Sometimes the political rhetoric present in many hip hop tracks and statements may be somewhat unsubstantiated; for those of you interested in making more of an impact please check the following information. The Stop the War coalition is unapologetically pro-Gaza; and from my understanding of the disproportionate use of force, my sympathies also lie primarily with Gaza, whilst also holding thoughts for those killed and injured on the Israeli side; support for Gaza is a position which for me has been generated by comparing statistics of civilian deaths on both sides; and re-confirmed after hearing talks from Israeli academics who vehemently oppose the aggressive actions of the Israeli state. Loss of life from any side is in my view always a calamity, and many of the actions of Hamas I also abhor; but still feel the plight of civilian Gazan's still needs to be presented much more prominantly. I do not wish to be antagonistic; but this statisitc taken from the fact sheet included in the newsletter below illustrates my view starkly Total number of Israelis killed by rocket, mortar or anti-tank fire from Gaza since 2006- 47(Source: Wikipedia. This is disputed; another Number of Palestinians in Gaza killed by Israeli fire from April 1st 2006 to July 21st 2012 - 2,879: please contact/comment below if necessary.
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Newsletter #1261. 21 November 2012
1) Campaign for Gaza: We need your help urgently2) Gaza: as the carnage escalates so do the protests
3) Gaza demo 24 November: Transport from across UK
4) Volunteers needed for Gaza campaign
5) Grotesque inversion of reality that makes Israel the victim
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1) Campaign for Gaza: We need your help
Stop the war is stretching its resources to the limit in the build-up to Saturday's national demonstration for Gaza. Many thanks to everyone who has donated to our Campaign for Gaza Emergency Appeal. The response has been magnificent. But we still urgently need funding to ensure that we can meet the challenge of mobilising for Gaza and sustain all our anti-war work. If you have not donated yet, please consider doing so now. We appreciate contributions of any size, big or small. GO HERE TO DONATE: http://bit.ly/XS9qhx
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2) Gaza: as the carnage escalates so do the protestsAt the time of writing the death toll in Gaza from Israel' brual assault was approaching 140, with at least 30 of them children. Close to 1000 people have been injured and hospitals are running out space and supplies. 1500 buildings have been hit by Israeli airstrikes. (See Fact Sheet: Grim statistics behind Gaza grief: http://bit.ly/Q7MtDG)
The global protests against Israel's endless barbarity has spread to hundreds of towns and cities, with many planning major demonstrations this weekend, like the national demonstration in London on Saturday 24 November (See:http://bit.ly/UzD4Br).
In Britain, emergency meetings have been held across the country and plans made for transport to bring protesters from outside London to Saturday's demonstration (see http://bit.ly/10seyYw).
Examples of spontaneous action in solidarity with Gaza has seen students walk out of a Leeds school and students at SOAS in London occupy their university (see http://bit.ly/QunPhZ) .
The need for the national demonstration in London to be as large as possible was never clearer. First, to join the worldwide demand that Israel stop its war on Gaza and end its five year siege, which has brought such suffering to 1.7 million people. Second, to show the UK government that its support for Israel's assault on Gaza is not in our name. And most importantly, alongside all the other protests this weekend, to send a message to the people of Gaza under such horrific attack, that they are not alone.
5) Grotesque inversion of reality that makes Israel the victim
The media coverage of Gaza has been an outrage -- with the BBC most supine -- for the most part acting as a stenographer for the Israeli propaganda machine. One columnist in the mainstream media who can be relied on to portray reality is The Guardian's Seumas Milne. His latest article is a must-read. SEE It's Palestinians who have have the right to defend themselves: http://bit.ly/Ujes27
The Stop the War website, which is getting tens of thousands of visitors every day, is updated regularly with news and comment about Gaza. For alerts when we post new articles on the website, join us on Twitter (http://bit.ly/yyKSFa) or Facebook (http://on.fb.me/hLUFGt).
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