This Wednesday: Demand Justice for Gaza! Defend the Right to Protest!
Online Public Meeting - 12th of February 7pm
Time and Place:
7pm, this Wednesday the 12th of February Zoom
Speakers include:
Maggie Chapman, Green MSP
Matt Kerr, Labour Councillor
Lindsey German, STW UK Convener
Coll McCail, STW Scotland
Last month, we witnessed a massive escalation of the attacks on our right to protest. On January the 18th the national Palestine Solidarity protest in London was subject to severe restrictions, and heavy policing followed by mass arrests. The police had already banned the demonstration from assembling at the BBC and, on the day, an extraordinary police presence made their first arrests at Whitehall where protesters were gathering.
In deeply disturbing scenes the Metropolitan police violently arrested Chris Nineham, the Vice Chair of Stop the War Coalition and the chief steward of the Palestine march. Incredibly, in the hours that followed MPs Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell were called into Charing Cross police station, alongside Ben Jamal, the director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, to give interviews under caution. Nineham, Jamal and others are now facing charges under the Public Order Act.
Whilst the full scale of destruction and horror continue to emerge in the weeks following the ceasefire, the future of the Gaza hangs in the balance. The unprecedented attack on the Palestine Solidarity movement at this juncture is extremely concerning for all parts of the movement, including in Scotland. The ability to hold our institutions and political leaders to account and to demand justice for the Palestinians couldn’t be more crucial. And, as we know from a number of arrests in the past 15 months, Palestine Solidarity activists in Scotland are far from immune from political repression.
Beyond this however, the scale of the recent attack on the Palestine Solidarity movement represents a massive escalation of attacks on civil liberties across the board. The defence of our right to protest in general, as a basic democratic right, demands a UK-wide response from trade unions, politicians, political organisations and all parts of civic society.
Already 40 lawyers and legal scholars have submitted a letter to the Home Secretary demanding the charges be dropped against Nineham, Jamal and others. A further 50 MPs and Peers have signed a letter demanding an independent inquiry into the behaviour of the Met Police at the demonstration and 15 trade union leaders have joined the call to repeal “anti-democratic anti - protest laws”.
As part of this response Stop the War Scotland will be hosting an online public meeting “Demand Justice for Gaza! Defend the Right to Protest!” at 7pm this Wednesday the 12th of February featuring a range of speakers including Green Party MSP Maggie Chapman, Labour Councillor Matt Kerr, Convener of Stop the War UK Lindsey German, STW Scotland’s Coll McCail and more!
Join us at 7pm online on the 12th of February to hear from a range of speakers and to discuss how we demand justice for Gaza and defend the right to protest.
