Location to be announce. More details on the Smash EDO website.

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(the Smash EDO phone was recently stolen so, if you sent a text to the above number prior to 9th September, you’ll need to text it again)

In celebration of the recent court victory in which four campaigners were acquitted for blockading the Covent Garden Ahava shop in 2009, approximately 60 protesters gathered outside its doors in Monmouth Street, central London, to celebrate and continue promoting boycott, divestment and sanctions against the Israeli occupation. While demonstrators were met by the usual Zionist counter-demonstrators, on this occasion they arrived flanked by the openly racist English Defence League.

Ahava, the cosmetics retailer and spa outlet, manufactures its products on the illegal Israeli settlement of Mitzpe Shalem. It has openly flouted tax requirements by exploiting the EU-Israel trade agreement and violates UK DEFRA guidelines in respect of proper labeling. The campaign against Ahava supports the Palestinian call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions as a global nonviolent means to challenge the Israeli Occupation of Palestine and the ongoing siege upon Gaza.

At the outset the small group of around ten EDL members remained close to the Zionist contingent of Ahava supporters, handing out leaflets. Over the course of the demonstration they began to take an increasingly prominent role, culminating with the unfurling of a flag of St. George and chanting “E-E-EDL.” This was accompanied by racist remarks towards a number of Ahava protesters who were of Asian/Middle Eastern descent. What was more surprising, and unsettling, was the apparent unwillingness of the Zionist contingent to distance themselves from the EDL.

Vice chair of the Zionist Federation of Britain Jonathon Hoffman was present and took no action to put some distance between the two groups. This comes only days after a recent report in the Israeli paper Haaretz claiming that the Board of Deputies of British Jews were not affiliated with the EDL and did not want anything to do with them. The stark contrast between the formal statement and the reality in front of the Ahava shop, in which senior members of the ZF stood along side EDL members, undercuts any public statements and underlines the racism inherent in the Zionists’ agenda.

The EDL’s history of far right opinions and racist chanting and abuse — as well as their violence and hatred towards Muslim communities — have earned them a variety of unflattering labels, including ‘fascist’. Jewish groups have long since been targeted by right-wing, racist and fascist groups, so to see the Zionists and the EDL united against Palestinians illustrates that as far as the Zionist Federation is concerned, the enemy of one’s enemy may become an ally no matter what they stand for. That they were welcomed by the Zionists may be shocking to some, but might also be reflective of their desperation for support in the UK.

This is not the first instance of the two groups coming together in support of each other. In the immediate aftermath of the brutal attack on the Mavi Marmarra flotilla by Israeli commandos in which nine human rights activists were murdered, the EDL joined up with Zionists outside the Israeli embassy in Knightsbridge to show support for the Israeli state’s violent actions.  In addition, the EDL marched to Downing Street two weeks ago with Israeli flags being held alongside British and St. George flags.

Despite their presence and the racist slurs they shouted at members of the Ahava demonstration, the protest took place without violence.  The verbal abuse hurled by EDL members and their Zionist partners was met with a series of police cautions. Numerous members of the public stopped to chat with Palestinian solidarity activists and showed support. A small brass band played music to entertain the masses and build a celebratory spirit as many people chanted for justice and for an end to the sale of Israeli and Settlement produce.

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17th August 2010

Additions:

Since the publication of the original report, a few points have been raised which are felt important to incorporate.

1) In noting that the event passed without violence, it is important to recognise there was no explicit physical violence. Racism is a form of verbal violence and must be acknowleged as such. Similarly, although no physical violence took place, the EDL did threaten physical violence to at least two members of the Ahava protest.

2) Regarding police cautions: There were a total of five referals for prosecution to the Crown Prosecution Service for racially aggravated offences.

3) Where the Board of Jewish Deputies have sought to distance themselves from the EDL, this must not be confused with the lack of efforts by the Zionist Federation at the demonstration itself to do the same. The  two are distinct organisations and must be considered and treated as such.

On the 9^th, 10^th and 11^th of August 2010, four protestors will appear in court facing the charge of aggravated trespass for having twice blockaded the Israeli-owned cosmetics shop, Ahava. Intending to prevent the sale of illegal settlement goods, the trial forms part of an ongoing boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign against the cosmetics shop and other consumer goods retailers which trade in products manufactured or grown on Israeli Settlements which have been recognised as illegal under international law by both the United Nations and the British government.

The London based campaign against Ahava compliments a larger international campaign against the company which mis-labels it’s products “Dead Sea: Israel”. Protests against Ahava have taken place in the US, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and France, with the French collective CAPJPO (Coordination pour une Paix Juste au Proche Orient) bringing the case against Ahava to French courts.

