Protests Against Attacks on Gaza - Manchester - 3rd Jan, 2009

Thanks to James Chan for the photographs.

Photos From Gaza

Today I protested with about 4,000 other people in Manchester. We shouted until we were hoarse. I took my camera without the memory card, so I will refrain from posting about the protest until I have some copies of my friend's pics to put up.

I've deliberated for a while about whether to post these photos. I got them from a friend of a friend who posted them on facebook to let the world see what is happening in Gaza. These are not nice images, and we do not see them in the mainstream media. But I feel they should be seen.

Moments of Gaza

I'd like to share a post from another blog with you. It's from Moments of Gaza - eyewitness accounts of life in Gaza - have a read. This post is from Professor Said Abdelwahed.

What Gaza looks like on Jan. 1st, 2009?
Death is everywhere in Gaza. Sorrow and sadness is the address of the new year 2009. There is a smell of blood and carnage! Every minutes witnesses new bad news; bangs, bombings, missile hissing, collapses, devastation, Israeli drones, Apaches and other choppers, F16s, land shakes under us; destruction everywhere, dead bodies, mutilated parts, crying children and mothers searching for their kids and husbands; no one knows where to go or where to hide! No safe haven under the Israeli attack. Even civil society establishments were targeted; the ministry of justice, the ministry of education, the ministry of culture have been destroyed! Mosques were badly hit with six of it became something of the past. Dozens of the homes around those mosques were devastated and shattered; people dies and injured. Until today, the first of January 2009, more than two thousands were injured and more than 420 have been killed in the attack. This number included more than fifty children.

Today, more than 20 air raids were executed on Gaza city only! The latest of the attacks destroyed a four floor building killing at least 15 people in Jabalia refugee camp! As I am dispatching this message, 5 floors building has been demolished in Sheikh Radwan to the north of Gaza city, by an Israeli warplane minutes ago! I cannot follow up with the news of bombing with a third large explosion right now!

Prof. Abdelwahed
Department of English
Faculty of Arts & Humanities
Al-Azhar University of Gaza

I Read the News Today

It's the seventh morning of the Israeli offensive in Gaza. Last night I heard that the UK and US have vetoed a UN resolution calling on Israel to end its use of force. Much as I would prefer to bury my head in the sand and pretend that it isn't happening, it's probably time I checked the headlines. If they will tell me the full story, that is.



The frontpage of The Guardian Website has a small section dedicated to Israel vs. Palestinians, and their lead story is 'Israeli bomb kills Hamas leader', reminding us that this offensive is necessary and is reaching its well-justified aim. Just when you think you can trust a newspaper... At least they mentioned that two of Nizar Rayan's wives and four of his children were also killed in the attack. The article then quickly reports the death toll - now more than 400 (Palestinians that is), but is unable to reassure us that these two were 'wicked' people who deserved it. The prime minister, Ehud Olmert, travelled to Be'er Sheva, a city in the Negev hit by Palestinian rockets for the first time this week, but gave no hint as to whether a ground operation was imminent.

"I very much hope that we will succeed in reaching our goals as quickly as possible," he said. "We have not declared war on the residents of Gaza. I reiterate that we will treat the population with silk gloves but will apply an iron fist to Hamas."

Silk gloves?? Even the Guardian doubts this:

Despite his words, there is concern about civilian casualties, believed to number at least 60, as well as the humanitarian crisis.

60? Of 400 dead Palestinians only 60 are civilians?? Really?? They provide no source for this figure, but it can't possibly be right.

But the newspaper does reassure us that the sites bombed yesterday were worthwhile - the justice ministry and parliament building in Gaza city, more smuggling tunnels on the Egyptian border (what could they be smuggling? weapons? or maybe food? medical supplies?), the houses in Norther Gaza (just so we know they're within ranging of firing into Israel) of three more Hamas militants, and another group called the Popular Resistance Committees. At least the reporting cannot be accused of being biased, however, they do then go on to tell us that Palestinian militants fired 20 rockets into Israel (without casualties). The picture we are supposed to take away from reading this article is clear. Oddly, there is nothing in this, the main report from The Guardian this morning, about diplomatic efforts to resolve the situation. Nothing about UK and US vetoes on a UN resolution. Maybe I dreamed that I heard this...

My trawl through the day's media can only get worse from here on... The BBC News Homepage leads with a story on the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka. Their frontpage headline on the situation in Gaza reads 'Israel braced for Hamas response: Israel tightens security as Hamas calls a "day of wrath" in protest at Israel's bombing of Gaza, now entering a seventh day'. Again, the myth of equal opposing forces is propagated by our publicly funded news agency. I'm going in to read the article. More of the same. Applause for Israel on successfully killing Hamas leader, both sides have ignored international call for ceasefire... but my favourite line:

'Israel says its air campaign, provoked by Palestinian rocket attacks, has been going according to plan.'

