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Result! The turnout on Sunday in Woking was fantastic. Thank you all for showing your support to the Palestinians. We estimate that we had around 350 people at one point. A peaceful, good natured show of support.  Take Action We are planning another local vigil, this time in Woking. Note that this is a vigil, rather than a march through Woking. Location: Commercial Way, between Mercia Way and Church Path (googlePin) Time: 12:00-15:00 In you’re local, please come and show your support for the Palestinians. Bring your own banners, flags etc. if you have them. Otherwise simply join us to show that we are many. 
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23 October Thanks to all those who joined us on Saturday. I think it was a really successful vigil, with some good engagement with passers by. There were of course a few people foaming at the mouth, but that's to be expected! 19 October
As you know we often hold information stalls in Guildford High Street. But this Saturday we are planning to hold a silent vigil. Simply holding banners that make it clear what we are saying. Starting at 11:00am. If you are in Guildford and would like to take part - even if it's only for 10 mins - that would be great. It will allow people to have a short break and stretch their legs. And as it's silent, there is no action/verbal engagement required. Or simply pop by to show your support. West Surrey PSC is appalled and horrified at the severe escalation of violence in Israel and Palestine since October 7th.
International law makes it clear that the deliberate killing of civilians, hostage-taking and collective punishment are war crimes. It also enshrines the right of a people to resist oppression and military occupation. Any claims of respect for international law and human rights only carry weight if they are applied without discrimination, and it is from this perspective that West Surrey PSC pledges solidarity with the people of Palestine. The current war can only be understood in the context of Israel’s decades-long occupation, colonisation and oppression of Palestine, a system that meets the legal definition of apartheid, a crime against humanity. Gaza, with a population of over 2 million, of whom 50% are children and 80% refugees, has been subjected to an Israeli-imposed blockade for the last 16 years, a collective punishment in absolute defiance of international law. The Great March of Return, 20 months of peaceful demonstrations in 2018-19, was met with Israeli gunfire, killing 223 and badly injuring over 9,000 of whom more than half are expected to never walk, or walk normally, again. In 2023 alone, up to the start of this war, 240 Palestinians were killed in Gaza by Israeli forces, including 45 children. These crimes are all aspects of a system of rule established over Palestinians since the foundation of the Israeli state via a process of ethnic cleansing that saw over 750,000 forced from their homes, without the right to return. Since that Nakba of 1948, Israel has enacted a system of violent, oppressive rule, designed to deny the rights of Palestinians. We wish to see an end to all violence, especially violence against civilians of both sides, but recognise that this requires the root causes to be addressed. We support the right of the Palestinian people to freedom, self-determination and return to their homeland. We demand: 1) an immediate ceasefire; 2) humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza immediately; 3) UN protection for Palestinians in Gaza. On Tuesday Asa Winstanley gave a presentation, followed by questions, based on his recent book “Weaponising Anti-Semitism: How the Israel Lobby Brought Down Jeremy Corbyn” A terrific presentation, and excellent turnout For those that missed it, please see the details of the book below, and a link to sign up to his newsletters   Asa has been writing about Palestine and the Israel lobby since 2005. He spent two years living under Israeli occupation in the West Bank as an activist and writer. He has been an associate editor and reporter with the award-winning website The Electronic Intifada for more than a decade.
Drawing on new interviews with many of those victimized in purges the Labour leadership claimed were necessary to tackle anti-Semitism, Winstanley exposes a plot by the Israel lobby, in alliance with the Labour right and Israeli and British intelligence agencies, to prevent a socialist entering Downing Street. An essential historical corrective, Weaponising Anti-Semitism shines light into the murkiest corners of the British state and those who work with it. It is meticulously researched, and is written more in the style of a thriller than a dry academic thesis … making it very readable. And at a time when the force of the Israeli lobby is trying to close down all discussion, this is an important contribution to the debate. |
