Home | Friday 15th February 2008 | Issue 620

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SAY IT WITH MOSES

On Monday demonstrators blockaded Israeli fruit importer Carmel Agrexco’s UK headquarters in Hayes, Middlesex. Lorries from companies including Sainsbury’s and Tesco’s were prevented from entering the premises to load up on flowers and vegetables grown in occupied Palestine.

The protest was part of a week of action against Carmel called for by the Boycott Israeli Goods campaign (www.bigcampaign.org) against the import of flowers from Israel and Israeli settlements in the occupied territories. The run up to Valentines is one of the busiest periods of the year for the 50% Israeli State owned company. Within the last week there has been a blockade of a Carmel depot in Belgium and local actions occurring around Britain to coincide with the week of action.

The two entrances were blockaded with arm-tubes, D-locks and people superglueing themselves to the road. At one of the entrances protesters were attacked by security guards and workers from the company, which nearly prevented the blockade from happening but the road was mostly blocked. When the Met Police turned up they were acted in their usual aggressive ignorant and blatantly biased manner and refused to listen to anything the protesters had to say - or look at footage from a video camera, smashed by security showing clear assaults on protesters.

SchNEWS sends heartfelt if belated Valentine’s wishes to our old friends Carmel-Agrexco (see SchNEWS 529, 558, 571) who have a pretty poor record in trying to convict people who have taken action against them. In September 2005, a Judge ruled that Agrexco (UK) must prove that their business is lawful. The acquittal of the seven activists before they were able to present their defence meant that the court did not have to rule on the legality of Agrexco-Carmel’s involvement in the supply of produce from illegal settlements in the occupied territories.

In January 2006 seven people were acquitted of Aggravated Trespass for a blockade cos Carmel - in an imitation of the Israeli State - annexed land it didn’t own to build a security fence. At a demo in December 2006 police made no arrests – being unable to find any law they had broken. So far no-one’s got done for actions at the HQ, although court cases are still going on.

Police resorted to desperate measures, by arresting one person who had D-locked themselves to a lorry for ‘suspicion of criminal damage to a lorry’. They also threatened to nick someone for superglueing themselves to the road for causing to criminal damage to the tarmac! We kid you not. This joke was met with howls of derision and the cops realised that it just wouldn’t stick.

* See www.brightonpalestine.org
* Email thewallmustfall@riseup.net

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