More photos of the attempt to silence anti-Hamas voices on the 17 Jan Gaza demonstration:in Sheffield

When Israel first attacked Gaza in Operation Cast Lead I was, like many people, happily celebrating the festive season. It happened that this year I was doing so with an incredibly right-wing American man who has somehow duped my sister into a relationship. My personal issues aside, from the moment I heard news of the situation I was on the phone and internet trying to track down my friends in Gaza of which there were 14 in total. I was petrified, disgusted and enraged everytime I thought about it, appalled by every new newsflash on CNN and brought to tears by the reactionary bullshit spurting from the mouth of my sisters partner. At 14.46 on sunday 28th December I received an phone call from a friend of mine, an academic in Hebron, telling me of the deaths of two of mt friends, who had been in their home, sleeping, when it had beed hit by an Israeli bomb. I told my family and the response I got from my sisters partner clarified so perfectly for me my politics on the matter. He said simply "well, if you will fire rockets into Israel...".
I returned to Sheffield the next day and was on the first demo outside the town hall. I was not on the second due to work, on the third but missed, sadly, the fourth. On the first I witnessed (and photographed) a placard that said "Israel you have become like your nazi predecessors" with the "ss" done in the lightning bolt style of the Nazi SS. I found is disgusting, frightening even. But did I rip it out of the hands of the person holding it and destroy it there and then? I did not. I talked to the people around me, a lot of whom I didn't know and expressed what it was that I felt was wrong with such a statement.
On the third demo I had spent the entire night before with another AWL comrade making two double-sided placards and a large banner. If you have ever tried to fit the internationalist politics of a conflict onto a banner and some placards then you will appreciate the difficulty of getting something conscise without compromising on your politics. The "No to the IDF, No to Hamas" placard was born of the politics of the AWL - that we are third campists, that we do not stand with the State of Israel in it's bloody repression of the Palestinian people, that we heavily condemn the current military action as well as fervently opposing the occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. That we believe in two states, Israel and Palestine, that all the violent oppression dished out by the Israeli occupiers should end. That, as in all conflicts, workers are the hardest hit and so it is in this situation. That it is our job as socialists to extend our solidarity with these workers and with women, LGBT people and the left in those countries. That we do not support Hamas as the resistance to the occupation, because our analysis is based on Marxism and rooted in class struggle and because Hamas is an organisation rooted in political Islam and violently oppresses women, LGBT people AND the left. That it places the people that it claims to protect in the line of fire of Israeli tanks and bombs. That it does not recognise the right of the State of Israel to exist and we do. I could not fit all of that on to a placard.
Since 2005 when I visited Israel and the West Bank I have been involved with solidarity work with the region. I did not join PSC because at their 2005/6 conference I was alarmed by the often sinister undertones of anti-semitism. I am not an anti-semite and that has more often than not set me apart from the people I meet who fly Palestinian flags, attend demos and shout popular slogans. I am a socialist and an internationalist.
The tone of much of the Palestinian solidarity movement is tinged with this same anti-semitism and with a "lumping together" of people and state that I cannot understand. I would not be happy receiving the blame for Tony Blair's adventures in Iraq any more than my French comrades would be happy to bear the brunt of your agression towards Sarkozy. So why would I allow every Israeli to be tarred with the brush which I would use for their government? Do I think it is ok that Israeli people have suffered and still suffer at the hands of Hamas militants? No, I do not. Do I think that this in any way justifies the brutal murder of over a thousand Palestinians in less than 3 weeks? Of course not, not at all. But neither do I think it is something that should be overlooked.
On the demo to which we brought the placard there were mixed responses, even within the same sentence on a couple of occasions! And the man who ended up tearing up the placard orginally asked us to leave the demo because he would not have allowed any Hamas supporters or anti-semitic placards on the demo, then he said we had to go to the other side of the road, then he said we could stand at the side so long as our banner didn't obscure any of the "official" placards and banners, then after he'd decided we could stay he went on to start chants describing the wall as "the apartheid wall" - something he assured us he would not do. I was not suprised to hear that on the fourth demo the placard had met with aggressive responses after spending a good hour at the demo before defending myself verbally against claims that I was "an Israeli spy" "a disgusting zionist provocatur" and being told in no uncertain terms that I was not welcome on this demo. It is worth noting that HOPI comrades were also asked to stop giving out flyers that "distracted from the point of the demo".
One of the most confusing arguments I have geard is from people, the PSC leader who ripped up the placard being on of them, who have said to us that of course they oppose Hamas and of course we can't hold them up as the resistance in Palestine and allow the movement here to be hegemonised by such views, but that this is just not the time for this kind of dissenting voice, that we are "splitting the movement" or "going off point". I would like those people to have met my friend Shiada who was bombed in her own home. I would like them to have said that to her. I would like to have listened to her explain to them how a Hamas militant killed her husband. I would like to have those people tell the Palestinian workers who've workplace organising has been broken up and outlawed by Hamas and the LGBT people whose rights are infringed by their precious resistance movement and I would like them to tell them that their freedom must wait until the bigger enemy that is Israel has been defeated in order that they can love who they want to love and dress how they want to dress.

