As news spreads of the latest outrage committed by the racist colonial-settler state of Israel, occupation soldiers killing a Palestinian man and subsequently dragging his dead body with a bulldozer (see footage here), the campaign ‘Stand Up To Racism’, whose leadership unites the Labour Party left with the Socialist Workers Party (SWP), is preparing for a fourth year in a row to allow the Zionist organisation the Confederation of Friends of Israel – Scotland (CoFIS) to take part in their annual march through Glasgow. This comes despite the widespread calls and protests for their exclusion by progressives, religious communities, humanitarians, anti-racists and anti-imperialists. Last year organisations including the Muslim Council of Scotland withdrew their support for the march.
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SUTR / SWP have sought to defend their capitulation by stating ‘SUTR has no formal relationship with COFIS, despite claims to the contrary. They have never been invited. SUTR has no policy on the Middle East and will continue with that policy’. This statement itself seeks to obscure the issue: campaigners are not claiming that there is a formal relationship between SUTR and COFIS or that the latter has been invited by the former, the issue is that SUTR refuse to exclude CoFIS from their events. By allowing CoFIS to take part in their events SUTR / SWP hope to avoid falsified accusations of ‘anti-Semitism’, in order to defend the electoral aspirations of the Labour Party. This is a capitulation to far right racists.
In contrast to SUTR / SWP’s refusal to exclude CoFIS, they have had no hesitation or problem, practical or otherwise, in excluding anti-Zionists. On 22 February supporters of the Zionism is Racism (ZIR) coalition attended the SUTR public conference 2020 in Glasgow to express opposition to their capitulation. Three ZIR supporters were refused entry at the front door by SWP stewards, despite paying for tickets, based on their “past behaviour”. This “past behaviour” referred to the active counter protests of the last three years (see reports 2017 here, 2018 here and 2019 here). The same SWP stewards had by this point already admitted into the conference at least five active and well-known members of CoFIS including Sammy Stein, chairman of Glasgow Friends of Israel (pictured above), and called the police on ZIR supporters who leafleted outside the venue.
We must be clear that Zionism is racism and oppose Israeli attempts to eliminate solidarity with Palestine. Britain and other imperialist countries support the Israeli state as it continues to annex Palestinian land and oppress Palestinians with impunity. The Zionism is Racism coalition, which Glasgow RCG / FRFI are part of, is organising to join with others across Europe and the world who are taking up the Palestinian call to integrate the struggle against Israeli Apartheid into European-wide mobilisations on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 21 March (see here). SUTR’s march, timed to coincide with this UN Anti-Racism day, will see those outraged by Israeli war crimes and determined to oppose SUTR’s capitulation to Zionism, boycott the march and take to George Square to counter protest the participation of racists! Join us there!
The SUTR march is due to leave George Square on Saturday 21 March, 11am. For updates including details of the counter protest facebook ‘Zionism is Racism – Scotland Stand Up’. Otherwise contact Glasgow FRFI directly
Phone: 07826203476
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: Glasgow FRFI
