Marking first Palestinian intifada of December 1987

On December 8, 1987, 16 year old Palestinian schoolboy protestor,Hatem Abu Sissah is killed by Israeli soldiers, he had simply gone to join with hundreds of others, demonstrating against their ongoing occupation. On December 9th an Israeli truck crashed into two vans carrying Palestinian workers, killing  4 inhabitants. It would act as a final straw and catalyst for the days of rage that were to follow.
 It would ignite the first intifada in Israeli-occupied Palestine, a popular uprising that would see many Palestinians uniting in a campaign of resistance against the Israeli occupation. Spreading initially from the Jabaila refugee camp,  throughout the occupied territories, the Gaza strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. It would lead to a general strike, refusal to pay taxes, a boycott of Israeli institutions and riots which lasted until the early 1990s.
In Arabic intifada means to rise up or to shake off. It would embody the struggle of the Palestinians to win basic freedoms long denied by Israel, against policies of exclusion and domination, against a background of oppression.and the denial of basic freedoms.
In the days and years that followed, almost daily clashes with Israeli soldiers would occur and would  catapult the Palestinian cause onto the international stage and into the hearts of millions of television viewers across the globe as they resisted a colonial military power that had been occupying their land by force since 1967. While the First Intifada is largely reduced to images of Palestinian boys throwing stones at Israeli tanks, women were at the helm of resistance. 
It would result in a total of 1,489 Palestinian lives being lost along with 185 Israelis.
Some years later on September 13, 1993, the uprising would end with the Oslo Peace agreement between the PLO and Israel, that would bring the Palestinians dream of Independence in the West Bank, and Gaza one step closer, but was followed again in September 2000, with a second intifada.

The intifada transformed relations between occupiers and occupied. As the resistance went on month after month . year after year, the Israelis came to realise that they could neither dominate nor expel the Palestinians.

This was not the first time that Palestinians rose up in protest, In 1935, when Palestine was still under British colonial  rule, it was British forces that killed, injured and arrested thousands of Palestinians fed up with colonialism and occupation. And it was British colonial lawmakers who  instituted practices such as administrative detention, detaining people without charge or trial a practice which was then adopted Israeli policy, that is still being used against Palestinians today.

Palestinians still have to take principled methods of non-violent civil disobedience, that includes general strikes, boycotts of Israeli products, refusal to pay taxes, hunger strikes, along with graffiti, and spontaneous demonstrations to allow their plight to be recognised by the world.

Many believe that it wont be long until a third intifada comes to call. How many more intifada's must be fought until real justice for the Palestinian people prevails and the world finally witnesses an end of  illegal Israeli military occupation of the Palestinian territories.?

Datblygu - Porwr Trallfod; a testament of truth

Datblygu a favourite band of mine , seminal  Welsh post-punk legends,  have just released their latest album. It is called Porwr Trallford ( Tribulation Browser)
A continuing journey of the magical force that is Pat Morgan  and David Rupert Edwards,  delivering again a smouldering sound of truth.
Dave like a lot of us  has unfortunatley  has  over the years had to battle and endure mental illness, but despite it all,  with this record, he keeps delivering a  poetical depth of beauty and raw honesty.
I confess now that I personally know Dave,and over the years and so have witnessed his strength, his friendship and love, that has carried and lifted me, kept me afloat  in my own periods of darkness.
But at the end of the day, if you want hear  some truth. switch off the mainstream news, seek out this record full of lyrical beauty, of  musical depth, and emotion, carried in the medium of the Welsh ,a  message that will  also enable you  to fall in love with this rich language.
When the lights continue to go on and off, here is a light that delivers truth and soul.
So if your into christmas, I can think of nothing  better to send than this wonderful record, that truly deserves a much wider audience, with messages of hope, taking in Jack Kerouac, Richard Burton, broken britain, alcohol ,lust, life and loss, a passionate voice from here in West Wales, a clear ember from the soul,  that will leave you blinded with beauty as the world's dark shadows  drift. All in the beautiful medium of the Welsh language.
This is truly a beautiful gift of a much needed poetical genius.
So diolch yn fawr, thank you very much Pat and Dave, I continue to love your journey and gift immensely,  I will end  with a quote from Mr Edwards  - "there's no need to analyse, feelings so pure."
Seek this record out I guarantee it will not offer you any disappointment.
I  for one will continue to love Datblygu's  music ureservedly. a band that almost stopped me going completely insane.

