Photograph: Chris Ison/PAThe Guardian reports that a rather smug looking Brighton MP declares support for acquitted “Gaza Campaigners”. They continue:
Green Party's Caroline Lucas 'delighted' over activists cleared of damaging arms factory in protest against Israeli war crimesNow, I’m going to leave aside the legal aspects of the case and whether or not criminal damage can be justified for the greater good. That can be debated somewhere else. But I am intrigued as to how criminal damage can be described as “non-violent direct action”. Anyway onto the more serious point – why are they referred to as "Gaza Campaigners"?
I don’t know but I would hazard a guess that Israel is not the only customer of the factory that was vandalised and that those customers are also using those weapons for killing people. So, why are they not mentioned? I also suspect that there are other factories in the UK selling arms to undesirable regimes. Why have they escaped? Why is it that Caroline Lucas applauds this action directed at one single and specific case and not the general principle? Why did she not take the opportunity, as our “Leader”, to highlight Green Party Policy? Which is:
"End all export subsidies and increase controls on UK arms sales, especially to goverments who violate human rights."
i.e. ALL governments who violate human rights and not just Israel.
Is the singling out of one naughty and wayward child, while ignoring the other equally naughty ones, for special treatment and condemnation really what we would accept in our schools? Would the Green Party approve with it’s high minded principles of equality and justice? I suspect not.
Isca Stieglitz is worried. So am I, and so is Greens Engage.
Non-violent direct action often involves breaking stuff. The non-violence means non violence against other people. Even if we do not break stuff (e.g. lock gates, paint slogans) they try to get us for "criminal damage".
ReplyDeleteThe epitome of NVDA was the action of Angie Zelter and friends, who were rightly judged innocent on "Lawful Excuse" grounds although they had caused millions of pounds worth of damage to Hawk ground attack aircraft in order to prevent them being used against civilians. In East Timor, if memory serves.
Seize the Day have a brilliant song about it.
NVDA is an entirely valid way of short circuiting all the prevarication and timewasting that is used to delay application of law and natural justice to the many wrongful actions that are going on worldwide.
So if you do something or work in some way that does not suit MY world-view, does that validate me coming to vandalise and/or destroy your home or workplace, providing I don't touch a human being?
ReplyDeleteI think if it involves invading countries and killing lots of people Judith, you would be justified to come and do this.
ReplyDeleteMaking weapons versus breaking weapons, is a choice and good that Caroline has chosen!
Greens seem to dislike Jews intensely
ReplyDeleteit's sticks out a mile away as no one else is singled out in such a way. Quite why they support a bunch of fascist loons that hate gays, women and each other almost as much as they desire to wipe jews off the face of history, is perplexing.
probably some kind of middle class guilt thang.
We support the Gazans not because they voted for Hamas, who as you rightly say, are a bunch of loons, but because they are being driven out of their land, and driven down, by the Israeli Government who also comprise a bunch of loons, religious nuts who believe that their God has promised the whole land to their race and religion. As Greens we support the oppressed and resist the oppression, we condemn the pointless and self-defeating provocative attacks by Hamas &c and we seek peace through community co-operation in securing an ecological economy in the region primarily through serious water infrastructure work.
ReplyDeleteGreens are obsessed about Israel - it is patently true, it doesn't need detail. Boycotts, websites like Greens Engage to keep a handle on anti-semitism within the party speak for themselves.
ReplyDeleteYes, the Gazans are not treated well, but from the Isreali's point of view they are containing people who desire them exterminated. And they don't take second chances these days.
DocR blames "religious nuts" in Israel. Really? and which religion would that be, Doc?
ReplyDeletePresumably not one that points out that Zionism and Judaism are diametrically opposed ...?