NUS president Wes Streeting stoops to a new low

Check back here soon for video of his remarks on Gaza & student occupations incl on occupations over education cuts. I can't work my YouTube uploader atm.

Please comment below or ask questions. I will try to get them answered.

NUS NEC member James Haywood writes on Wes Streetings latest comments

Wes Streeting stoops to a new low

People should hold their stomachs and read this Ha'aretz article about NUS President Wes Streeting's recent visit to Israel: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1137628.html

I was in two minds of whether to write something about this, it truly is so disgusting that most points don't need much coming back on, but actually some serious issues do come out of this.

Of course Streeting attacking the UCU is nothing new, first the planned strike last year was needed for students "like a hole in the head", and now this attack on the UCU's bravery in standing for the academic boycott (which has now been followed by the TUC). But then, hey, since when has New Labour ever been about supporting unions?

His quoted remarks on Palestine really are disgusting however. Livni, the politician responsible for the massacre in Gaza which will be mourned on campuses across the UK over the next month, was apparently "a really strange choice" for lawyers in the UK to seek arrest for war crimes. With no sense of irony he says this attempt to uphold international law must, "seem so really ignorant". mmm....quite,
so while we're on the subject of ignorance lets carry on with the article:

"my first impression of the West Bank was that it was just like the place on the other side.... The surroundings were the same, the people were doing the same things - there wasn't much difference between the two places." The Palestinian economy in the West Bank seems "to be a lot more stable and active" than he had assumed, he added."
The charities, religious groups, NGOs (including Israeli NGOs), Amnesty, they are all liars.....he didn't add.

What a pity he didn’t go 5 minutes from the Church of Nativity to Dhieshesh refugee camp where thousands of Palestinian refugees live in terrible conditions and survive on UN hand outs: not a stable and active economy. Or perhaps Streeting could have gone to Hebron, and seen the settler violence against Palestinians there and the destruction of the economy by the siege on the old city by the Israeli army. Or gone to Nablus to visit the huge graveyards, or Ramallah to Bir Zeit University to hear from students of the military lockdowns the campus has suffered consistently over the years.

But most normal people know this, so why bother raising it? Because actually this highlights a dangerous issue with this trip. This wasn't a holiday, which can be seen not just from his press comments but Ha'aretz reported that these comments took place, "after a meeting in the Prime Minister's office".
This trip was organised. By who?

Students in the UK have a right to know who organised this trip, and if it was paid for who funded it. Because whatever organisation did organise it are clearly not even interested in promoting a two state solution let alone a just solution. If the issues are so "complex" why did Streeting not visit officials in the West Bank? Why did he not meet the Palestinian student council? Or visit refugee camps? Or look at the illegal settlements and the violence perpetrated by settlers in the West Bank? Or villages being destroyed by the apartheid wall? Why no attempt to enter Gaza? Yet again we have the racist vision of Palestinians as invisible "problems" that need to be "solved", not human beings who have a right to live, let alone to education, health, housing and other basic things they are denied by the occupation.

We have a right to know who organised and funded this trip, and we should question whether such biased and frankly corrupt practises are acceptable in our National Union.
And if Streeting is genuine, then I have an offer for him: Goldsmiths are organising a trip to the West Bank in early April, he is now formally invited to come on the trip to see "the other side". I look forward to his response.


Haarerrz article

[Posted with iBlogger from my iphone ]

Viva Palestina Convoy blocked by Egypt.

Update: am just speaking to the convoy in Jordan and have just heard that peopl have gone on hunger strike. More news and updates on the Viva Palestina website HERE

The Viva Palestina convoy, comprising over two hundreds vehicles carrying humanitarian aid for the besieged people of Gaza, has been prevented from entering Egypt.

Since around 11pm GMT on Christmas Eve, the convoy has been stuck in the Jordanian port of Aqaba, waiting to cross the Red Sea and enter Egypt at Nuweiba before continuing on to Gaza.

In order to help the convoy get back on the road, please contact the Egyptian Embassy in London. Express your disappointment that they are not allowing the convoy to proceed and ask the person answering the phone to pass this message to the Ambassador.

You can contact the Embassy:
by phone - 020 7499 3304
by fax - 020 7491 1542
by email - eg.emb_london@mfa.gov.eg

The office is closed today, but when I called the number someone answered and I spoke to them. I believe that they are running on a skeleton staff today to deal with emergencies, so you should be able to get through. Please also send an email expressing your disappointment and calling for the Egyptian government to allow the convoy's passage.

Please let others know how you get on by posting on the facebook page HERE.

Shadia Mansour at Beats Beat Bullets

This woman rocks. And raps. For Gaza.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHPP9whOiQg

The Camden Festival For PALESTINE

The Camden Festival For PALESTINE

Saturday 31st October, 1-5pm

With Mark Steele compere,
Poetic Pilgrimage - two African Muslim women
hip hop artists - and a Palestinian pianist called Zaki Nuseibeh, Bruce Kent
analysis, Someye Zadeh singer, Palestinian Kites display, Hanna Musleh film
’Walling in Walling Out’ Rahel’s Kitchen Palestinian food and lots more.

