Text reads:
To: Adel Atieh
Deputy Head of EU Mission
Mission of the State of Palestine to the EU
From: Danny Morrison
Secretary Bobby Sands Trust
Belfast, Ireland
On behalf of the Bobby Sands Trust I would like to send our full support to those on hunger strike and to their families at this grim time in the history of your struggle for freedom.
We in Ireland, including many who faced with courage a brutal prison regime which attempted to criminalise them and the struggle they represented, know full well the pain and agony of prison resistance against an implacable and an intransigent enemy. We understand and sympathise with the families of the prisoners, their worries and their fears.
In the H-Blocks of Long Kesh in 1981 Bobby Sands and nine comrades died on a seven-month long hunger strike, during which Margaret Thatcher’s government was exposed as tyrants and hypocrites. The British did everything in their power to undermine the prisoners and their families, to demonise them, to break them, and they failed miserably but at a high cost to our people and to many others, including those on the British side.
We remind the Israeli state that ‘might’ does not mean you are ‘right’ and we recall the words of Bobby Sands from his prison cell –
They lounge in might and glory bright
This Empire once so grand.
With bloody fleets and dirty feats,
They built it without span.
But tank or gun they have not one
To break a blanket man.
We hope that the demands of the prisoners are met before the Palestinian people suffer the loss of any more sons and daughters at the hands of the Israeli state.
We support Marwan Barghouti and his comrades and extend solidarity greetings to them.
Danny Morrison, Secretary Bobby Sands Trust
Belfast, Ireland, 29th April, 2017
No harm Danny but, once we all were opposed to the similar apartheid regime in South Africa, how was this defeated (if we leave Zola Budd to one side), through refusal to purchase South African goods.
Similar action against zionist retailers and goods in Ireland and elsewhere could ease the plight of our Palestinian sisters and brothers, I myself do not purchase from Tesco, Mark’s & Spencer and Sainsburys, nor do I drink/eat in Starbucks.
Let us try this rather than writing letters, as my Great Granda said to my Daddí about the occupiers seven decades ago, it’s not the crown they’re interested in, it’s the half crown, hit them in the pocket, peaceful but effective.
Out of curiosity, Mark – where do you do your groceries?
I don’t, I’ve a wife does that Jude, any sghappin I do in BAC I get in ALDI or Dunnes, whom learned a good lesson re: stocking SA goods in the 80’s.
I think you would be hard pushed to find a retailer who does not stock Zionist goods. Just don’t buy them. Buy the ones with the Union Jack on them. You know it makes sense.
Curiously fiosrach, I avoid any such too.
Just don’t buy Israeli products….it’s just not as simple as avoiding goods beginning with the barcode 729….We must avoid buying goods from countries with factories or offices in Israel Presently over 75 UK companies have offices in Israel and Israel has a free trade agreement with the EU. A full list can still be found online but as BDS is beginning to sting ,pressure is being mounted to remove this information.
Danny would be better advised to apologise for the Shinners meeting with Likud in clear defiance of the BDS campaign.
Kevin Sinn Fein had discussions with the British while conflict here was happening. Were you calling for those meetings not to happen? Political parties talk, that’s what happens. Chamberlain talked to Hitler, Mandela talked to de Klerk. Progress happens through dialogue.
I am not sure you are in a position to to offer advice to Danny Morrison. When you have a bit of political maturity you would be better positioned, but at the minute your mantra is really only boycott this, attack Sinn Fein. Nothing really being offered there.
Emmet,
I suggest you send off a strongly-worded letter to the campaign.
You can lecture them on their lack of maturity, and explain to them how you and Sinn Fein have.reinterpreted the word “Boycott”.
No I was talking about your (and PBP) immaturity.
I fully support an economic boycott because money matters to Israel. The cultural/educational etc. boycott is counter productive though. Extremist parties don’t want their people exposed to outside ideas. The worst thing we could do is cut off all contact. This would lead to a more insular and more radicalised Israeli population- who already think the world hates them.
Emmet.
With all due respect, it doesn’t matter a “jot or tittle” what you think.
The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions campaign have a clear view on this, there should be NO normalisation of the Zionist state.
They are on the.record as saying that.if they had prior warning of the Shinner/Likud meetings locally, they would have protested them.
The Shinners stuck a knife deep into the back of the BDS campaign.
Hang your heads un shame.