So to conclude, I will not apologise for holding up a placard that says "No to the IDF, No to Hamas" because it is what I want to say. And I for one am glad that people are discussing and debating Palestinian politics as a result of what we are doing. I will continue to question, as should you, a movement that kind find room in it's ranks for sexists, homophobes and religious zealots but not for people who stand in constant solidarity with the people for whom the conflict is most real.
Those people should be ashamed of themselves.

- Stuart equated the Sheffield AWL comrades to scabs in the Miners Strike and stated that he would be the one the following week to tear up the placard.
- Stuart said that the placard's destruction was fully justified, he was pleased by the action and it was equivalent to socialists tearing up BNP placards.
- Please do not retrospectively pretend that Permanent Revolution were against the censoring of our politics, because actually you collectively played a complicit role. Stuart behaved in an outrageous, testosterone-charged manner. Alison H, you should have brought him into line.
- People did argue in a heated and passionate way on Saturday, but I'm afraid to say that Stuart lost it in openly supporting the placard's destruction, in openly supporting political censorship.

Belboid, have you such little capacity to think. What are you saying? The placard said No to the IDF. No to Hamas. I.e it condemned the IDF, and first.

The problem with equating them militarily, is that they are not equal militarily, and the IDF is in Gaza and West Bank; Hamas, while murdering Israeli citizens with rockets, is not maintaining a force in Israel (and cannot). Were Hamas not so weak, it would be more ruthless, for sure. Politically can you equate the Israeli ruling class with the Hamas leadership? I think Hamas are, arguably, worse, but they both should both be condemned in the same breath - and in this instance, Israel first.

If we would oppose Hamas in 'peacetime', why not all the more when they wage war. I do not line up behind either of these side. I disagree with Sacha when he says we are for the defeat of Israel. The phrase for the defeat of both sides would be a better aspiration, but doesn't really say anything. For the defeat of Israel, I'd ask how. By the Qassam brigades? - and again how?

I've been thinking a lot about this, and have sought out the views of the best people around, on what forms of Palestinian resistance do we advocate. This is an important question. I'll write a separate post about it soon.

I don't know why you need to indulge in personal abuse Robin, my comment contained an accurate statement of your view, tho it didn't go into why you hold that view. I have no interest in discussing your view on Israel specifically at this moment, I am interested in correcting the falsehoods put by your comrades.

You may find it hard to follow some of these points as the webmaster has chosen to remove half of them, despite the fact that they are entirely factual and contain no abuse. Apparently pointing out such hypocrisy is something to be censopred from this site, so I hope this post stays up long enough for you to read it.

You think it's "trivial" that an atmosphere is being created in the Palestine solidarity movement where no dissent is tolerated; we don't.

Guess we'll just have to part ways, eh?

PS: Your "prolier than thou" posturing is fucking pathetic, by the way. Of the eight AWL people on last Saturday's Gaza demo, only two were students and one of the students (myself, as it happens) is also an active trade unionist.

PPS: You have, on another thread, refered to us as "bigots" and "parasites". You are also, let's remember, engaged in this debate to defend an attack on free speech in the Palestine solidarity movement. So you are not, I don't think, in any position to moan about it when we "chair" comments on our website as we would chair them in a meeting.

