Local News & Reports

Our local paper, the Argus, reported the emergency march and rally on March 18th.

You can find the coverage on the Argus website.

The protest was organised by the Brighton & Hove Ceasefire Coalition, of which BHPSC is a member, along with 20+ other groups across the city.

A spokesperson for Brighton and Hove Ceasefire Coalition said: “With just seven hours’ notice, hundreds of local people answered the Ceasefire Coalition’s callout this evening in response to Israel’s brutal killing of over 400 people in Gaza last night.

“The Ceasefire Coalition shares people’s anger and disgust at Israel’s breaking of the ceasefire and its continuing genocide in Gaza.

“And at our politicians, such as Keir Starmer and local MPs Peter Kyle and Chris Ward, who aid and abet this genocide by their shameful, complicit silence and refusal to condemn these war crimes.”

FURTHER UPDATE (9th May)
The Duke of York’s have now cancelled their Eurovision party, making it the fourth and final ticketed event to cancel. This cancellation is arguably the most significant, since the Duke’s has been a prominent Eurovision supporter for many years. Of course, if the Eurovision organisers (the European Broadcast Union) had shown some courage, and excluded Israel from this year’s competition, there would have been no need for local people to appeal to local venues to cancel their parties. Thanks to the many local people who complained to the Duke of York’s! Please follow the Instagram feed for Brighton Queers for Palestine for details of other possible pickets taking place at small venues on Saturday night.

FURTHER UPDATE! (7th May)
We’ve learned that both Amex Stadium at Falmer and One Garden Brighton at Stanmer Park have cancelled their Eurovision parties for this weekend, after relentless appeals by local people. We’ve also learned today that the Caxton Arms pub in Brighton has cancelled their Eurovision party. All this shows the strength of opinion on the part of ordinary people. We’re now focusing our efforts on the Duke of York’s Cinema (Picturehouse) at Preston Circus, which has so far refused to cancel. Read on…

URGENT UPDATE! (1st May)
Thanks to those of you who have protested against the Eurovision parties planned at Falmer stadium and at Stanmer Park.
We have now found that a THIRD Eurovision party is planned for Brighton – this one at the Duke of York’s Cinema (Picturehouse) at Preston Circus.
Please write, email, flood their phone lines, and make maximum use of their social media platforms (details below). And if you are a Picturehouse member, you have particular clout: tell them how disappointed you are, and how you will have no alternative but to cancel your membership if they go ahead with this blatant act of art-washing.

There are parties planned at Falmer stadium and at Stanmer Park on the 11th of May.
These events serve to normalise the Israeli regime at a time of catastrophic genocide.
BHPSC has already urged them to cancel, but neither of them has even replied!
It’s now time to ramp up the pressure by calling on our members and supporters.

Strenuous efforts have been made by pro-Palestine campaigners to get Israel excluded from this year’s Eurovision – so far without success. The fact that Israel is perpetrating a genocide upon the people of Gaza appears to be insufficient grounds for excluding them. The double standard with Ukraine – when banning Russia seemed ‘obvious’ – is stunning.

Eurovision may not seem very important, but the reputational boost Israel will derive internationally will be significant.

The Rio Cinema in London has cancelled their huge annual Eurovision party this year, in a magnificent statement of solidarity.
The Rio is one of several cancellations. You can learn about the Rio’s decision here.

ACTION NEEDED!
We’re calling on all our members and supporters to phone and write to these two local venues, urging them to cancel their parties on the 11th of May, in solidarity with the people of Palestine. You can also shame them on social media. Details below.

The Falmer Community Stadium, and One Garden in Stanmer Park, have both announced live screenings of the Eurovision final on the evening of May 11. You can learn more about these events here and here. BHPSC has already urged them to cancel, but neither has even replied! It’s now time to ramp up the pressure by calling on our members and supporters.

With enough pressure from outraged local people, we hope they will cancel. So, please phone them and write to them and shame them on social media. This is something everyone can do easily from home!
 
We all need to get involved! Please write, email, flood their phone lines, and make maximum use of their social media platforms.

Click on the link here to open a template letter (in Word) which you can adapt and send.
eurovision 2024 template letter

Here are the contact details for the two venues:

Falmer Community Stadium: By email at events@brightonandhovealbion.com
or by post to American Express Stadium, Village Way, Brighton BN1 9BL
or by phone: 01273 878272
or on Instgram at americanexpressstadium
or on X at The_AmexStadium
or on Facebook at AmericanExpressStadium

One Garden Brighton: By email at hello@onegardenbrighton.com
or by post to One Garden Brighton, Stanmer Park, Lewes Road, Brighton BN1 9SE
or by phone 01273 892 034
or on Instagram: onegardenbrighton
or on Facebook: OneGardenBrighton

Duke of York’s Cinema: By email at customerservice@picturehouses.co.uk
or by post to Duke of York’s Picturehouse, Preston Road, Brighton BN1 4NA
or by phone: 0207 326 2649
or on Instgram at picturehouses
or on X at @picturehouses
or on Facebook at picturehouse

Over the past few months, a number of pro-Palestine demonstrators and activists have been arrested for alleged public support for a proscribed terrorist organisation. Some have been charged with offences under the Terrorism Act 2000. Amongst the people arrested are Tony Greenstein in Brighton and Mick Napier in Glasgow.

Although the comments made by these individuals vary, all of the arrests have been made in the context of Israel’s current campaign of genocide against the people of Gaza, and the huge mobilisations across the country protesting against Israel’s war crimes. Whilst we do not know the full particulars of each case, none of them can be understood without taking into account the outrage felt by millions of people over Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza – not to mention decades of ethnic cleansing and apartheid, all of which are documented by numerous human rights organisations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and B’Tselem.