more info here :-

http://ankst.co.uk

Sun Ra & His Arkestra - There Are Other Worlds (They Have Not Told You Of)

Some musical respite  among the darkness. Full of cold at moment, but I keep looking, and at the end of  the day another world is possible, we should not allow fear to rob us of this potential. Politicians are leading us currently in the wrong direction, they can be averted though by building on the struggle for a different kind of world.
Lets not be puppets attached to their strings,  seek new possibilities, keep on longing for a more beautiful world,  abandon their shackles, their greed and need for war, overcome their barriers, yes truly another world is possible.
All the best heddwch/peace

Remembering Black Panther Fred Hampton ( 30/8/48 -4/12/69)

On this day December 4, 1969, Chicago Black Panther Party Chairman, revolutionary and activist  was assasinated by  the Chicago Ploice Department in collusion with  the F.B.I.
Just 21 years old Hampton was a dynamic young activist and one of the founders of the Chicago Rainbow Coalition, that sought to unite the Black Panthers, and the American Indian Movement in one common struggle.
Many saw him as the next possible Martin Luther King or the next Malcolm X, or perhaps the next great leader of Black Americans.
Born and raised in the Chicago suburbs of Maywood, Illinois,  he became involved in the civil rights movement,  joining his local branch of the National Association For the Advancement of Coloured People. (NAAP ). His dynamic leadership and organisational skills led  him to rise to the position of Youth Council President.
He sought to unite people through socialism, against the capitalist system, fighting against racism and discrimination  through practice and deeds, seeking to find solutions that would improve poor and working peoples lives, through struggle, without getting bogged down in watered down reformity. He sought to do this through observation and practice. A dangerous message then,  still is today I guess.
His organisation  provided breakfasts for poor school children and a free medical clinic for those that needed it. Hampton himself also taught political education classes. He also managed  to persuade two of Chicago's most powerful street gangs to stop fighting one another.
His attempt at unification of different peoples struggles  bought him to the attention of J.Edgar Hover and the F.B.I.  During an early morning police raid, he and fellow Black Panther Mark Clark were shot down dead in a hail of bullets. Hampton was sleeping in his bed. This was seen by many at the time as a serious attempt to undermine the Black Panthers powerful message. 
Although many years have since gone since his passing, the peoples love for this man remains strong. His powerful message  remains strong. People still fighting discrimination and ongoing racism.
In 2004 the Chicago City Council passed a resolution commemorating December 4 as Fred Hampton Day.

" We got to face some facts.  That the masses are poor, that the masses belong to what you call the lower classes, and I talk about the masses, I'm  talking about the white masses, I'm  talking about the black masses, and the brown masses, and the yellow masses.
We've got to face the fact that some people say you fight fire best with fire, but we say you put fire out best with water. We say you don't fight racism with racism. We're going to fight racism with solidarity.
We say don't fight capitalism with no black capitalism, you fight capitalism with socialism. "

- Fred Hampton.

A brother who fought the oppressor,
who attacked the suppressor,
people continue his fight,
discrimination has not ended,
nor has the struggle.
the dream of freedom is kept alive,
some people pay the price,
when they try to fight back,
you can kill a revolutionary,
but you cant kill  the revolution.
the spirit, lives on.

I am a revolutionary - Fred Hampton

Bad News in December

Yesterday in a mad rush for war,
we saw reason crushed,
after a peacemakers son, **
made the case for air-strikes in Syria,
saw the house of commons applauding,
exploiting issues of terror for political gain,
deciding to send hawks of war,
instead of peaceful wings of doves.

Men and women in London,
once again drawing maps,
to serve their own interests,
instead of yours and mine,
actions that can't be unmade,
allowing the odour of death,
to be cast upon foreign land.

Not in our names people cry,
they dont support this government,
and are not sympathetic to terrorists, 
simply don't want more bad news,
in the coming months after December,
will continue to work for peace's endurance,
for friendly shadows to be shared among us all.


** refers to Hilary Benn, Tony Benn's son

Treat bullying David Cameron with all the contempt he deserves.