... for a shot of the other side of the placard. "No to IDF, No to Hamas". And why weren't there more shots by me of the other side of the placard, because shortly after it was ripped up. A few shots of the ripped fragments though.

...The recent bombing campaign in Gaza was grossly and inhumanely disproportionate. No one is disputing that the Israeli state military has inflicted far greater damage and a far, far larger number of deaths than Hamas. But what is the hypothetical consequence of militarily supporting the so-called 'resistance' in this recent conflict, i.e. Hamas? Is it hypothetically wishing that Hamas could get its hands on bigger bombs so it could kill loads more Israelis? What would Hamas do if it (again hypothetically) got it hands on a nuclear bomb? It would wipe Israel off the face of the earth.

Opposing the IDF and opposing Hamas DOES NOT mean putting an equal sign between them. What it does mean is assessing the POLITICS on all sides flowing from this war and ongoing siege.

The recent, brutal bombing campaign by Israel on Gaza represented a mini colonial war, and is part of prolonged siege. Gaza is an “open air prison”. It forms part of long term attack on the Occupied Territories (for example, it’s carving up into bantustans so as to deny Palestinians any kind of effective, meaningful nation-state). Israel is a sub-imperialist power (btw so is Iran). Kadmina/Labor (in run up to elections likely to be won by Likud) were demonstrating their toughness, and sought revenge for the 2006 defeat.

Solidarity with the Palestinian people must NOT mean solidarity with Hamas. Hamas is not in favour of a democratic two-state settlement, it is against the existence of Israel. It is an enemy to the democratic rights of workers, women, LGBT people, religious and national minorities, secular and ex-Muslims. When Palestinian workers have striked, Hamas has suppressed them. When Palestinian women have refused to wear the hijab, Hamas has suppressed them. That Hamas was democratically elected is no more reason for us to support Hamas, than the corrupt, ineffective Fatah, or any reactionary ruling government for that matter. Both the Israeli ruling class and military wing and Hamas must be condemned politically.

The only democratic resolution to the Palestinian/Israeli conflict long-term is a two-state settlement – an independent Palestinian state in areas where the Palestinians are the majority, Gaza, West Bank, East Jerusalem. This means immediate withdrawal of Israeli troops and settlements and the dismantlement of the checkpoints. A future Palestinian state must be fully independent, not a series of bantustans; with international reparations from Israel and aid from EU, US etc. A two-state settlement contravenes PSC's and large sections of the organised left's call for one democratic secular state of Palestine. One cannot go back in history and undo parts of it one doesn't like. In 1948 an Israeli nation-state was formed. Palestinians were concurrently denied a nation-state of their own. Then and now in 2009, Israel is a fait accompli. Justice for the Palestinians, something I would desperately like to see, cannot mean the dissolution of Israel.

Firstly, Alison, you should be ashamed of yourself for trying to defend the attack on Sheffield comrades. If you really think that what happened is justifiable, run-of-the-mill, legitimate political action then you are - quite simply - on another planet. Can you think of another such incident in all your years of political activity? I can't imagine how any socialist could find what happened anything other than worrying: what does it say about the political state of the 'anti-war' movement and the organised left more specifically?

Secondly, a few questions: Could you just clarify what particular aspects of "Hamas's military resistance to the IDF" you support. Are all of Hamas's actions "military resistance to the IDF" or do you isolate support to resisting the IDF's murderous attack and short lived invasion of Gaza? Would you continue to give support to "Hamas's military resistance to the IDF" if, hypothetically, they were able to militarily achieve their political ambitions? If not, why not? Does your support for "Hamas's military resistance to the IDF" not imply the use of the slogan 'Victory to Hamas' and if so, why don't you raise it? If you don't support Hamas politically, how would you articulate - in, say, a slogan - your non-support?