Irregular protests had taken place outside the shop over the course of 2009, including the first ever blockade in the midst of Operation Cast. In September 2009 two protestors went into the shop and locked onto a concrete block to prevent them being moved, in December 2009 the action was repeated.  However it was in 2010 that the campaign really gathered momentum and has seen protests take place outside the Covent Garden shop on a fortnightly basis. In addition, the actions have been supplimented by formal complaints to Camden Trading Standards calling for investigations, formal complaints to police, parliamentary questions and lobbying of MPs.

The campaign incorporates a wide number of organisations inclusive of ISM-London, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods, Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, Kings College Palestine Solidarity, and many others. What the blockaders set out to accomplish was what the government, Camden Trading Standards and the police have so far refused to do; stop the trade in illegal settlement goods. They are now due in court to prove their actions were justified.

In response to the forthcoming court case a large demonstration has been called for the 14^th August from 12 noon till 2pm. Bringing together concerned people to send a clear message regarding the ongoing trade in settlement produce and Israeli produce in general. More information on the trial and what comes from it will be posted in the forthcoming week so do look out for notifications.

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Ahava’s products are manufactured on the Israeli settlement of Mitzpe Shalem and where the factory is a cooperative integral to the settlement, consequently profits go towards making the illegal settlement financially viable. Where the Fourth Geneva Conventions state that it is illegal for an occupying power to transfer civilian population into an occupied territory, and that an occupying power must not appropriate natural resources from an occupied territory, Ahava’s business practices thus serve to violate international law. Additional information on Ahava can be found here.

Furthermore, Ahava’s business practices are due to come before the Russell Tribunal on Palestine which will next convene in London in November 2010. The peoples tribunal will place the company’s actions within the context of international law and consider its complicity in possible war crimes

The BDS initiative [7] was born in 2005 through a call by Palestinian civil society groups and organisations seeking a global non-violent means to challenge the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine. It has been taken up by numerous groups and organisations internationally and has become a unifying global movement for those seeking justice for Palestine.

Ahava, 39 Monmouth Street, Covent Garden, London , WC2H 9DD

31^st July 2010: On a humid Saturday afternoon, about twenty campaigners demonstrated once more outside Ahava – retailers of illegal Israeli Settlement good, to express their outrage, raise awareness about the oppression of the Palestinian people and to bring the BDS movement to the streets of London.

Coming from a multitude Palestine solidarity groups, demonstrators carried placards. Leafleted and spoke with shoppers, tourists and passers by, many of whom were receptive, sympathetic and wanted to know more. The J-BIG (Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods) banner was displayed, as were two large Palestinian flags and the colourful Boycott Ahava banner.

Just as in the past, only a few Zionist counter-demonstrators turned up, (including a dog), led by their pied piper, Jonathan Hoffman, Co-Vice Chair of the Zionist Federation. Several times throughout the demonstration, Zionists would enter the shop and re-emerge waving an empty Ahava bag in a bid to provoke demonstrators. These poor attempts were met with indifference as protesters carried on chatting with the members of the public.

Police in overzealous form initially attempted to claim that a poster with a picture of a small forlorn looking Palestinian child holding a barbed wire could offend passers by. Despite threatening arrest, demonstrators successfully argued their case and were able to continue to display the picture which serves only to set out the emotional distress many Palestinian children endure.

During the course of the afternoon, a collection was taken up and £65 was donated for a fund to help free Ahmad Burnat, of Bil’in, a 17 year old Palestinian activist who is being held in Israel’s Ofer military prison until a £1,600 is paid as bail. Bil’in is the site of a weekly non-violent protest against the apartheid wall that has cut through the village taking away precious farmland. Israeli forces in response have deployed tear gas, percussion grenades, rubber coated steel bullets and brute force against protesters and has resulted in a number of injuries and in certain instances death. The Israeli forces have arbitrarily arrested over 90 local Bil’in activists many of whom are languishing in administrative detention, and many of whom are under 18.

The demonstration was the final one prior to a court case between activists and Ahava due to take place on the 9th, 10th and 11th of August. In September 2009, activists blockaded the shop to prevent it from trading with the public, in December 2009 the action was repeated. Where activists set out to do what the government, Camden Trading Standards and the police have so far refused to do, stop the trade in illegal settlement goods, they are now due in court to prove their actions were justified.

The next demonstration is set to take place on Saturday the 14th August and is due to be significantly larger as a response to the forthcoming court case. New faces are always welcome and any and all support is appreciated.

For more background on the Ahava blockades, please see earlier posts on Ahava from September and December 2009.

