Why Freedom of Speech is too important for the pro-Israel lobby and the Zionist movement to be allowed to destroy it
Campaign for Free Speech Rally Saturday December 12th
Ronnie Kassrills – former leader of the ANC military wing Umkonte we Sizwe and ANC Minister
Solidarity message from Tariq Ali:
Angela Rayner tells #JLM2020: “If I have to suspend thousands and thousands of members, we will do that. Because we cannot and we will not accept an injury to one, because an injury to one is an injury to all.”
The response to this should be: “If we have to be suspended because we support the rights of the Palestinian people to live, plough their lands, tend their olive trees, defend their children and themselves and continue the struggle for equal rights in an apartheid state and for self-determination outside it, then we will.”
Chris William, the former Labour MP driven out of the Labour Party
Last Saturday there was a Free Speech Rally with a range of speakers. They included
- Kerry Ann Mendoza, editor of The Canary;
- Professor Moshe Machover, the founder of Matzpen who has recently been suspended,
- Tony Greenstein an expelled member,
- Chris Williamson who was unlawfully suspended as an MP,
- Steve Zeltser, a US activist,
- Kevin Bean, an expelled member of the Labour Party and Labour Against the Witchhunt,
- Jonathan Coulter from Lib Dems for Free Speech,
- Craig Murray, who is currently being hounded by the Scottish legal system and a campaigner for Julian Assange,
- Ronnie Barkan, an Israeli activist living in Berlin;
- Leah Levane from Jewish Voice for Labour,
- Rowan Gaudet (Independent Jewish Voices Canada)
- Graham Bash, Editor of Labour Briefing
- Sammi Ramadani, an Iraqi anti-war activist and academic living in Britain
- Ronnie Kassrills, former Minister in the ANC Government from 2004-2008 and ANC Executive member.
Unfortunately Ilan Pappe was ill and Professor David Miller had child care commitments.
Jackie Walker and Tina Werkmann chaired the two sessions which you can also see separately.
Everyone is agreed it was an excellent and moving conference and if you haven’t already watched it (over 12,000 on Facebook have) then please do. I found Ronnie Kassrills speech particularly interesting given his background in the overthrow of the world’s previous Apartheid government.
Session 1
Session 2
Sami Ramdani – a last minute addition to the speakers
The next stage is a conference scheduled on Saturday January 23, to discuss how to build the Campaign for Free Speech in Britain and internationally. We also hope it will discuss and amend a proposed Charter for Free Speech (DRAFT document here).
It is also proposed to hold a planning meeting on Tuesday December 22 at 6pm GMT which will discuss the Draft Charter. The Zoom details are.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81991539058
Topic: CAC meeting: Campaign for Free Speech
Time: Dec 22, 2020 18:00 London