“An open letter to Sheffield’s Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Left and socialists committed to Palestinian solidarity” by Sheffield AWL Branch

The AWL is a socialist organisation which is completely opposed to the ongoing siege on Gaza. The recent, brutal bombing campaign by Israel on Gaza represented a mini colonial war, and is part of this prolonged siege. Gaza is an “open air prison”. It forms part of long term attacks on the Occupied Territories (for example, it’s carving up into bantustans so as to deny Palestinians any kind of effective, meaningful nation-state). Kadima and Labor (in the run up to elections against their main rival Likud) were demonstrating their toughness, and sought revenge for the 2006 defeat. This was done in a grossly disproportionate, inhumane war. We are for solidarity with the Palestinian people, and for full Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza. We support a viable and consistent democratic solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict which in our view means an independent Palestinian State alongside Israel (and with the same rights as Israel). This political position is highly unpopular with some on the British left. Groups such as the SWP advocate a different political perspective and are opposed to the continued existence of Israel. Within the wider Palestinian solidarity movement and within the labour movement there are many varied political perspectives on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. We support the view that debate and discussion of these differences is a necessary part of our solidarity work. We also consider it important to highlight the struggles that do take place of working class organisations in both Israel and within the Occupied Territories. We support those in Israel who oppose the actions of the Israeli state, for example, the Refuseniks and the anti-war movement.

We believe our main job at present is to make solidarity with the Palestinians against the Israeli siege. We also believe that solidarity with the Palestinians should not mean solidarity with their Hamas leaders. Hamas rejects a democratic solution on the lines set out above. Their goal, instead, is to destroy Israel and deny the Israelis national rights. Hamas is an Arab chauvinist, Islamist chauvinist, anti-Semitic movement. Hamas are part of an extreme rightwing movement that has played a highly reactionary role throughout the Muslim world, threatening the democratic rights of workers' movements, women, gay people, secular and ex-Muslims, national and religious minorities and others. We believe that to support them, or fail to criticise them, is a betrayal of the Palestinian workers whose strikes they have suppressed; the Palestinian women they have attacked for refusing to put on the hijab, and so on. That is why we included our opposition to Hamas on the placard that was ripped up at the demonstration outside the Sheffield Town Hall on Saturday 17th January 2009. There was no intention to imply any sense of proportionality in the Israeli government's brutal bombardment of Gaza. It was simply to make clear that we continue to criticise Hamas.

There must be no political censorship of the Left by the Left on demonstrations.

We realise that many people will not share our political perspective. There are also many who do have sympathy both with our 'two states' position and our opposition to Hamas. We brought placards and a banner which demonstrate our solidarity with the Palestinians and our opposition to Hamas. We did not in any way disrupt, or attempt to disrupt, the demonstration which we were there to participate in. We do however feel obliged as socialists to be true to our political perspective and raise criticisms even if they are unpopular. We accept that not everyone will agree with everything we say just as we do not agree with the politics of all the other placards present. We are not opportunists that simply and crudely desire to stand apart from the crowd - we are committed to our politics, and will (if necessary) bravely enter a politically hostile milieu uncompromised in our politics.

Members of the AWL have been involved in demonstrations and actions for years and never have we experienced what took place on Saturday 17th January 2009 in Sheffield. A placard which read "No to the IDF. No to Hamas" was forcibly removed from a young woman's hands and torn up and stamped on in front of the crowd, a majority of whom cheered and clapped (including members of the Sheffield Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the SWP and Permanent Revolution, who are all very hostile to any 'two states' position). This is a disturbing level of intolerance and censorship. Some argued disingenuously that we were equating the two, but it was very clear to anyone who chose to speak to us or read our literature that, we oppose the two for critically important political reasons but in no way consider the two equal. We hope that activists in Sheffield will take a serious look at this incident. This is no way to deal with political disagreements amongst us. This kind of censorship and the intolerance it breeds is unacceptable. We are not asking you to agree with our political perspective but we are asking you to support our right to raise criticism of Hamas on demonstrations. This is a basic democratic principle and we would uphold it for others. Already one anonymous posting on Indymedia has said we were "lucky not to be beaten up" and another, they would join in "chasing us off". Someone claiming to be a member of Sheffield's Palestine Solidarity Campaign called "Steve" has written: "maybe simply ripping down and stamping on their banner is not going far enough. Maybe they need a stronger disincentive, preferably undertaken away from the glare of those on the demo where so they can't go bleating on about their 'rights'. This wouldn't have to necessarily be violent." This needs to stop now.

We are for solidarity with the Palestinians and will continue to participate in actions and demonstrations in Sheffield and elsewhere.