Turning up and being counted

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Never one to miss an opportunity to stomp around the place shouting about the patriarchal hegemony, I turned up at the demo on the Mound against the atrocities in Gaza.

Better informed people than me can explain why these things are happening, some may even try to convince us all that this is a necessary response to brutality by a minority group, but that was clearly not the opinion of all those who braved the freezing cold in Edinburgh or indeed those who all over the globe came out to show their anger against what is happening to Palestinian women and children. There is more opportunity to become a bit better informed than previously, and attitudes are changing after decades of biased media reporting about a 'perceived friendly western power'.
“While 73% of Europeans were backing Israel in 1967, more than 67% are supporting the Palestinians today. With time, understanding and sensitivity have moved: populations are not blindly following the games and hypocritical stands of their political elites.” http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jan/02/israel-gaza-palestinians-islam

Quite unusually, the police facilitated an unplanned march along Princes Street and round into Charlotte Square to harangue the occupant of Bute House, but Oor Eck didn’t come out to line up with those in our civic society who choose to make ourselves heard. This, even though he has made more sensible noises on this subject than the warmongers in Westminster. He needs to do more.

As well as other assorted terrorists (in the views of the marchers) there was a fair amount of less than complimentary chants aimed at George Bush. It felt appropriate to have a last chance to aim well chosen invective at the individual who has done so much to destroy women’s safety in so many creative ways in so many countries over the past 8 years. However, my enduring cynicism leads me to think that we’ll all be out on the streets soon enough, bitterly complaining about his successor.

The thing I am really proud and amazed about is that I live in a country where a group of people can get together, decide to march and then stand right at the door of our premier politician and have speakers inform the crowd about the alternative news and views of another country. Thus I learned that the BBC, which we are all obliged to pay tax for, has embedded a reporter with the Israelis, while not one BBC reported has gone into Gaza to give us a balanced report. I sensed real disgust about the BBC today, not just for this issue, but also because they never report on minority Scottish political parties, or indeed manage to do other than attack the SNP most often lazily utilising Westminster press releases. There is a parallel here between those in power in the Middle East and those in Westminster and their relationship with the media which conspires to silence alternative and democratic voices. This is the sheer delight of the internets; we can share our thoughts and experiences and learn so much more than the patriarchal media would allow us to know.

At times it is useful to see what other media (although obviously still entirely patriarchal) than the western outlets have to say:
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/01/20091314494987954.html

The police were well behaved today, and I noticed far fewer officers taking pics of the demonstrators than on previous marches, but still they recorded us, no doubt to track folks who are simply exercising their democratic rights of assembly while we still have them.

After Bute House, the march made its way to the Caledonian Hotel where more speakers talked about the Israeli ownership of that fine building. I cannot help but feel sorry for the staff who are only doing a job, and who may not even be aware of what company actually owns the business. They can’t be in any doubt after this afternoon! However, this is the rotten heart of the patriarchal hegemony, the poor i.e. the maids and other low paid staff, are faced with now making choices that could affect their livelihood because where they work has been bought by representatives of a government that the posters and chants of those on the march urge everyone to boycott. I personally feel uneasy about asking someone who has few choices to give up their job, especially now that there are fewer jobs around. In other words, why should more women and their children suffer? It is easy enough for me to boycott this hotel as I never use the services there but there are useful links to follow from the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign about retail and other boycotts.

From there we processed very loudly along Princes St to Hanover St and stopped outside Lloyds TSB. This bank, the subject of so much abhorrence already because of their take over of the BofS, are perpetrating an incredible action on a Palestinian Aid Organisation. The link for details is below. There have been and will continue to be demos outside this bank every Saturday because of their behaviour.

http://www.scottishpsc.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2739&Itemid=200128

More speakers, then back to the Mound. By this time I’d been out in the cold for some hours, so I gave up and sought heat, but it was so worthwhile to turn up for this. I met those folks I only ever meet on marches and also learned so much about a perplexing issue that doesn’t get reported in the mainstream media.

Women, as ever, are suffering from (mostly) male violence, and it is women who are at the forefront of peace organisations, some of whose links are below. As in other complex conflicts, there are women who find it in themselves to reach out to their sisters on the ‘other side’ and create coalitions to work towards peaceful solutions.

http://coalitionofwomen.org/home/english/sites/cw4p/home/english/articles/women_gaza010109
http://www.womeninblack.org.uk/Who%20are%20we.htm

And in Scotland:

http://www.scottishpsc.org.uk/