I disagree, it matters to me what I think. I really think my opinion doesn’t matter then why are you debating on a forum with me? Also, just because you say’ with all due respect’ does not make your comment any less disrespectful. I disagree with people all the time but I never use ‘your opinion doesn’t matter’ approach.
The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions campaign view is obviously what you accept unconditionally (I don’t think their is one voice that represents this wide grouping though). Talking in always good in my books. I think people who wont talk are usually extremists.
Protesting talks? really you think people should now now protest about protesting. I think people who make a career out of protesting are to be pitied.
Hopefully sense prevails, eventually. Isolating Israeli politicians and society is bad for the Palestinians. Artist, Scientists etc should be making a conscience effort to go to Israel and support the Israelis calling out the Zionist extremism. Isolation will only embolden the extremists and get more ‘moderates’ to join them. This combined with economic sanctions is the way forward.
Emmet.
It is Sinn Fein policy, as determined by an Ard Fheis resolution to support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions campaign.
You can choose to tie yourself up in knots as you defend the indefensible, or you can simply acknowledge that Sinn Feins leadership played the role of Judas to the BDS and the SF membership.
“It’s my party, and I’ll lie if I want to”, yet again.
Kevin you obviously have a deep seeded hatred of Sinn Fein. You also seem very extreme. They have “stabbed the BDS in the back” and “played the role of Judas”- a bit hyperbolic don’t you think? They simply talked to members of a political party. They didn’t negotiate, recognize affirm or even publicize the meeting- just talked, the same way the US and China might talk to N. Korea (most sane people want the superpowers to talk to N. Korea).
Kevin please grow up, or advertise you are a PBP supporter with every comment- that statement at the end reveals your political immaturity (again).
And back to my original point- dialogue is good (always). It doesn’t kill people and will more often save lives. If it doesn’t go well both sides don’t lose anything. If you want to change someone’s mind ignoring them will not help. If you think the talks somehow give legitimacy to Israeli repression then why advertise it and scream from the rafters that it has taken place? Maybe they took place on condition that they were secret and not used as propaganda- and here you are trying to get as many people to know as possible. Again no real strategic position- just posturing and attacking.
You would have been one of the angry protesters against Britain talking to “Sinn Fein/IRA”
“very extreme”
“grow up”
“political immaturity”
“scream from the rafters”
“just posturing and attacking”
“angry protestors”
All of those phrases could have been used by any staunch Fine Gaeler against Sinn Fein a generation ago.
Truly, the pigs are walking on two legs now….
Again with insults. You haven’t addressed any of the criticism which only adds weight to them. You are a bully, and you accuse people of being ‘attack dogs’ while you use terms like ‘pigs’ to describe people who disagree with you.
Maybe Sinn Fein were guilty of all of this a generation ago but I have no idea in what context the terms ‘could’ have been used. They could have been used to describe a lot of parties- fact is that that is how PBP are acting.
You are so ideologically driven and extreme that you can’t see reason or critically look at the BDS strategy. You know what I am saying makes sense. You constantly allude to Animal Farm, is this were you derive your ideology?
Emmet.
If Sinn Fein have discovered a fatal flaw in the BDS strategy, why sign up for a Boycott, Divestment. Sanction at an Ard Fheis?
You have clearly not read my comment (again). You seem to accept the attack dog label. Your hatred makes no sense. You seem to think the BDS is flawless. Like I said the talks would not hinder the strategy in anyway- your ‘screaming from the roof’ about them defeats your stated goal. The BDS strategy is flawed- it isn’t working. I think progressive elements in Israeli society need to be externally supported by outsiders. The BDS is inadvertently alienating anyone with moderate stances in Israel. Sinn Fein obviously still support BDS.
Emmet.
So Sinn Fein supports the Boycott, Divestment, Sanction campaign by breaking the Boycott??
Give your head a wobble.
Seriously.
And if that doesnt work, give your head another f*cking wobble.
And repeat the process until that double-think tripe you’re spouting gets flushed.
Kevin, I didn’t want to go down this path but I’ll give it a go because you can’t seem to see any sense.
Can you quote the exact line in the BDS statement that you feel SF have broken? I have looked at the wording of the motion and can not see anywhere that it states political parties must not talk to Israeli political parties. In fact I’d say BDS would/should welcome dialogue.
The only thing that I can see wobbling in the near future is your argument,