David Cameron  recently said that those who oppose bombing in Syria as terrorist sympathisers, he has since refused to apologise. Power has simply gone to the head of this Typical Eton bully boy, he shows utter contempt for many people in Britain who simply do not want the bloodshed of innocents to be shed. It seems that he is incapable of listening to those that do not share his illogical  point of view.
 He is clearly a laughing stock, worrying though with such a dangerous level of power. It makes him out as contemptible and desperate as he makes this awful slur on those trying to deliver peace.
We should not be enslaved  by this horrible hypocrite, we should carry on being human, and working for peace, if they ignore us later as I fear M.Ps will, we must strive to beat them with a more reasoned response. In this present time his marks unhelpful and deeply offensive. Follow people of principle instead of those who continue to unleash their arrogance and wilful disdain for others opinion. 
Does he not realize or has he just turned blind,  started listening to outside agendas, that the bombing of innocents is what most reasonable people would consider to be acts of terrorism. 
Scapegoating people is not a way to win an argument, it is simply name calling of the worst order, he should  be treated with all the contempt that he deserves. Please tell me what is so wrong about standing up for the values of peace and justice?
What about the terror Mr Cameron that you have unleashed on the poor, homeless, diadvantaged here in Great Britain?

Kevin Coyne (27/1/44- 2/12/04) - Love In Your Heart

Today is the 11th anniversary  of one of my favourite singer songwriters death. On  the eve of a  possible drawn out war,  remember to keep love in your hearts. Blessed are the peacemakers.

On the imminent threat of war. ( Words have not failed me)

I wanted to start December with a happy optimistic post, but as the UK prepares  to exercise its historic role on the people of Syria, and warmongerering M.Ps join in to push us into committing itself to airstrikes here's this post instead. 
The conflict  in  Syria is already 4 years old,  the revolutionary Kurds  have been fighting against Isis all this time have been ignored time and time again, as they make their stand in places like Kobane and Rojava on the Turkish border.
If we want to take sides, if any at all, why are we not backing the PKK, who want a future that is not dictated by either fundamentalists or imperialists, or anonymous who are taking on Isils propoganda wing.
Furthermore  in  the past two months  alone Israels armed forces and armed civilians have killed 108 Palestinians, the vast majority simply executed, and  also over 2,000 Palestinians have been arrested, at least 350 of them being children. No emergency debates about this in  our great Houses of Parliament.
Politicians however like to start wars, and are quite prepared to ignore chaos and misery elsewhere, perhaps it serves their warped objectives. While I understand that the brutality of Isil and Assad must be stopped,  I feel we must  try and  find peaceful solutions that challenge too the UK/NATO imperialist policy of supporting Turkey/Saudi Arabia etc etc.that will not mean the loss of innocent lives, allowing  us to enter into another drawn out grubby little war, that will  have terrible consequences, that will  probably act as a recruitment call to Isis's death cult, they do not care who is killed, what terror is wrought, it  will just serve their twisted purpose. Lets stop their supply of arms yes, by stopping all arms and munition sales to the region, and cut of their supply of money by stopping Turkey and surrounding states bringing them oil.This is how we can truly help the Syrian people, after all it they that we are supposed to be helping. It is these people in the region that truly matter, if  we are to deliver  them from the evils of both Assad and Isis.
Oh yes their a lot of oil in this region, oil of course means  profit, that's why Cameron  perhaps forgets about Erdogen's violent suppressions, Israels illegal occupation of the Golan heights on the Syrian  border. The whiff of hypocrisy abounds.
Do we simply forget the tragedies of Iraq, Serbia, Afghanistan, Libya. Does history has to  repeat itself, I don't think Cameron's call is a considered one at all, as for terrorism it will certainly  increase the likelihood of it coming here to Britain.  I do not see how it can possibly have any positive  contribution to our national security. Lets not forget how Cameron was in a similar rush to lead us to war in Syria in 2013, that time on the side of ISIS or whatever they were called  then. Thousands have taken to the streets  in recent days voicing their objections, clearly saying no to the imminent threat of war,  but  the peoples wishes  are  wilfully ignored by Cameron and  his allies, surprise, surprise.
We have no money for welfare, but suddenly have more than ample for another deadly war,  but Cameron and his allies do not seem to give a damn, as they continue to press forward with their deadly plans, that will  only serve to endanger  Syrian civilians, already in a perilous  situation..
Who in their right minds can support Cameron's plans, propping up a  multinational imperialist agenda. leading us into a probable unwinnable war Said it before, I guess (but the world does this to me unfortunately) my mind truly boggles at the moment, it truly does.


heddwch/peace.  

