FRFI 176 December 2003 / January 2004
Writing in The Guardian (29 November), Emanuele Ottolenghi, a Zionist academic at Oxford University says that ‘Israel’s advocates do not want to gag critics by brandishing the bogeyman of anti-semitism’. He lies of course; this is the first recourse of Sharon’s government when faced with criticism, and is echoed by the Betar/Likud fascists who organise counter-demonstrations to FRFI/Victory to the Intifada pickets of Marks and Spencer in Oxford Street in London. Ottolenghi is outraged at the equation of Zionism with racism, yet in his defence of the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state remains silent on the precondition for its establishment: the ethnic cleansing of 750,000 Palestinians.
There is no reason why middle-class Jews in imperialist countries such as Britain should be any less racist than their gentile counterparts –but they demand respectability for their views because they call their racism Zionism. The Betar-Likud counter-demonstrators express every vile Daily Mail prejudice imaginable – hatred for Arabs, Muslims, asylum seekers, the unemployed, the poor and the left. They are always looking for a fight, telling us ‘we know where you live – we will come and get you’. During the picket on 27 November, two Zionist demonstrators stopped a 15-year-old VTI supporter and threatened him: ‘You’re with those Arabs, aren’t you? We’re going to fuck you up and cut you up. We know where you live.’
Ottolenghi recycles the fiction that ‘Zionism reversed Jewish historical passivity to persecution’. Quite the opposite: Zionism rejected any possibility of defeating anti-semitism: it therefore never sought to fight either anti-semitism or the rise of fascism. Indeed, Betar founder Vladimir Jabotinsky collaborated with Italian fascist leader Mussolini to realise his racist dreams. In apartheid South Africa, all Zionist organisations including Betar supported white supremacy. Betar recently sent us a letter threatening to sue us unless we withdrew the allegation that BNP supporters were on their picket. We did so with two provisos: first, one of their picketers informed us that the BNP was involved, and second, politically it makes not one jot of difference since we regard their political standpoint as racist and our picketers are regularly insulted and intimidated with racist threats by their supporters. We do not regard them as a ‘Jewish’ organisation, but as a Zionist organisation.
The confrontation with Zionist fascists has galvanised the Marble Arch pickets. 40-50 regularly attend; Muslim Public Affairs Committee continues to work alongside FRFI in building for each week’s event. More recently we have spread the pickets across London, holding lively events outside M&S branches in Camden, Brixton and Ilford. The support we have received from the public shows that it possible to build effective solidarity with the Palestinian people. VTI continues to organise regular and well-attended education meetings which help educate activists about the history of Zionism and the racist character of the Israeli state.
In Manchester, pickets outside Market Street M&S continue every Saturday. At the beginning of October picketers gained a victory over M&S when a charge of assault on an M&S security guard was dropped because the guard did not turn up to court. The next court case on 8 January is the culmination of the Manchester City Council’s attempt to get rid of the picket. Two supporters face a total of eight summonses directed against our right to have a campaign stall and to display placards outside M&S. This is a direct attack by the city’s Labour council against the picket and in defence of Zionism.
In Durham M&S pickets have taken place every Saturday for some months. Several have been threatened by National Front supporters; on 22 November the local NF goon told picketers to keep away the following Saturday as the NF would be doing a paper sale then. In dreadful weather on the morning of 29 November, 40 people drawn from FRFI, human rights and anti-racist organisations assembled outside M&S and along Silver Street with a variety of stalls to await the NF. No sign of them! Idle threat or not, the event showed that open and democratic campaigning provided an effective response to the NF in their North East stronghold. After the picket, 15-20 people attended a meeting on how to organise in the future against the threat from racists and fascists. Further actions were planned and telephone trees for urgent mobilisations were sorted out.
On 11 October, supporters held mobile Intifada protests in Durham, Glasgow, Manchester and London Oxford Street which together involved well over 100 people picketing outside M&S stores, Starbucks or shops selling Caterpillar footwear or Israeli goods. The protestors used street theatre to get their message across and, as ever, got a good response from the public. FRFI/VTI were also active on 9 November demonstrations against the Apartheid Wall organised by the International Solidarity Movement. The main event in Trafalgar Square had a disappointing attendance – no more than 150 people with no PSC banner.
Throughout the country RCG/FRFI members and supporters have continued street activities against the occupation of Iraq and in support of the resistance. We have also attended meetings against the occupation of Iraq and in support of George Galloway’s new political initiative. However, the lack of democracy on the left means that there has been little chance of debating a real anti-imperialist standpoint in these forums.
• ISM volunteer Tom Hurndall, 22, shot by the Israeli Defence force and in a coma, is now in intensive care in London. To add insult to injury, the cheque paid by the Israeli government to Tom’s family to cover part of the repatriation costs, bounced when it was presented at the bank.