SOMERS TOWN COMMUNITY CENTRE
150 OSSULSTON ST, LONDON NW1
HOSTED BY THE CAMDEN PALESTINE SOLIDARITY CAMPAIGN
JOIN US IN A DAY OF SUPPORT & SOLIDARITY

nearest Tube Kings Cross St Pancras; Mornington Crescent or Euston
Tickets are £4/5 and food £5
For further details call 07772084856
Camden Stop the War Coalition is one of the many active campaign gr0oups affiliated to the Stop the War Coalition.

For more information on this list please visit https://lists.riseup.net/www/info/camdenstopwar

Stop saying Gaza. Comments please...

Just found this article at http://ow.ly/imzO.

It reads:

Gaza is not a different country than Palestine; its plight is not isolated from that of the West Bank, Palestinian-Israelis, or Palestinian refugees in the Diaspora. So stop changing your banners and placards from “Free Palestine” and “End Apartheid” to “Free Gaza.”

Palestinians and their supporters alike have fallen in a simple trap set in the sideshow of Israel’s Attack on Gaza earlier this year. Israel has consistently tried to separate segments of the Palestinian society and find ways to foster distrust among them.

I didn't even stop to think about the use of 'Gaza' which may, to some, seem to be used in isolation from Palestine.

What are your thoughts? Please comment below.

'Prison population in Israel is 90 percent black'

This shocking, yet not so shocking, report from inside an Israeli prison comes from campaigner and filmmaker Ishmahil Blagrove following his recent detainment alongside former US Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney as they attempted to deliver aid to Gazans following the Israeli Siege on Gaza this winter.

Read a full report at Operation Black Vote HERE

Thanks to SOAS student @symeonbrown for alerting us to this on Twitter. Keep up the good work Symeon.

Press release: Students in Solidarity with Gaza

Contact: Kat Sullivan

Mobile Cairo: 019.264.1283

On Monday May 25th, a group of students from Cairo attempted to enter the Gaza border to deliver aid. Thus far, all efforts to enter have been stopped by Egyptian authorities.

The student delegation from Cairo is planning to meet with numerous other delegations from around the globe. Each group has medical aid and supplies, sports equipment for children and monetary donations. The Egyptian authorities have been completely aware of everyone attending and everything that we are carrying. All members attending were told that they were given full clearance to enter Gaza. However, now at the border, they suddenly refuse. We are being either blocked from entering or even turned back at checkpoints before the border

itself.

Knowing that our efforts are supported worldwide, we are compelled to reach out to all media outlets within and without Cairo, Egypt.

For more information

twitter.com/studentsforgaza

80% of Egyptians don't like Palestinians apparently

...according to our waiter at the Windsor Hotel. 

'they come here and take all our money and land' he said...sound familiar?

Of course this is not true...as i've just been reminded by Egyptian comrades that Egypt has the biggest pro-Palestinian demos that happen in the Arab World. Sorry ya camaradeen Masreyeen.

Just managed to quickly catch a photo of this SAVE GAZA road sign miles from nowhere

I will post more from Egypt soon.x

British student activist Assed Baig is ok for now...

Assed texted. He's ok. He's not held separately from the rest of group anymore. The group includes Brits, Belgians and at least 1 Italian.

More on mine and hossams twitter.

http://twitter.com/solomonsmfield or arabawy

Will email more once known.

Other International activists are camping out in Rafah and will start a hungerstrike till Egyptian authorities allow them entry to Gaza

New student occupation over Gaza

http://www.newcastleoccupation.blogspot.com/

Their demands: For Newcastle University to issue a statement that condemns Israel’s recent action in Gaza that has led to the deaths of over 1400 Palestinian people. We urge the Vice Chancellor of Newcastle University to take measures to provide academic aid and financial support to The Islamic University of Gaza and develop a scholarship programme for Palestinian students who have had their right to an education taken away because of the conflict. We also call for Newcastle University to disinvest from the arms trade completely. In addition to this we demand that the university lifts its ban on flyering and raising awareness of political causes on campus. Our final demand is that the university should co-ordinate a fund and awareness raising campaign on behalf of medical aid for Palestinians.

Well done and solidarity from SOAS

Egypt announced expected Israeli F16. Check out this report from Gaza

Good luck Stewart and Patrick-hope you are ok.

Solidarity from SOAS

Can someone translate from Hebrew to English?

Great little video I found on Israeli Indymedia.

Video blog by our friends on The Road to Gaza

good luck guys and keep up the good work

http://www.theroadtogaza.org/

Follow them on Twitter HERE

Excellent victory at SOAS general mtg-Israel IS an Apartheid state.

Full motions document can now be found HERE.

Yesterday's packed (although due to essay deadlines not quite as packed as usual) Union General meeting brought surprise victories for ALL the motions submitted. 

