Latest news with #PalestineSolidarityCampaign
Sinar Daily
22-07-2025
- Business
- Sinar Daily
Malaysia's stance on Gaza will not change despite US pressure
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said Malaysia, as an independent and sovereign nation, has the right to express its views on the matter. 22 Jul 2025 12:37pm Pro-Palestinian supporters hold placards and wave flags on Downing Street in central London, on July 19, 2025, as they take part in a 'National March for Palestine' organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Photo by AFP Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Photo by Bernama KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's stance on the Gaza issue, as well as matters concerning Palestine and West Asian countries including Iran, will remain unchanged despite the possibility of facing pressure or objections from the United States (US) during the ongoing tariff negotiations, which are expected to continue until August. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said Malaysia, as an independent and sovereign nation, has the right to express its views on the matter. "We are not yet at the final stage of negotiations as reported last week. There are still no clear indications, but there are several considerations during the negotiations,' he said. "The main issue involves electrical and electronics (E&E), semiconductors, and chips, as I mentioned in the Parliament. About 60 per cent of our production is exported to the US. However, the US also relies on Malaysia for chips and E&E, accounting for around 25 per cent of its production. "So, we hope and pray, insya-Allah, that this matter can be resolved amicably,' he said during the Ministers' Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today. - Bernama
The Independent
19-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Hundreds brave torrential rain for Palestine solidarity protest in London
Protesters braved heavy rain in London on Saturday (19 July) for the "National March for Palestine" demonstration in the capital. "It's more important than ever that we continue to show solidarity with Palestine and pressure our government to stop arming Israel," the Palestine Solidarity Campaign said in a statement. It came as a series of "lift the ban" protests campaigning to de-proscribe Palestine Action were due to take place across the country, coordinated by Defend Our Juries, which is supporting the campaign to de-proscribe the group. A High Court hearing will be held on Monday during which the co-founder of the group, Huda Ammori, will ask for the green light to challenge the Home Secretary's decision to ban the group under anti-terror laws.
Telegraph
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Supermarkets dragged into Gaza row as activists demand Israel boycott
The weekly shop is hardly a political act. Yet when customers went to their local supermarkets this weekend, some were confronted with campaigners urging them to consider the plight of Gaza while they filled their baskets. 'We're telling people to just look at where their food is coming from – because corporations are complicit in what is happening in the Middle East,' said Luca Salice, 68, who took part in a protest outside of Sainsbury's on Wilton Road, London Victoria last Saturday. 'We're trying to pressure companies to behave in a more ethical way, similar to what has happened on fossil fuels.' All across the country, activists took part in a 'day of action' targeting supermarkets and calling for a boycott of Israeli food. On Wilton Road, activists in Palestinian keffiyehs urged those walking into the supermarket to 'stop bombing Gaza'. 'What we're doing here is telling people, if you are concerned about what is happening to the Palestinians, there is something you can do,' said Salice as he taped a large Palestine Solidarity Campaign banner to the front of the supermarket. Nearby was a stall with pictures showing which brands to boycott. Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which organised 20 events in towns and cities over the weekend, said it wanted to raise awareness over the amount of Israeli food being sold in supermarkets and demand retailers boycott the country when sourcing supplies. Grocers must stop 'profiting from Israel's colonisation and military occupation of Palestinian land', the group said. It has put supermarkets in an uncomfortable position. While pro-Palestinian protesters target their stores, Jewish groups have demanded executives ignore demands to remove Israeli stock, arguing any boycott would be anti-Semitic. A survey carried out by Campaign Against Antisemitism suggested that more than four-fifths of British Jews believe that boycotts of Israeli businesses selling Israeli products constitutes intimidation. Supermarket chiefs have no good options. Stop stocking certain items and they risk being accused of anti-Semitism by Jewish customers. But ignoring the boycott calls risks making shops a target for protesters. In the past few weeks, campaigners have picketed local branches of Sainsbury's, Tesco, Waitrose and Morrisons. In some cases, activists have gone further, venturing into stores to strip shelves