By Patrick O’Connor
Around the world, people are watching this genocide with horror, disbelief and rage. Just as enraging is the complicity of Western governments, corporations and institutions which continue to arm the Israeli regime, to give it favourable trade deals, to finance its crimes and to run cover for genocide on the global stage. Crimes of this magnitude would not have been possible without their collusion.
With the evidence of their guilt mounting, some have begun to change their rhetoric, while continuing with their complicity and escalating repression against the Palestine solidarity movement. In Britain, several hundred have now been arrested and face “terrorism” charges for holding signs in support of the peaceful direct action group Palestine Action.
Crackdown on democratic rights
The reality of our rulers backing a genocide profoundly exposes the real face of capitalism and imperialism – the face underneath the mask of ‘democracy’, ‘human rights’ and ‘international law’. It shows that this is a system where human lives, above all in the global south, are expendable in the pursuit of power, profit and the defence of the imperialist global order. But in understanding this, we must be spurred to action, not despair.
If help for the Palestinian people will not come from our rulers, it is all the more important that we find ways to bring the international solidarity movement to a new level. The Global Sumud Flotilla will once again seek to bring aid to Gaza and break the starvation blockade. Meanwhile, Genoa dockworkers have set a powerful example of the power of workers to act. Speaking at a protest at the port, a spokespersons for the workers said: “If we lose contact with our boats, with our comrades – even for just 20 minutes – we will shut down all of Europe…all this cargo, which belongs to the people and is going to the people, must reach its destination, down to the very last box.” A statement by the USB trade union, which represents the workers, stated: “If they block the flotilla, we block everything!”
Workers strike action
Dockworkers are one of many groups of workers whose position in the economy gives them the power to seriously disrupt things for Israel and for the genocide supporting elites in Europe. In Brussels Airport workers refused to work flights to Tel Aviv. There have been many other important stands by workers but they deserve to be given a decisive lead by the unions. A Day of Solidarity where we ‘block everything’ including workplace stoppages could be a very important first step.
In Ireland, where solidarity with Palestine is very strong, complicity continues from the use of Shannon Airport to the attempts to water down the Occupied Territories Bill. Many groups of workers, including healthcare workers and teachers, have already developed grassroots networks organising solidarity with Palestine.
A day of action against genocide and complicity with workplace, college and school walkouts and mass protests would step up the Solidarity movement, put the government under pressure and act as an example which could be followed internationally. It would be a powerful symbol of solidarity but would also display real power – that everything in society depends on workers and we are willing to call it to a halt in opposition to this genocide.
In every workplace and sector, workers should come together to discuss and organise how they can take such action. If unions, left parties and Palestine solidarity campaigners were to back such a Day of Action and to help to co-ordinate it, the response could be huge given how broad the sentiment of support for the Palestinian people is in society.
There is an urgent necessity for such a shutdown of the system of genocide; the horror confronting the people of Palestine cries out for it.
