BY OMARI MUSA  
PITTSBURGH--Nearly 10,000 people participated in a rally denouncing the Israeli government’s war against the Palestinian people in Cape Town, South Africa, April 21. A month earlier, the Palestine Action Group (PAG) organized a protest of more than 1,000 demanding the South African government sever diplomatic ties with Israel by recalling its ambassador.

The PAG also called on the South African government to institute sanctions against Israel and end all arms deals with Israel, and investigate South Africans being recruited into the Israeli Defense Force.

The April 21 demonstration was organized by the Rally for Palestine Committee. It includes the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC), the Islamic Unity Convention, and the Muslim Youth Movement and Qibla.

Among the speakers at the rally was Ronnie Kasrils, an African National Congress (ANC) leader and minister of water affairs and forestry. Others included ANC Western Cape leader Ebrahim Rasool, Congress of South African Trade Unions general secretary for the Western Cape Tony Ehrenreich, and MJC leader Ihfaan Hendricks.

Kasrils has come under heavy attack from supporters of the Israeli offensive. He has spoken at various rallies and protests against the assault on West Bank areas. In a statement distributed at a December 28 vigil, Kasrils called on Israel to immediately withdraw from occupied Palestinian areas and to recognize Palestine as a sovereign independent country that has the right to exist side-by-side with its neighbor. Kasrils is Jewish.

South Africa’s president, Thabo Mbeki, has also drawn fire from the South African Jewish Board of Deputies. Mbeki was quoted on South African television as describing the attack on Yasir Arafat’s headquarters in Ramallah as "an attack on Palestine by Israel." Board chairperson Russell Gaddin stated, "We are appalled at this one-sided call. We believe that, unaccompanied by a similar call by the president to end the unbridled acts of terror against the Israeli civilian population, Mr. Mbeki compromises South Africa’s officially stated policy of evenhandedness in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

The rally passed a resolution for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Palestinian areas. Like other protests, it also called for an international force to "protect Palestinians."

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) released a statement April 25 that said the "South African government should cut ties with Israel immediately." It also called for a "boycott of all Israeli goods." COSATU secretary general Zwelinzima Vavi noted, "We are asking our members to refuse handling goods from Israel." The union official said COSATU would also organize demonstrations at the Israeli embassy in South Africa until the ambassador is recalled.
 

Actions in Scotland

BY REBECCA HUTCHINSON  
GLASGOW, Scotland--Demonstrations in solidarity with the Palestinian people condemning the brutal Israeli assault on the West Bank are taking place across Scotland. Protests involving 3,000 people have been organized in Aberdeen, Dundee, and Edinburgh in recent weeks.

On April 27 more than 1,000 people marched through the city center here in an action called by the Scottish Coalition for Justice Not War. The demonstration was a confident and vocal expression of support for the Palestinian resistance to the Israeli invasion of Palestinian towns and refugee camps. The tone was set with the arrival of a contingent from Glasgow’s Southside. Led by young women wearing the "hegheb," a Moslem head-dress, they were welcomed with cheers as they marched up to the assembly point at George Square chanting, "Allah al Aqbar" and "Victory to the Intifada."

Other popular chants on the march were, "No justice, no peace" and "Tony Blair: terrorist! George Bush: terrorist!" Many people carried placards demanding an end to the Israeli occupation and opposing the war against Iraq. A number of contingents displayed the Scottish flag alongside the Palestinian flag.

The marchers sat down for several minutes in front of the recruitment center for the Armed Forces on Queen Street. Soldiers from Scottish-based units like the Royal Marines 45 Commando are currently deployed as part of the imperialist occupation of Afghanistan.

At the end of the march speakers addressed a rally in George Square. Many of those listening most attentively were young people who had come along to express their opposition to the Israeli occupations and their solidarity with the Palestinian fighters. A young man carrying a Palestinian flag told this reporter they were present to oppose "Bush and Blair going into Iraq when they feel like it. It’s like Palestine. You have to raise your voice to give support."

The loudest cheers from young people at the rally came when Aamer Anwar, of the Chhokar Family Justice Campaign, explained the answer he gives to people who express doubts about the Palestinian fighters known as "suicide bombers." Anwar said he explains that "when all you have left is your life then that is what you will sacrifice." Participants were encouraged to join a march on the Scottish Parliament May 1, to back the demands: "Stop Israeli state error: End the 35-year occupation now."
 

Union federations back Quebec protest

BY JOANNE PRITCHARD  
MONTREAL--More than 7,500 people marched here in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle April 27. The protest was organized by the Coalition for Justice and Peace in Palestine. The coalition includes two major Quebec union federations, the Confederation of National Trade Unions (CSN) and the Quebec Union Central (CSQ), as well as the Muslim Council of Montreal, Solidarity for Human Rights in Palestine, the Quebec Women’s Federation, and Palestinians and Jews United Against the Occupation.

After gathering at the Israeli consulate, participants marched through downtown Montreal to a federal building. The action was the fruit of efforts by a new layer of Palestinian activists over the past few years to win support for their struggle from wider layers of the population in Quebec. Palestine was colonized by the United Kingdom and most Palestinians speak English as a second language. Alongside the Palestinian and Lebanese flags, the next most popular national flag at this march was Quebec’s. The slogans and speeches were in French, English, and Arabic. One of the popular slogans was Québec-Palestine, solidarité!

Elinia Cielo, who is a member of the Chilean Committee for Human Rights, carried a Chilean flag and explained that she had just returned from Chile where she had participated in demonstrations in solidarity with the Palestinians. A sticker worn by many marchers read "Today we are all Palestinian."

Abdel Salam Men’yawi, representing the Muslim Council of Montreal, acknowledged the broader participation in the demonstration. "Thank-you, merci, for coming out in spite of the massive disinformation campaign against the Palestinians." He added, "It was not right that Canada voted against the UN resolution condemning Israeli crimes" and demanded that the government "stop eroding our freedoms and civil liberties."

Bruce Katz, from Palestinians and Jews United, said that thousands of Jews around the world, including in Israel, denounced the occupation of Palestine. He explained that anti-Semitism is a form of racism like any other, such as that practiced against the Palestinians in Israel.

Also speaking were Marc Laviolette, the president of the CSN; Daniel Lachance, vice president of the CSQ; and Vivienne Barbot, president of the Québec Women’s Federation. Many of the speakers called for United Nations troops to be sent to the region to protect the Palestinians. But in the opinion of a number of young demonstrators such as Georges Abaje who goes to Brebeuf College, "That’s not going to work. The UN is controlled by the United States and they support Israel."

Joanne Pritchard is a member of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 500.
 
 
Related articles:
Palestinians and fight for national liberation
Palestinian struggle thwarts U.S. attempts to ‘settle’ Mideast  
 
 
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