On Saturday the 17^th July, activists gathered outside Ahava for the ongoing campaign against a company profiting from Israels occupation of Palestine.

The fortnightly demonstration saw once again a contingent of approximately 30 protestors gather to inform the public and get the message across about Boycotts, Divestments and Sanctions as a means to bring an end to the occupation, as well as highlight the economic links by companies such as Ahava with illegal Israeli Settlements which thieve precious Palestinian land and natural resources.

As per usual, the protest was accompanied by a group of Zionists peddling lies about the history of the conflict and distorting the reality of the Israeli state’s occupation, human rights abuses against the Palestinians and violations of international law. Despite their presence and intimidatory tactics, the protestors continued unperturbed. When the ever-present Richard Millet, a well known Zionist who frequently attends these demonstrations, continued his efforts to harass a lone individual who was giving out leaflets, it came as a relief when police decided to intervene and give him a formal warning for harassment. Where Zionists have made every effort to intimidate participants at the Ahava and other BDS mobilisations, it is hoped the police caution will keep their aggressive tactics at bay.

Protestors however focussed on the task at hand of increasing awareness over the issue of Ahava and the brutal Israeli occupation, and spoke with numerous members of the public about it. The wealth of support from passers by was duly appreciated and always acts as a boost to those who attend each fortnight.

The regular protest continues to see new faces attend each time and the BDS movement steadily grow and gain strength.

Ahava’s products are manufactured on the illegal Settlement of Mitzpe Shalem which sits upon stolen Palestinian land. The settlement is considered illegal under both British and International Law and takes precious natural resources away from Palestinians reducing their capacity to create their own viable economy. The Palestinian call for BDS aims to reduce the international community’s financial, cultural, sporting and academic engagement with the state of Israel as a non-violent means of challenging the apartheid system which sees restrictions on movement, economic restrictions, house demolitions, land theft, indefinite detention without trial and brutal violence against Palestinians and human rights activists in both the West Bank and Gaza.

The next demonstration will be on Saturday the 31^st July from 12pm – 2pm.

Ahava, Monmouth Street, Covent Garden, London

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A group of activists dropped a 12 foot dingy outside Downing Street at around 8.30am this morning to protest against the British government’s continued support for Israel in the wake of its deadly raid on the Gaza Freedom flotilla on Monday May 31^st.

The activists drew attention to the influence of the Zionist lobby over many MPs and the media, an influence that reinforces the impunity enjoyed by Israel even when it commits murderous crimes in breach of international law. The demonstrators made an explicit link between the Zionist lobby and the UK government’s proposed changes to universal jurisdiction, which are due to be introduced this month.

The boat was positioned directly in front of the gates of Downing Street and flew a sail reading ‘SOS! Israeli Pirates Sinking Our Laws! Rescue Universal Jurisdiction’. Protesters gathered around the boat chanting pro-Palestine slogans as well as ‘End Israeli piracy, no more impunity!’

There were no serious confrontations with the police, who seemed wary about engaging with the demonstrators in front of the video cameras and photographers present. After 20 minutes the activists decided to take the protest into the decision-making heart of the UK, and headed with the boat for parliament itself.

Police at parliament were shocked at the sight of a boat heading towards them and only reacted when the activists attempted to enter the grounds, pushing them back outside and shutting the gates. The boat was left in front of the Commons while the chants about Israeli impunity continued. Eventually the activists carried the boat over the road and left it with the Democracy Village camp in Parliament Square. Everyone dispersed peacefully around 9.45am.

While there has been much publicity surrounding Israel’s attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, the UK government has managed to keep its plans for changes to universal jurisdiction very quiet. Following the political embarrassment caused by the issuing of an arrest warrant for war crimes against former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni last December, for her active role in the atrocities committed in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead, the government (both Labour and the coalition) has sought, under pressure from the Zionist lobby, to abolish private prosecution in universal jurisdiction and international cases.

This amounts to a gross politicisation of the British judicial system, placing the power to prosecute war criminals solely in the hands of the government. Strategic and diplomatic partners will thus enjoy even greater freedom to commit crimes against humanity safe in the knowledge that their friends in Westminster will not prosecute them should they come to the UK.

This is an issue that will have massive repercussions for those seeking justice not only for the Israeli crimes committed in the occupied Palestinian territories, but also for those people whose lives have been devastated in conflicts such as in Sudan, Rwanda, Cambodia, Former Yugoslavia, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Colombia and Sri Lanka, to name just a few. It is up to civil society to oppose the government’s proposed changes. British judicial tradition dictates that one is innocent until proven guilty. If the politicians and leaders of countries like Israel have nothing to hide, let them prove it before a court of law. The proposed changes will only make justice an even more distant possibility for those fighting for the rights of the dispossessed and destroyed in these conflicts.

