York Branch

June 2007

Chair's report for 2007 for presentation at branch AGM

Chairman's Report 2007

June 9th 2007

Picture of York PSC members attending the Enough rally

March 2007

Picture from NUS 2007 Conference

3rd February 2007

An ordinary Saturday in York city centre witnessed an ordinary and simple message: THE WALL MUST FALL.

18 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall once again a people are threatened by the imposition of a solid structure which divides, separates and antagonises.
13 years since the end of South African apartheid a people are incarcerated within Bantustan-like areas, unable to move freely they are surrounded by an 750km long 8 metre high concrete wall, illegal settlements and checkpoints to impede most if not all movement.

Many of us are too naïve, or simply too hopeful, to see that injustices like those mentioned are continuing today, and both examples continue under one regime: the Israeli occupation.
In York we wanted to raise awareness of the injustice and illegality of the wall by erecting a wall of 3 metres and like one child observed ‘easy to knock down’, since it was made of polystyrene. On the wall there was information about the occupation, and those passers-by who wanted to get a little more out of their Saturday then just bags of clothes courtesy of numerous sweatshops, or non fairly traded coffee stopped to listen and learn, and nearly all were shocked and surprised. Why, if we are so ostentatiously proud of our freedom of media and of speech do people no know about this gratuitous injustice at the hands of the Israelis?

The ladies who work for the council initially told us to move the wall, and the checkpoint which was within it, because ‘it was an obstruction’, which I tried to explain was the very point! We lost the battle, adding to the feeling of playing Palestinians.
So whilst these ladies were fighting to the bitter end for us to move so we would not get in the way of the shoppers, ironically, there is no one in British politics fighting on behalf of international rules and regulations to stop the killing of Palestinians, the stealing of their land, and the absolute curtailment of their movement.
It’s a pity we cannot apply humane rules to others outside of the UK, which would affect their lives more than rules which are meant to allow you to get to your shops quicker and with no hassle at all.

We want everything in the UK, and often we do not care if others have nothing.

It was interesting to have a parent complain about the presence of machine guns, which, where ridiculously oversized and evidently made of cardboard. He said that children should not see things like what we were staging. Fundamentally, why should his children not be exposed to what was essentially a very artificial theatre production, when thousands of children in Palestine live with this everyday presence of Israeli weapons, the wall, and the checkpoints – and the machine guns which are pointed at them are unfortunately not made of cardboard – a reality which all too often the Palestinian children themselves learn, too late.

9th January 2007

It’s easy to despair as we begin 2007.  Britain is embroiled in un-winnable wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, we’re threatening Iran and who knows what the consequences will be, and we shiver in insecurity at home.  The Palestine-Israel conflict looks as if it’s locked into a cycle of oppression and violence.  From that land, though, came one man who brought to York a message of hope on Tuesday night.
 
I was one of about 250 or 300 people who listened to Bishop Riah Abu El-Assal of Jerusalem.  As an Arab Christian Israeli citizen and an Anglican he has a rare perspective.  He knows the pressures on Israelis and Palestinians, and the obstacles to peace: illegal Israeli settlements, the illegal apartheid wall, the demolition of Palestine houses.  But what he also told us about was how much Jews and Arabs, Israelis and Palestinians have in common.  Both are Semitic peoples, both have a strong religious tradition rooted in a belief in one God, both have suffered persecution, both have been scattered across the world.  And both know the value of education, and of hard work.

In this commonality, argues the Bishop, lies hope.  Work together in that common land, and the two peoples could be “a blessing” to the region.  He has no new-fangled recipe for a just peace: no short-cut for Israel but to accept UN resolutions 242 and 338, bite the bullet and end its illegal occupation of Palestinian land.  But if Israel does this  -  and here the Bishop uses his immense charisma as well as the authority of his office  -  Israelis can dare to hope for a peace which they cannot dream of achieving through wall-building and armaments and oppression.  Peace between Israel and its neighbour Palestine, a blessing in itself and a catalyst for peace in the wider region, so we too can dare to hope to see our soldiers coming home. 

Never did the psalmist’s words mean so much as they did that night when voiced by the Bishop: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; they shall prosper that love thee.”

A meal before the event                                                                    Bishop Riah

Introduction by Prof Maughan Brown

                                                                                                       PSC National Secretary Betty Hunter

                                                                                                          PSC Branch Chair Stephen Leah

11th November 2006

On 11th November, we combined our stall with a demonstration against Israel’s massacre of civilians in Beit Hanoun as well as their ongoing attacks on Gaza. We called it with 2 days notice and despite the strong winds, around 12 people came and held placards describing the attacks.

19th August 2006

Around 200 people attended a rally and march calling for just peace in Lebanon and Palestine.  Speakers included Suzy Whighton who recently returned her MBE in protest at the Government's complicity in the prosecution of illegal wars and occupations (http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/comment/0,,1850953,00.html).

£166.13 was raised in collections to be split equally between Medical Aid for Palestinians and MAG

Further reports and photos will appear on York Indymedia

22nd July 2006

Over 150 people came to a vigil organised by York PSC and York Against The War to protest against the current Israeli attacks on Gaza and Lebanon.  The vigil was followed by a march through the City Centre.

9th July 2006

On Sunday 9th July members of York PSC held a demonstration outside York Minster while members of the general synod were arriving for a service. The demonstration was to thank the synod for voting to divest from Caterpillar but at the same time to highlight the fact that Ethical Investment Advisory Board has to still act on the Synod's decision.

15th February 2006

Around 120 people came to a joint public meeting organised by York PSC and ICAHD UK to listen to Jeff Halper speak on 'A NEW APARTHEID REGIME?

ISRAEL/PALESTINE AFTER THE MARCH ELECTIONS'.  The meeting was a huge success and the third meeting of the day Jeff had spoken at, after addressing politics students at the University followed by a meeting organised by York Student Action for Palestine.

The meeting was chaired by Vice Principle  Maughan Brown.

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