Interestingly, in the Make Apartheid History motion, someone proposed to take the 'resolves 3: 3) Affiliate our Union to the “Campaign for Academic Boycott of Israeli Institutions” carried out in the UK by BRICUP and by PACBI in Palestine.' to discuss seperately. 

Which we did and it still passed almost unanimously. So, what this means is that the person didn't want to have the academic boycott bit in the main motion but would have been in favour of the motion if that part was removed. It wasn't so now we have policy on the whole motion.

Motions included:

• Make Apartheid History; Israel is an Apartheid State, affiliate to BRICUP (for academic boycott of Israeli institutions)
  
• Stop the BNP- On the Streets and at the Ballot Box: No Platform for Fascists
  
• No Means No!
  
• No to Commodification of Communism
  
• Solidarity With Gaza
  
• Mobilisation Against the G20 and NATO Conference
  
• Working with FE Colleges on the Future of Education
  
• Save Our Universities: Save London Met
  
• Supporting Student Activism
  

Comrades spoke confidently and passionately. We had hardly any opposition. There is a slight issue with the no Platform for Fascists motion which i am trying to deal with. Will keep you informed.

Candidates who are standing for election passed some very important motions. Katie Boothby was brilliant. Clearly our approach this year has brought people closer to us and we are now planning how to maximise on this.

Another Education is Possible is a great campaign that can bring together forces on the left to fight for a united position on the 5 key points:

Free Education
Stop the War
Freedom for Palestine
Unite Against Fascism
Stop Climate Chaos.

THREE more UK uni's in occupation. Plus video from Manchester occupation

University of The Arts blog

Plymouth Blog

Plymouth University and BAE Systems
BAE Systems have sold equipment to Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Zimbabwe and - more specifically - 236 F-16 Fighters to the Israeli state. In February 2007 it was announced that BAE contracts in 6 countries were under investigation by the Serious Fraud Office for "suspected international corruption."

Cardiff Uni Blog

Noam Chomsky has been a trooper keeping up with all the occupations and sending messages of support to ALL of them...here's what he sent to Cardiff.

Cardiff Students Against War has just received a message of support from the legendary Noam Chomsky!!

I am very pleased to learn about the courageous and honorable actions of the Cardiff University students. These are particularly significant because of the Britain's role in arms sales generally, and it's contribution to the savage onslaught on Gaza and on the occupied territories generally, second only to the decisive role of the United States -- a disgrace for all of us. I hope you have the greatest success in arousing public opinion and bringing these crimes to an end.

Noam Chomsky

Obviously this is a massive boost to our morale after a rough first night on the cold, hard lecture theatre steps. Thank you Noam!

Israeli Apartheid Week 2009

When i come back to full activity i will be re-arranging how this site is organised. Videos will be broadcast on SMTV rather than as separate posts.

I will uploaded this video on SMTV soon.

New York occupation needs your support-please contact their director

It is clear that the momentum on the side of student occupations and democracy was becoming too big a threat for campus administrations. The NYU administration this afternoon divided, detained, suspended and evicted students who had been occupying the student center at NYU.

This all happened without due process. John Sexton is using the NYU occupation to send a message to students across the country - that dissent and free speech will be met with repression.

But we have our own precedent to set: that the fight for campus democracy and divestment will continue in the face of intimidation. The more pressure the NYU administration feels (and the more our student occupation movement grows), the more likely we will win justice for students here and justice for the people of the Middle East.

In struggle,
Leia

Email NYU Administrators. Demand amnesty and no suspensions:

NYU President John Sexton: john.sexton@nyu.edu
John Beckman, NYU Spokesperson: jhb5@nyu.edu
Office of the Provost: provost@nyu.edu
Office of the Vice President: evp@nyu.edu

For more information and great coverage:

www.takebacknyu.com
www.thesitch.com

Another New York uni in occupation

Take back New York occupation blog

Birzeit University students would like to express particular solidarity with students of SOAS...who started this movement

STATEMENT OF SUPPORT FROM BIRZEIT UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
STUDENT VOLUNTEERS, R2E CAMPAIGN, BIRZEIT UNIVERSITY , 17 FEBRUARY 2009

The Right to Education Campaign and the students of Birzeit University would like to commend and express support for students worldwide who have taken a principled stance against the ferocious Israeli bombardment of the Gaza strip for 22 days between December 2008 and January 2009...

Read full article here

...In response to the Israeli attacks on Gaza, students at more than 20 (32 now i think) universities in the UK and so far 1 university in the U.S, have taken non-violent action in the form of sit-ins or 'occupations' of rooms in university buildings, with the aim of pressuring their universities to take action by cutting financial and commercial links with Israel, issuing statements in condemnation of the Israeli attacks on Gaza, and providing scholarships for Gaza students.

...Birzeit University students would like to express particular solidarity with students of SOAS, who began this movement, Edinburgh University, and Leeds University, all of whom are twinned with our Student Council. We deeply appreciate your ongoing efforts in refusing to be silent in face of the ongoing barbarities and crimes carried out by the Israeli occupation against Palestinian students and teachers.

In solidarity,

Birzeit University Right to Education Student Volunteers