solidarity in opposing the Welfare Reform Bill.

Pretty in pink..?

The Psychedelic Furs once sang, Pretty in Pink and reading
Posie Rider’s article on the F Word made me remember that
1980s song. I like pink, I think it is, sartorially, an underestimated colour but that’s based on personal choice. But is it..? Has my personal choice been clouded by childhood conditioning such as playing with my pink tutu wearing Sindy doll? Who knows…?

My heart sank though when I read Posie’s article due to the obstacles she came up against when buying a laptop. Now, I am in the process of doing the same and can’t wait for the stereotypical sexist bloke to ask me all the gender specific questions. I am going for a Macbook so will see if the Apple Store has entered the 21st century when it comes to gender relations and equality….
 
Thankfully the Macbooks don’t have pink or a nice shade of cerise to choose from. Instead they have white and aluminium colours, more gender neutral, I assume. Also, it is utterly beyond patronising and beyond our meagre ‘girly’ capabilities for us to just think about more than the colour (‘Ooo, will the Cerise match my new Louis Vuitton handbag’?) .

The central questions for me are, graphics, features and design (health and safety and whether the Mac will be ergonomically friendly). Ooo, sounds all technical…..

But what also startled me reading Posie’s piece was the ‘science’ to back up the ‘claims’ that women are naturally hardwired to choose pinkish colours. And it is about innateness and evolutionary biology…apparently. It goes back to the ‘hunter-gatherer’ society (‘Me
Tarzan, You Jane’…Grrr…times),  where women picked the fruit and the emphasis being on red ripe fruit. And that’s been imprinted in our collective brains inherited from our ancestors.
 
Now, who knows, there could be evidence to support these assertions but why does my scepticism kick in? Is evolutionary biology being used as cover to explain away gender traditional roles based on social construction?

I also question the honesty of these studies, along with the testability of the hypothesis and whether there are other variables involved. And does the reasearchers own political and ideological ideas influence the outcome.

We see the social construction of gender roles all the time, the demarcation between pink for girls/ blue for boys? The problem is the sexist assumptions that saturate this society, women will automatically want pink and the way this is aggressively pushed, like anything else, by corporate capitalism. Certainly, not based on evidence instead purely
based on sexist stereotypes. You only have to look at the way toys are aggressively marketed, again based purely on the ascribed traditional gender roles; girls with their dolls with pink hues and boys with the action-packed toys.
 
Back to my Macbook, I have done my reading so to work out what I want. And I am not some technophobe instead am kinda savvy as worked with ‘puters developing databases over the years. And am experienced when it comes to Macs. So I do know me stuff so can hold my own when some techie bloke tries to blind me with the technological science. It won’t be Cerise for me, it will be a more
neutral aluminium colour….. just hope I can accessorise it
properly….