Over a dozen university occupations for Palestine + The Yellow Army + 14th day of hunger strike (updated)

Updated: 1.29.09 added another protest story; see below

compiled by Cem Ertür
featured writer
Dandelion Salad
25 January, 2009

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/01/419762.html

Over a dozen university occupations for Palestine

Students across the country are holding occupations and sit ins in solidarity with Gaza. SOAS shut down a MOD exhibition on their campus whilst students at LSE declared victory after seven days when the university agreed to all of their demands.

They are followed by others at King’s College,Essex, Warwick, Sussex, Birmingham and over 80 Oxford University students have occupied the historic Bodleian building to demand that the university releases a statement condemning the attack on Gaza and cancel the lecture series at Balliol College inaugurated by Israeli war criminal Shimon Peres. There are also early reports of occupations at Manchester Met, Newcastle, Leeds and Cambridge [Pics] universities.

In Yorkshire, students have occupied a building at Leeds University whilst the Bradford AGM voted to give the university the weekend to comply with demands to support the Palestinians, or expect action on Monday.

[…]

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http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/01/419879.html

Israeli Embassy protest – January 17th 2009 (The Yellow Army)

TheRuralRebel | 23.01.2009 12:04

TheRuralRebel

In protest of Israel’s atrocities in Gaza and UK sales of arms to Israel, around 300-400 people assembled in front of the Israeli Embassy gates in Kensington, London. The police were far more than prepared for the demonstration in what became a sea of yellow jacketed officers. A diminished crowd of about 150 people were forcefully dispersed and escorted from Kensington by the MET and Transport Police.

Part 2

More: ruralrebel.wordpress.com/2009/01/20/protests-against-uk-ties-with-israel/ (website no longer available)

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http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/01/420202.html

14th day of hunger strike in parliament square

Indymedia UK, 25 January 2009

maria gallestegui continues her hunger strike in parliament square for the people of gaza sunday will be her 14th day without food
she is drinking liquids and taking basic mineral and vitamin supplements
mainstream media is still ignoring her protest even though gaza itself has quickly fallen from the headlines
i filmed an interview with maria on her fifth day
it can be seen at http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/01/418754.html

the socpa authorisation for a vigil of up to 20,000 still stands in parliament square, so anyone is welcome to go and support maria and the people of gaza without legal hindrance

rikki

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Updated

Note:

[1]  Anti-militarist activists entered the ITT/EDO MBM arms factory in Moulescombe, Brighton in the early hours of 17th January, where they are believed to have caused extensive damage to the offices, and to equipment used to make arms, including the ‘zero retention force arming units’ and ‘ejector release unit 151’ which the The Smash EDO/ITT campaign says are supplied to the Israeli Air Force.

source: Indymedia UK

Crossposted from http://decommisioners.wordpress.com/

British campaigners decommision in the attempt to stop supply of weapon systems to war criminals in Israel

25 January 2009

More than 1200 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since December 27th, more than 400 of which are children. They have deliberately targeted individuals in their homes, schools, hospitals as well as U.N compounds.

EDO MBM make vital components for the Paveway4 precision guided bomb, Hellfire missiles, and bomb release clips for F15 and F16 fighter aircraft.

[photos on original post]

http://www.mbmtech.co.uk/news.html

On Friday Brighton and Hove City Council refused to allow the tabling of a motion by a number of councilors that would have condemned the presence of EDO MBM in Brighton and its supply of components to Israel currently being used in Gaza. The grounds for the refusal were that the motion was ‘not relevant to the wellbeing of the city of Brighton and Hove’. The much acclaimed democratic process was once again tripped up at the first hurdle in the interests of corporate profits.

Just a few hours later six ordinary people took that democratic process into their own hands for the well-being of those in Gaza where governments and international law have failed to act. [1]

“I believed our actions were justified in a world where the profits of corporations seems to be put before the lives of Palestinian children. I only wish I had acted earlier and caused more damage, maybe then I could have saved a child’s life”. Says Tom Woodhead a decommissioner.

“If you hear the sound of a child being brutalised in the house next door and you rush in to smash the door down and save the child, should you be charged with breaking and entering? Obviously not.” Wrote  Eamonn McCann of the Raytheon 9.

Those currently remanded  are in HMP Lewes, 1 Brighton Rd, Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 1E

Elijah Smith VP7551, wing and cell no a/4 – 20

Robert Alford VP7552, f wing

Please start sending letters of support to keep there spirits up.

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see

Gaza: The Facts Are Insufficiently Impartial + Tony Benn DEC appeal on News 24

Breaking Gaza’s Will: Israel’s Enduring Fantasy, By Ramzy Baroud