Boycott: a strategy to defeat Israeli apartheid
Participants include
BRICUP (British Committee for Universities in Palestine)
Friends of Al Aqsa
Ireland
Palestine
Solidarity Campaign
Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods
Northern Palestine Solidarity Network
Scottish Palestine
Solidarity Campaign
Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (UK)
Norwegian Committee on Palestine
(Bergen)
Sheffield PSC
CAPJO-EuroPalestine
French Coalition Against Agrexco
War on Want
Palestine
Solidarity Campaign
PSC Boycott Divestment
and Sanctions Committee
United 4 Palestine
The last year has seen significant growth in the BDS
movement. Trade union commitments, student occupations and
initiatives by groups working for solidarity with Palestine
have together transformed the landscape here in the UK
and elsewhere. The Gaza
massacres were the major factor in shifting opinion but, at enormous cost
to Palestinians, this has greatly expanded support for the BDS
campaign.
Participants of the BDS weekend at
Wooler will discuss ideas that can take this movement forward. Those new
to BDS will have the opportunity to
learn from those who have already been active in pushing out the BDS
campaign in different fields. The weekend will provide a crucial
opportunity to share experiences and reflect on the challenges and
opportunities ahead of us.
This workshop will build in the success of our first weekend BDS
workshop in Wooler in October 2009. The overall plan of the weekend will
be similar. The programme will provide the maximum opportunity for discussion
and exchange of ideas between the participants on a wide range of boycott
and divestment campaigns.
As before, the programme ( see below) will focus on the means by
which different sections of civil society- students, trade
unionists, NGOs, solidarity activists, faith groups- can both work
within their own institutions, and interact with other sections of civil
society, in order to bring about a co-ordinated international mass
movement for BDS.
Those who have no prior experience of BDS
work will be provided with a briefing that will enable them to
participate fully in the weekend’s programme .
Time and Location
The workshop will take place at the 74 bed Coalbrookdale Youth Hostel
which is located half a mile from Ironbridge village. The hostel can be
reached by an hourly bus from Telford Station (6 miles away) which has a
direct train service from London
and Birmingham. Car parking
for 12 cars is available at the hostel. Other cars can park in the nearby
museum car park. This is locked overnight, but still allows
continued access to your car.
The workshop will commence at 7pm
on Friday evening (with a social event) and end at 3pm on Sunday.
Booking
Based on our experience at Wooler,
EARLY BOOKING IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED to secure a bed at the hostel.
To reserve a place, make out a cheque for the full cost (£30) to
Northern Palestine Solidarity Network and post it to Terry Gallogly at
10, Lowther Court, York
YO31 7EG, together with a
slip with full contact details and email address. You will then receive a
receipt. Final instructions will follow 2 weeks before the event.
Other Accomodation in Coalbrookdale
No camping is available at the YHA but there is another hostel 3 miles
away at Coalport, and bed and breakfast accomodation close by. More
details of these will follow shortly.
Amenities in Coalbrookdale.
Small shops are available in Ironbridge, and there is a supermarket in
Madely (3miles). There are 2 pubs nearby, both of which serve food. There
is no cash machine locally, but the Post Office provides a ‘cash-back’
service.e
Timetable
Friday
7pm
Welcome and housekeeping: Plan for the weekend
Saturday
9am - 10.30am: Session 1
Moving forward from Cairo Declaration:
- The Cairo Declaration - the outcome of international co-operation
during The Gaza Freedom March – an important step forward for BDS.
- Building BDS: expanding the network
and campaigning to a wider constituency – activist groups, including
faith groups, grassroots trade union members, on campus, other
societies/campaigns /NGOs, etc.
11am - 12.30pm:
Session 2
An integrated approach to the boycott of Israeli goods:
- How the trade union movement, activist groups and consumers can work
together to build a co-ordinated approach for the prevention of the
import, handling and sale of Israeli goods throughout Europe,
e.g. Carmel-Agrexco campaign.
- Maximising involvement: direct action, filming etc.
- How to deal with legal issues: private/public property etc.
12.30 - 1.30pm
Lunch
1.30 - 3pm:
Session 3
Acting against Israeli war criminals:
This session will discuss how to defend Universal Jurisdiction and
intensify and broaden its targets in order to extend the threat of legal
action deeper in to Israeli Society.
3.30 - 5pm:
Session 4
The International Campaign against the JNF (Jewish National Fund):
- Looking toward the international JNF conference, May 8/9 in Edinburgh.
- Challenging the JNF in the UK.
5 – 5.30pm
Reflections on the day.
Sunday
9 - 10.30am:
Session 1
Best practice in the academic, cultural & sports boycott:
- Practical application of boycott consistent with PACBI guidelines.
- The academic boycott on campus: for students and academics.
- Dealing with cultural visits to and from Israel.
- The sports boycott.
- Questions on ‘normalisation’ .
11am - 12.30pm: Session
2
Divestment
- How best to go about developing divestment campaigns.
- Research, building up a data base and developing ideas for a sustained
campaign.
- Grassroots street activism: public awareness raising, targeting the
company, its shareholders, those with equity through pension funds which
include the churches, universities, trade unions, financial institutions
etc.
- Lobbying politicians, working/forming alliances with other BDS
campaigners/ NGOs etc, options for legal actions, taking complaints to
the OECD, Human Rights Commissions etc.
12.30 – 1pm
Dealing with the counter-attack to BDS:
- This session will pool experience and advice on how to counter attacks
on the BDS campaign & activists.
- Attack on Palestinian activists.
- Dealing with organised Zionist groups on campus and in trade unions.
- Use of media and the law against BDS
campaign.
- Dealing with branding of BDS as part
of the ‘new anti-Semitism’ .
- Responding to arguments for Palestinian/ Israeli partnerships vs. BDS,
e.g. Histadrut, One Voice.
1 – 2pm
Lunch Break
2 – 3.30pm
UK & International Co-ordination for BDS
action:
- International South African/Palestinian trade union speaking tour
- Co-ordinated actions: Israeli Apartheid Week, Week of Action Against
the Wall, Nakba commemoration, etc
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