Report on Protest Against War in Lebanon/Palestine

This afternoon 200-300 people turned out despite the rain for a loud march against the israeli invasion of lebanon and the ongoing conflict in the middle east. Of major concern to those assembled was the high civillian death toll this conflict has created as well as percieved links between Israel and the US.

This afternoon 200-300 people turned out despite the rain for a loud march against the israeli invasion of lebanon and the ongoing conflict in the middle east. The major concern of those assembled was the high civillian death toll this conflict has created which are expected to reach into the thousands, and links between Israel and the US as well as general oversease imperialism in the region.

A large contingent of at least 30 police were prestent to ensure a repeat of previous hostilities did not occur and to document those involved in public dissent. Two police filmed the protest with video cameras continously and one police photographer used a telephoto lense to get pictures of all those who stood out especially those percieved to be "in charge". The filming and taking of pictures seems to be an effort to target and pinpoint trouble makers and seems like a worrying attempt to quash democratic protests. The police themselves did not enjoy having their own photos taken and often tried to avoid showing their faces to the camera.

In an act of creative protest a "die in" was held outside the US embassy with protesters symbolising the hundreds of civillian dead on both sides of this conflict. This was followed by a ritualistic flag burning of Israeli and US flags and speeches by members of the New Zealand and Middle Eastern communities decrying the human cost of the Israeli invasion. It was clear that those their today view the Israeli invasion as unjustifiable agreesion and that peace is unlikely until these wars of agression are stopped.

Their was a feeling of real anger during the protest today, perhaps as many present have a direct link to the middle east. The hardest part of this conflict is the completely avoidable civillian deathtoll and pointlessness of the current conflict. Chants used today included "free free palestine", "free free palestine" and "whose streets? Our streets" Two libertarians turned out to support israel and oppose hezbollah but neither seemed to have a very good grasp of self defence or common libertarian beliefs around weapons. The large turnout despite the weather and the feeling of anger today seemed to differentiate this from the many other anti war marches in the future and a movement building meeting afterwards provide some hope that real change may come from this

Demonstrations are to be held in aotea square every saturday until the end of this conflict.

Related

http://www.radicalyouth.org.nz