Friday, January 9, 2009

Lest we forget

Sunday's demo - the police presence.

While disgust and outrage grows around the civilized world for the growing death toll in defenceless Gaza - 0ver 700 dead and 3,000 maimed - it is easy to overlook the fact that in the past week Israeli police and soldiers have shot dead four unarmed youths in the West Bank who were protesting the Gaza massacres. 

In contrast, the NSW police, including the tactical response squad, turned out in large numbers at Sunday's demo and march in Sydney. They watched the impassioned speeches and groups of angry protesters from a discreet distance and didn't seek to provoke the situation. No-one was bludgeoned, no-one was tear-gassed, no-one was shot. We exercised our democratic right to protest in safety.

The same rights are denied to the Palestinians living under military occupation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. They are routinely beaten, tear-gassed and shot by the occupation troops, whose savage behaviour is condoned and encouraged by their leaders. Such guardians of the law are, truly, the fruits of a sociopathic society.

(To watch a 2 minute video clip of a remarkable young woman confronting an Israeli soldier type : http://informationclearinghouse.info/article21676.htm into your browser.)


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