of avocados, hummus and dates from Israel. At Tesco's annual shareholder meeting last month, security was forced to escort out a group of campaigners with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign after they disrupted the event with chants of 'free Palestine'. Although campaigners have argued for a boycott of Israeli products for years, the topic has rocketed up the agenda following the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East over the last year. The pro-Palestinian BDS movement – which stands for boycott, divestment and sanctions – has been stepping up pressure across a range of sectors, with supermarkets a high-profile target. A decision by Co-op last month to remove Israeli produce has only increased scrutiny of the sector. It followed a vote by members to boycott Israeli goods. While the vote was non-binding, Co-op is owned by its members and management ultimately yielded to their will. Co-op claimed the move was part of a wider effort to 'stop sourcing relationships with countries where there are internationally recognised community-wide human rights abuses and violations of international law'. It included Russia alongside Israel on its list of countries it wouldn't deal with. While Co-op members may be happy, the move enraged supporters of Israel. Dame Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, called on the supermarket to apologise for equating Israel with Russia, while the Board of Deputies of British Jews said it was 'extremely disappointed' by the decision, which it said was 'based on factually inaccurate and questionable claims – a matter we have raised with the organisation'. Israeli products on supermarket shelves range from harissa paste and couscous to carrots or even Coca-Cola produced under licence there. The country has become an increasingly significant source of fresh produce following years where Britain's farmers have struggled to meet demand because of unseasonal weather. Israeli food imports to the UK rose by almost two thirds to £174m between 2018 and 2024. The majority were fruit and vegetables, which accounted for £140m worth of imports in 2024, up from £84m in 2018. Israel currently supplies everything from avocados to potatoes. While supermarkets could choose to source from other countries, the politicisation of the issue has paralysed many executives. 'If we were to make a decision on boycotting a certain country, the fear is that as many people would be upset by it as [those who] would be pleased by it,' says one senior grocery leader. A study cited by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign suggests 50pc of shoppers support supermarkets no longer stocking any goods produced in Israel. However, in that same study, 16pc opposed the idea and 20pc were neutral. 'The preference of any supermarket chain, if it was going to make decisions of that sort, would be to remain as low key and uncommunicative about it as possible,' says the grocery chief. For now, it is only Co-op that has formally and publicly boycotted Israel. Other supermarkets say they review their sourcing regularly and respect the rights of shoppers to not buy certain items. Adam Bass, the founder of Providence Deli, sources some of his range of sauces, dips and relishes from Israel and is stocked in Tesco. However, talks with another major supermarket have stalled, something he puts down to the Israeli link. Bass, who employs 127 Palestinian workers at his factory in Israel, regrets that the topic has become 'very black and white'. 'There are millions of people living in Israel who exist like everywhere [else], who don't have a stance and who want to get on with their lives,' he says. 'I've got no objection to people making choices, but they should be able to make those decisions both ways. Why should a retailer stop somebody from saying, 'I want to support Israel'? It's unfair on those people who actually do want to support Israel. It's assuming that nobody does.' Bass could simply scrub the name Israel from his products, but he believes this is a slippery slope. 'Legally, we don't have to say it's made in Israel,' he says. 'But my view is, why should we fear having that nation's name on our product?' Leaders of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign argue that supermarkets are already making political decisions by doing things like deciding to buy fair trade products or boycotting Russian goods. 'This shows that supermarkets have moral agency,' says Lewis Backon, of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. 'They can decide whether to do business with companies that are engaged in grave violations of international law.' In the middle of it all are customers. 'If people want to boycott it, then they can,' said Bernard, one of those visiting the Sainsbury's near Victoria during the protest on Saturday. 'It's up to the customer whether to buy it or not.' He said he already chooses not to buy Israeli produce. Daniel, another shopper, agrees it should be up to customers rather than dictated from above. 'Do I agree with boycotting the goods? Yeah.' But he adds: 'If you don't want to get involved, then fine. As long as you know what's going on, then it's free will.'