Video:

The Zionist Federation are planning a demonstration to for “Israels right to defend itself”: or Israel’s right to turn a strip of land contain just under a million and half people into an open air prison and massacre people trying to break the blockade.

Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods have called for all pro-Palestinian activists to hold a counter demonstration to show the Zionist Federation that dancing on the graves of those trying to bring aid to besieged Gaza will not go unopposed in the streets.

Meet 7PM TONIGHT outside the Israeli embassy (2 Palace Green, London, W8 4QB), bring flags, banners and noise.

Pro-Palestine campaigners converged on the Israeli embassy in London on Tuesday evening for the a second day of protest against Israel’s massacre of peace activists bringing aid to the besieged Gaza Strip.

Around 300 campaigners arrived at 5pm to show the Israeli Embassy the anger at the killings that is being felt by people worldwide. After 3 hours of lively protest in which an enormous Palestinian flag briefly shielded those under it from the rain, the demonstration began to peter out, with Palestine Solidarity Campaign organisers urging people to go away and mobilise for the national demonstration against the massacre on Saturday.

Todays demonstration marked the continuation of a wave of protest that has hit cities around Britain in the last two days; Indymedia have carried reports of demonstrations in Cambridge, Bristol, Birmingham, Sheffield, Manchester, York, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

London Demonstration Against Attack on Gaza Aid Flotilla – rough cut - from fil kaler on Vimeo.

In the early hours of this morning, the Israeli military stormed the flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian aid and over 700 human rights defenders, politicians and journalists that was carrying a vital 10,000 tonnes of medical and construction supplies to the besieged Gaza strip. In the process they shot and killed numerous unarmed passengers, with reports suggesting that as many as 19 were killed and 60 wounded.

In response, protests have been staged across the globe including London. Exact numbers were difficult to pin down, nonetheless it was clearly at last 2000, with perhaps as many as 3500 demonstrating.

Protesters began to gather at the entrance to Downing Street at around 11am with police keen to contain their presence to the opposing side of the road. However a firm stand and quickly growing numbers, saw our presence at the entrance maintained and as the hours passed the numbers grew. The crowd swelled and soon enough both lanes of Whitehall were blocked and traffic was forced to reverse and disperse. At around 3pm, a number of speakers from various groups gave some emotional speeches deploring the actions of the Israeli state, calling for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador from London and for Britain to cut its ties with Israel.

Protesters energy built and eventually the thousands began the long march to the Israeli embassy. With chants of “Free Palestine” and “Free Free the flotilla, Israel is a Killer” ringing through the streets it would have been hard for passers by not to see the wealth of emotion surrounding the issue.

Culminating with a protest outside the embassy, the police stood readied with their riot gear outside, thousands carried on their demand for justice, and took part in a poignant one-minute silence and after another hour of protesting began to disperse.

However before the day was out, Jonathan Hoffman, the somewhat eccentric Vice-chair of the Zionist Federation stepped into the crowd carrying Israeli flags. Despite an angry reception, he failed in his attempts to provoke an emotional crowd into violence. Despite initial police attempts to insist they were simply facilitating “everybody’s right to join the protest”, he was soon half hounded out and half ushered away (by the police).

At 7.30pm approximately three dozen protesters were left at the embassy continuing to chant and make their presence felt.

The day has seen high emotions and tensions channelled into a call for action from the British government and the international community to take concreate action against Israeli state terrorism in the form of sanctions.

While Israel continues to hide behind a cloak of silence regarding the fate of those who were on the ships, more demonstrations are being planned.

Tomorrow, Tuesday the 1st June, a demonstration will take place outside the Israeli Embassy on South Kensington High Street from 5pm onwards.

For more information, check back on our website: www.ism-london.org.uk or sign up our the twitter feed: http://twitter.com/ISMLondon or our mailing list.

Pro-Palestine demonstrators once again took to the streets outside Ahava in Covent Garden this afternoon for the sixth in a series of fortnightly demonstrations against the company, which harvests and sells dead sea beauty products from the illegal Israeli West Bank Settlement of Mitzpe Shalem.

Arriving at 12pm, the thirty strong demonstration was again met by a small Zionist Federation counter protest. Each side distributed leaflets and engaged with members of the public until 2pm, when the demonstration ended. This was the first demonstration to be held on a Sunday and in future the demonstrations will go back to being held every other Saturday; the next protest will be on June 5th from 12pm – 2pm.