Good job they put in that middle bit, just in case we forgot that the Palestinians brought this on themselves. They report four Israelis have been killed by rockets since Saturday. 400 Palestinians are dead, at least 100 of them are civilians, according to the UN. I check the UN News Centre to see if I can verify this, but find nothing. They don't mention that of 20 civilians killed last night, 11 were children and 9 were women. They briefly mention that the UK and US vetoed a draft UN resolution put forward by Egypt and Libya on the grounds that it made no mention of Hamas rocket attacks against Israel.

Candles in the Darkness

Last night I joined a vigil for Gaza outside the BBC on Oxford Road in Manchester. Feelings of helplessness often overtake me in the face of such injustice and misuse of power. But holding a candle in the cold and dark last night, with around a hundred other people who shared by feelings of outrage, sadness and disgust, and hoped for an end to the killing and a peaceful future felt powerful.



Other people I knew had turned up, including a friend of Nick's who I had never met before. He is Gazan, studying for an MD in Manchester. His parents had come to visit him recently and were still with him, but the rest of his family remained in Gaza. I struggled to imagine what that must feel like. He had had some contact with them, and everyone was okay so far. Then he introduced us to his friend, M. M had a pale and sad face, that seemed somehow familiar. I wondered if I had met him before. A told us that one of M's family members had been killed today in the raids. I was speechless. I didn't know what to say. M said that he had just spoken with his family on the phone a few minutes ago, he said the bombs were falling now. All four of us were silent. The reality of this was speaking to us in the silence. Our candles kept being blown out by the passing buses, but we always found someone else's candle to re-light from. I thought about just how similar to campaigning and fighting for justice holding a lit candle on the street in wintertime is.

End the Killing in Gaza

Things you can do:

1) Write to your MP - they're on their Christmas holidays (conveniently), but still write to them, phone them and generally pester them. Find out their contact details on the Write to Them website.

2) Write to the Foreign Secretary on this email address - private.office@fco.gov.uk

3) Fax the Prime Minister +442079250918

4) Write to the Labour Party - fill in this form online http://www.labour.org.uk/contact

5) Go to to a Protest:

LONDON
Tuesday 30 December, 2 - 4pm
Outside Israeli Embassy, Kensington High Street, London, W4.
Nearest tube Kensingston High Street (turn right out of tube station and walk along the main road.
Wednesday 31 December, 2 - 4pm outside Israeli Embassy
Thursday 1 January 2 - 4pm outside Israeli Embassy
SATURDAY 3 JANUARY. DEMONSTRATION AND RALLY. Assemble 2pm Parliament Square, W1. Nearest tube Westminster

MANCHESTER
Tuesday 30 5pm, BBC Oxford Road, there will be vigils all week and a protest on Saturday 3rd January.

GLASGOW
Saturday 3rd January 12noon
Outside Lloyds TSB, St Vincent Street and then assemble for demo at Blytheswood Square, 2pm

EDINBURGH
Foot of the Mound, Princes Street
Saturday 3rd January, 12noon.

CARDIFF
Tuesday 30 December 12 to 1pm. Outside Cardiff Market/ St John’s Church, the Hayes
Wednesday 31 December New Year Vigil. Nye Bevan Statue, Queen Street

LEEDS
Tuesday 30 4.30pm-6pm, Outside art gallery, Headrow

BRISTOL
Centre, opposite the Hippodrome, Tuesday - Friday 5.00 - 6.00 and Saturday 3.00 - 4.00.

NOTTINGHAM
Tuesday 30 December 12 noon, Market Square

SOUTHAMPTON
Tuesday 30 December 12 to 2pm, West Quay Entrance, High Street

HULL
Saturday 3 January, 11am. Queen Victoria Square.

BRADFORD
Monday 29 December 2pm, Centenary Square. We will provide leaflets please bring placards, banners etc or bring with you marker pens and large size paper.

PORTSMOUTH
Saturday 3 January 11am, Guildhall Square

Slaughter in Gaza

The western world was sitting back after a big turkey dinner and too many glasses of wine. They reached for the remote to find another cheesey Christmas special to help them through the digestion of too many excesses. I'm not sure how many of them flicked to the news channel for a moment and discovered the horror that was being unleashed on a tiny overcrowded strip of land, far away somewhere hot and dusty where Santa doesn't go.