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trial date set for Palestine protest organisers accused of public order offences
A trial date has been set for two pro-Palestinian protest organisers charged with committing public order offences at a demonstration. Benjamin Jamal, 61, of Kingston upon Thames, and Christopher Nineham, 63, of Bow, are both accused over the protest held in central London on January 18, which saw 77 people arrested in total. The Metropolitan Police alleged that some protesters tried to breach conditions imposed on the protest by marching out of Whitehall. Jamal, who is the director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), is facing offences including inciting people to fail to comply with protest conditions. Nineham is vice chair of the Stop the War Coalition. Both defendants appeared in the dock and spoke only to confirm their names and dates of birth during a hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday. District Judge Minhas granted the defendants unconditional bail and fixed a trial date of February 23 next year at the same court, with a time estimate of six days. The judge said Jamal and Nineham would be allowed to give evidence during the trial. Ten other people were charged by police for offences relating to the same demonstration, which also saw former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and MP John McDonnell voluntarily interviewed by the force. Owen Greenhall, defending Jamal, told the court that Jamal and Nineham's trial had been identified as 'the lead trial' of all the related cases, with the others pushed back as a result. The judge said: 'Each case will be determined on a case-by-case basis.' A group of pro-Palestinian supporters gathered outside the court chanting and waving flags ahead of the hearing. Several counter-protesters also appeared carrying Israeli flags and holding signs that read 'Defend protest for all', and were subsequently blocked off from the larger crowd by police officers. Speaking on stage outside the court before the hearing, Nineham said the defendants were 'very, very confident that in the end, we will get justice.' He said: 'The proscriptions, the arrests, the mounting campaign against the movement are clearly designed to intimidate us and to divide us, and they have, of course, attacked our marches and our protests from the very start of this campaign. 'Once again, we are here to say that we stand united and we stand defiant, and I think it's important to recognise that the attempts to shut the movement down are backfiring.' In a statement shared ahead of the hearing, the PSC said the charges should never have been brought against Jamal and Nineham and were 'a political attack designed to suppress solidarity with the Palestinian people'. 'It is outrageous that Chris and Ben, their families and friends will be left with this threat of criminal charges hanging over them, possibly for many more months,' the statement added.
The Independent
07-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Trial date set for Palestine protest organisers accused of public order offences
A trial date has been set for two pro-Palestinian protest organisers charged with committing public order offences at a demonstration. Benjamin Jamal, 61, of Kingston upon Thames, and Christopher Nineham, 63, of Bow, are both accused over the protest held in central London on January 18, which saw 77 people arrested in total. The Metropolitan Police alleged that some protesters tried to breach conditions imposed on the protest by marching out of Whitehall. Jamal, who is the director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), is facing offences including inciting people to fail to comply with protest conditions. Nineham is vice chair of the Stop the War Coalition. Both defendants appeared in the dock and spoke only to confirm their names and dates of birth during a hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday. District Judge Minhas granted the defendants unconditional bail and fixed a trial date of February 23 next year at the same court, with a time estimate of six days. The judge said Jamal and Nineham would be allowed to give evidence during the trial. Ten other people were charged by police for offences relating to the same demonstration, which also saw former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and MP John McDonnell voluntarily interviewed by the force. Owen Greenhall, defending Jamal, told the court that Jamal and Nineham's trial had been identified as 'the lead trial' of all the related cases, with the others pushed back as a result. The judge said: 'Each case will be determined on a case-by-case basis.' A group of pro-Palestinian supporters gathered outside the court chanting and waving flags ahead of the hearing. Several counter-protesters also appeared carrying Israeli flags and holding signs that read 'Defend protest for all', and were subsequently blocked off from the larger crowd by police officers. Speaking on stage outside the court before the hearing, Nineham said the defendants were 'very, very confident that in the end, we will get justice.' He said: 'The proscriptions, the arrests, the mounting campaign against the movement are clearly designed to intimidate us and to divide us, and they have, of course, attacked our marches and our protests from the very start of this campaign. 'Once again, we are here to say that we stand united and we stand defiant, and I think it's important to recognise that the attempts to shut the movement down are backfiring.' In a statement shared ahead of the hearing, the PSC said the charges should never have been brought against Jamal and Nineham and were 'a political attack designed to suppress solidarity with the Palestinian people'. 'It is outrageous that Chris and Ben, their families and friends will be left with this threat of criminal charges hanging over them, possibly for many more months,' the statement added.
