Statement - 23.04.24

On Tuesday 23rd April, anti-genocide activists from a range of organisations in BCP came together outside the council building to demonstrate peacefully as councillors arrived for their meeting. A small group also entered the town hall to disrupt the meeting from the public viewing gallery to highlight our collective disappointment in the UK’s complicity in this genocide. This group was made up of Palestinian, Jewish and white residents who stand shoulder to shoulder against genocide.

We stand wholeheartedly behind peaceful protest and non-violent action and have been overwhelmed by the support from council members, both before and after the demonstration, who thanked us for bringing the council’s attention to the genocide in Gaza. It was encouraging to see so many engage with us and even join us ahead of the meeting.

Conservative councillors raising false ‘safety concerns’ over peaceful protests have become a recurring tactic at BCP Council, to sow division and distract from this genocide. Councillors from all political parties, and none, have always engaged with us positively in a shared desire for peace. A recent conference with local faith leaders and the Palestinian Ambassador to the UK, Husam Zomlot, was even attended by a number of local councillors, including council leader Vicki Slade.

BCP conservative councillors employed the same unsubstantiated ‘safety’ claims in November 2023, which were rebutted by multiple other councillors and independent observers. It is interesting that these conservative councillors have not raised concerns over other protest groups outside recent council meetings.

We would like to send a special thank you to Graham Farrant, BCP Council Chief Executive, who thanked one of our demonstrators inside the council meeting after the ‘disruption’, patting them on the back and commending them on a ‘good job’.

The demonstration called out BCP council for failing to release a single statement about the local veteran and aid worker from Poole, John Chapman, who was chased down by Israeli Occupation Forces and murdered.

Our mission is always focused on peace and highlighting the ongoing genocide and illegal occupation of Palestine. Over 2 million Palestinians are displaced in Gaza, with half of all homes either partially or completely destroyed. Over 37,000 Palestinian civilians have been murdered by Israeli forces, including 15,000 children.

All demonstrations organised by humanitarian organisations and charities against the Gaza genocide are well-planned and heavily stewarded. Not a single arrest has taken place in 7 months. Instead, anti-genocide protesters have faced a barrage of abuse from racist residents telling them to ‘go home,’ calling them ‘race traitors.’ There was even an incident at the Bournemouth run where a local woman called a man raising money for the organisation MAP (Medical Aid for Palestine) the N-word. As of yet, not a single Conservative councillor has raised their voice against the skyrocketing hate crimes against peace demonstrators, which include members of the Arab and Jewish communities.

The Collective Action Coalition