Definite proof I have not crossed into the brown camp ;)

Photo: Jos van Zetten. For more of his photos of the event: see here.

Me (second from Left) together with Dutch comrades protesting against the NATO war machine in Strasbourg, last weekend. Yes, I'm really that short. The scarf is not because we had any reason to keep our identities a secret - ours was a peaceful demonstration - but to protect against the copious amounts of teargas canisters we were welcomed with by the ever-so-friendly Gendarmerie Mobile. They tried to prevent us to make use of the universal democratic right to demonstrate by any means possible. Many buses full of French union protestors among others were halted and prohibited to participate. Despite this, tens of thousands of people managed to let their cry be heard against the Afghan and Iraq war, the political destabilisation of Eastern Europe and Central Asia and the widespread militarisation this organistation represents. Not all action was nonviolent though, a small minority of the protestors engaged in direct confrontation with the police force and vandalism, with the burning down of a hotel (50 people reported injured) as its saddest accomplishment. Obviously this sort of behaviour serves no political goal and can only hurt any protest - the idea is to win the hearts and minds to our cause against war and violence is not the way. Shame on those selfish bastards.

EDIT: despite violence on both sides, the actions were not unsuccesful. Our blockade attempts and entering the "red zone" at the break of dawn delayed the summit on saturday with over an hour. We heard there was considerable tension between the country's delegations made possible in part by our demonstration. There has been some good, reasonably accurate press coverage here in the Netherlands, including showing the protestors' side of the story that will garner attention to our cause and the unprovoked and disproportionate aggression displayed by the French police force present.

Once upon a time in Gaza

Band/artist - Various artists
Genre(s) - Arab traditional music
Origin - Palestine, and Palestinian refugees from all over the world
Album - Palestine - Music of the Intifada
Year of release - 1989

1. Sabaya Al Intifada - Min al mukhayyam toulad al ru'aya
2. In A'd Rifaki - Al raba'yye
   
3. In A'd Rifaki - Al kassam al filistini
   
4. Al-amal Ashabi - Jirah lan tamout
   
5. Abnaa el-Balad - Ajrass al intisar
   
6. Palestinian Student Karmel Group - Al intifada was jabal al thawra
   
7. In A'd Rifaki - Kulluna fil tareeq
   
8. Palestinian Student Karmel Group - Watani laysa hakiba
   
9. Muhiddine Al Bagdadi - Al fajir
   
10. Sabaya Al Intifada - Jabal al zaytoun
    
11. Al-amal Ashabi - Bism ilhurriya
    
12. Sabaya Al Intifada - Ummi al habiba
    
13. Muhiddine Al Bagdadi - Al hegran
    
14. In A'd Rifaki - In a'd rafiki
    

Load it down (54.67 MB)

As I am posting this Israel wages a brutal war against the population at large of one of the last free strongholds of an already occupied, strangled land. After a week of bombardments and artillery fire, Israeli forces have entered Gaza in order to cripple the democratically chosen party Hamas whose paramilitary wing has been firing homemade rockets in answer to continuing blockades that brought the Gaza Strip far beyond the brink of a humanitarian crisis. As mounting anger and worry culminated into massive protests around the world, we took to the Amsterdam streets yesterday with nearly 10 000 men and women - Muslims, Christians, Jews, Socialists and everybody else who cares for Palestine, to protest the attack. Mainstream media speak of 1 500 to "several thousands" of protesters but this (sped-up) video by thentythreetv proves these estimates fall short of the truth:



Al-Jazeera has broadcasted the Amsterdam demonstration in the Gaza strip(!) to bring the Palestinians the strength of international solidarity. Obviously, the people in Gaza aren't happy about this either and they will not let themselves be punished for the resistance the Zionist agenda keeps eliciting against itself. Bombings and violent "incursions" will only drive more people to pick up weapons.
No short video can show the Palestinian spirit of resistance better than this one:



If you want you can also download the mp3 - here.

Until Israel withdraws from Gaza, lifts all the supply line blockades, allows all refugees since the Nakba the inalienable Right of Return and respects the Palestinian borders as laid down at the partition plan in 1948 - giving back all Palestinian territories it occupies since the 1967 war - we must and I will support Palestinian armed struggle. Of course this is only one step. In the end there must be one state, not a Jewish state or an Arab state, but one state for both. Before this happens there will be no true peace in the Middle East.