We must also place the arrests alongside other efforts by the state to suppress criticism of Israel, and to demonise support for the Palestinians, including the Anti-Boycott Bill and numerous pronouncements by government ministers and opposition spokespersons in relation to pro-Palestine demonstrations. In this sense, we see the arrests as part of a wider attack on our civil liberties.

These recent arrests can be seen as examples of the use of terrorism laws to stifle free speech around Palestine and Israel. It is not just the silencing of arrested activists that concerns us, but also the chilling effect the arrests will have on countless others in relation to their freedom of expression.

Our point here is not about the guilt or innocence of the individuals concerned. No one genuinely believes that any of the comments in question will encourage increased support for terrorism. What is unmistakable is that these arrests will serve to reinforce the hostile environment within which UK campaigners for justice for Palestinians must now try to act. BHPSC will continue to raise awareness of Israel’s genocidal violence, and of the complicity of the UK government. BHPSC will continue to campaign in solidarity with the Palestinians, and in solidarity with outspoken activists here and around the world. We call on all people of conscience to join us and resist these attempts at intimidation and censorship.

Thanks to our many members and supporters who joined us for a massive march and rally yesterday, Nov 5th. This was one of the biggest pro-Palestine demonstrations in the history of the city, and provides a clear indication of the strength of feeling amongst local people – regardless of their background, faith or political affiliation. The demo sent an unambiguous message to our city council: by not calling for an immediate ceasefire, you are out of step with your constituents.

Stay tuned for announcements of our future events: it would appear that the need for solidarity with the people of Palestine will only become greater over the next few weeks.

Here is a selection of photos and videos taken on the day. These will have been seen all over the world, and especially in Gaza. We hope this will hearten our Palestinian comrades at this very dark time.

Brighton & Hove Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Solidarity Vigil 29 October 2023
Opening statement by BHPSC

Good afternoon, everyone. On behalf of Brighton & Hove Palestine Solidarity Campaign, I want to thank you for joining us today at this very distressing time.

A week ago, on Sunday afternoon, we were joined by about 500 local people here at the Peace Statue to demonstrate our solidarity with the people of Palestine. And yesterday in London, half a million people marched to demand an immediate ceasefire, and to show their solidarity with the people of Gaza and with all Palestinians. And still our government, and the so-called opposition, sit on their hands.

Since last Sunday, as we all know, the situation in Palestine has become unimaginably worse, and is getting even worse as we meet today. And the bloodshed has now extended across the West Bank, which we’ll hear about in a moment.

Sadly, the four demands we made at our vigil last Sunday are just as vital today as they were a week ago, if not more so. They are:

• An immediate ceasefire.
• Immediate humanitarian aid for Gaza (food, water, fuel & medical supplies).
• An end to Israel’s siege of Gaza.
• An end to Israel’s occupation of Palestine.

After 21 days of brutal bombardment, on Friday night Israel plunged the Gaza Strip into darkness, and cut off all communication as it intensified its aerial and naval bombardment, and began a ground incursion of the Gaza Strip – resulting in more untold deaths.

Before Friday, Israel’s apartheid regime had already killed 7,434 Palestinians in its war on Gaza. This escalation, in what UN leaders have called a ‘genocidal campaign’, means more indiscriminate violence towards Palestinians trapped by Israel’s occupation and siege. With huge swathes of the Gaza Strip in ruins from Israel’s bombs, for Palestinians, there is no place of safety left.

For the past two weeks, in the face of humanitarian crisis and unthinkable casualties, the UK government has refused to call for a ceasefire.

Even in the face of mounting evidence of war crimes committed by Israel, the UK government has provided military equipment and weapons to Israel’s apartheid regime, and is complicit in the mass ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.

Instead of upholding international law, the UK government has spent three weeks using its considerable diplomatic strength to justify and minimise Israel’s continuing war crimes — from the total siege of a civilian population in Gaza, to the bombing of schools and hospitals — offering uncritical, unequivocal ‘support’.

I’m sure our other speakers today will spell out in dreadful detail the war crimes currently being perpetrated by Israel upon the Palestinian people. We will leave it to them to do this. But we want to use this opportunity to remind our many supporters in this city that Brighton & Hove Palestine Solidarity Campaign has a simple but important job to do. Our job is to raise the profile of the Palestinian struggle for freedom, justice and self-determination ,in this city. No more, and no less. We welcome the support of other groups that share our objectives and our values.

But it’s worth stating that the political environment within which we campaign is often a hostile one. Our city council, unlike city councils up and down the country, has not called for an immediate ceasefire. And let’s be clear: the Palestinian struggle is fundamentally an anti-racist struggle. But in 2018, our city council adopted a definition of antisemitism that explicitly equates the campaign against Israeli apartheid with hatred of the Jewish people. This has had the chilling effect of emboldening those who wish to silence us. This in a city where the council has pledged to be an Anti-Racist Council. So, when we say we’re operating in a hostile political environment, we are choosing our words carefully.

So, our job as a solidarity movement in this city is harder than it is for our comrades in other parts of the country. But we will not desist, despite many attempts to silence us. And we greatly value the support of our many friends in the city, like all of you here today.

Ceasefire now!
Freedom for Palestine!

On Feb 16 we held an online meeting ‘Masafer Yatta: Reports from the Frontline’.

The meeting was a powerful examination of the incremental ethnic cleansing of the rural Palestinian communities in the south Hebron hills. It featured conversations with Basel al-Adraa, a local activist and journalist, and Joan Neary, recently returned to the UK after a 3-month posting to Masafer Yatta as an international observer.

You can now watch the full meeting by clicking this link to our YouTube channel:
https://youtu.be/hNLUJ0hnWHg