But it was happening. The raids began on Saturday morning, the 27th of December. Israeli bomber and helicopter gunships targeted police stations, Khan Younis and Rafah refugee camps, the Gaza city port and civilian targets. The first wave killed 200 people. Today is the fourth day of the massacre. At least 364 Palestinians have died so far. Thousands more have been injured, lost loved ones and their homes.

The justification that Israel gives for attacking Gaza is the rockets that have been fired from within Gaza into Israel. 9 Israelis have been killed by Gazan rockets since September 2005. In the same period at least 1400 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces. I will never believe that there is justification for violence. It will never be right for Palestinians to fire rockets into Israel, even if they kill fewer people than are killed by Israeli forces. An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind. But in this case it's not even an eye for an eye. My friend calculated that 3 Israelis were killed by Palestinians in 2008, and then Israel killed 345 Palestinians in 3 days. Therefore 1 Israeli = 115 Palestinians. When it comes to the Palestinians trying to rise against the Israeli oppressor, I come closer to understanding the motivation for violence than I ever thought I could.

So with this justification you would be expecting that Israel would be very sure that they could definitely catch the bad guys who've been firing rockets into their territory. But the dead are old men, old women, children... Innocents who have no affiliation to any militant groups. I guess they have to pay the price for falling under the same catgetory as those who fire rockets. It's just a pity it's such a broad category: Palestinian.



A home was destroyed while eleven family members slept inside. Five of the daughters died when the house collapsed on them. They were Tahrir 17, Ikram 15, Samer 13, Dina 8 and Jawahar, 4 years old. The Guardian Newspaper wrote this about their father:

Anwar, 40, sat in another house where a mourning tent had been set up. He was pale and still suffering from serious injuries to his head, his shoulder and his hands. But like many other patients in Gaza he had been made to leave an overcrowded hospital to make way for the dying. Yesterday his house was a pile of rubble: collapsed walls and the occasional piece of furniture exposed to the sky. He spoke bitterly of his daughters' deaths. "We are civilians. I don't belong to any faction, I don't support Fatah or Hamas, I'm just a Palestinian. They are punishing us all, civilians and militants. What is the guilt of the civilian?" Like many men in Gaza, Anwar has no job, and like all in the camp he relies on food handouts from the UN and other charity support to survive.

"If the dead here were Israelis, you would see the whole world condemning and responding. But why is no one condemning this action? Aren't we human beings?" he said. "We are living in our land, we didn't take it from the Israelis. We are fighting for our rights. One day we will get them back."

This latest Israeli atrocity comes after 18 months of the Israeli siege and blockade of Gaza, which has crippled the Gazan economy and caused starvation and malnourishment throughout Gaza. The Israeli blockade has brought to a virtual halt food, fuel, medical supplies and other necessities and prevented UN and medical personnel from entering Gaza. This is the current situation in a local hospital, as reported by the organisation Medical Aid for Palestinians:

There were mothers, fathers looking for children, looking for relatives. Everyone was confused and seeking support. Mothers were crying, people were asking about relatives, the medical team was confused.

Some people were just lying there, some were screaming, some were very, very angry. There were a lot of injured arriving, ambulances coming in and out. The injured were coming by private cars and they were being left wherever. You could see blood here and there.

There is talk [the Israeli air strikes] were targeting the police and security forces but in Shifa hospital, I saw many, many civilians, some dead, some injured, some were children, some were women, some were elderly people.

There are people without their legs in very severe pain. The doctors and nurses were trying to give them painkillers and to keep them alive. Patients are lying there knowing they've lost their legs. Some were asking God if they could die. They were in a terrible psychological state.

The doctors and nurses were trying to do their best. They discharged all the patients from the chronic diseases ward and from the oncology ward to make way for the injured. They were using whatever they could.

There's no gauze so they are using cotton, which sticks to the wounds. They can't sterilise clothes for the operating theatre. They're using wrong sized syringes. They're working 24 hours. They're referring cases from one hospital to the next. One hospital was running out of anaesthesia. They're also drawing blood and there's no alcohol. This is a disaster.

Already this post is too long. But there are still so many things I haven't covered. The media coverage of these matters is inexcusably biased. The BBC and other mainstream media clearly show bias to the Israeli side by portraying these atrocities as the justifiable retaliation of a sovereign state against terrorists attacking it. I have been closely following the media coverage over the past few days and am sickened that whenever airtime is given to a Gazan reporting on the deaths, casualties and humanitarian situation resulting from these bombings it must be followed by a report from Israel about the dreadful situation Israelis are living. As if this was equal suffering. I do not mean to belittle the fear felt by Israelis living close to Gaza. The fear that a rocket may strike them. But this is not equal and parallel suffering to that the Palestinians are facing in Gaza.

Meanwhile, the most read article on the Guardian website is about Steven Gerrard's assault charges.