Black Sabbath - War Pigs

Fernando Pessoa ( 13/6/1888 - 30/11/35) Rediscovering The Book of Disquiet

Today marks the 80th anniversary of Fernando Pessoa's  death the great Portugese, poet, writer, philosopher. Just  recently rediscovered his book  The Book of Disquiet courtesy of my dear friend Dave Datblygu,a book I have read in many different versions,various translations a timeless tome  to loneliness, melancholy, failure and the human condition I am often drawn to these subject matters. Like many of us, he spent much of his time in isolation, seemingly talking to himself. Living in a series of rented rooms in Lisbon, chain smoking, drinking heavily,mainly writing, reading and leading an introspective life, with a keen interest in the occult, he had a correspondence with the magician Aleister Crowley.Fernando considered himself as an outsider looking in on life in Lisbon.
In the opening lines of  one of his best known poems, The Tobacco Shop, he wrote :-

I'm nothing,

I'll always be nothing,

I can't wait to be something,

But I have in me all the dreams of the  world.


When Pessoa died in 1935 a few years short of 50 he left behind lots of unpublished writings. The Book of Disquiet is undoubtedly his  masterwork. He worked on it over  three decades, in the  end their was no definite order of its 500 or so sections, no order achieved or even hinted at, a random note to self. In the book  he took on many identities and personalities, eradicating any traces of  autobiographical feeling and experience, he seemed to be possessed by different characters and  fragments of personae that he found within himself. Significantly one name soars above the rest a ' Bernardo Soares' an assistant bookeeper in Lisbon.
It is a self depreciating reflection on the sheer distance  between the loftiness of feeling and the humdrum reality of life,meandering in sequences of unpredictablity,  this book  is a classic  of existentialist literature. Many people are still discovering this wonderful melancholic writer, conjurer of deep imagination.
So thanks /diolch Dave and if like me you are of a contemplative disposition, then this book  I heartily recommend. It will  truly change the way you see things.A beautiful journey nevertheless...
In the meantime here's an extract :-

" It's  one of those days when the monotony of everything oppresses me like being thrown into jail. The monotomy of myself, however.  Each face, even if seen just yesterday, is different today, because today isn't yesterday. Each day is the day it is,  and there was never another one like it in the world. Only our soul makes the identification - a genuinely felt but erroneous identification - by which everything becomes similar and  simplified. The world is a set of distinct things with varied edges, but if we're  near-sighted, it's a continual and indecipherable fog.
I feel like fleeing. Like fleeing from what I know, fleeing from what's mine, fleeing from what I love. I want to depart,  not for impossible Indias or for the great islands south of everything, but for any place  at all - village  or wilderness - that isn't this place. I want to stop seeing these unchanging faces, this routine, these days. I want to rest, far removed, from my inveterate feigning. I want to feel sleep come to me as life, not as rest. A cabin on  the seashore or even a cave in a rocky mountainside could give me this, but my will unfortunately, cannot.
Slavery is the law of life, and it is the only law, for it must be observed, there is no revolt possible, no way to escape it. Some are born slaves, others become slaves, and still others are forced to accept slavery. Our faint-hearted love of freedom - which, if we had it, we would all reject, unable to get used to it - is proof of how ingrained our slavery is. I myself, having just said that  I'd like a cabin or a cave where I could be free from the monotomy of everything, which is the monotomy of me - would I dare set  out for this cabin or cave, knowing from experience that the monotomy, since it stems from me, will always be with me? I myself, suffocating from where I am and because I am - where would I breathe easier, if the sickness is in my lungs rather than in the things  that surround me, I myself who long for pure-sunlight and open country, for the ocean in plain view, and the unbroken horizon - could I get used to my  new bed,  the food not having to descend eight flights  of stairs   in the streets and entering the tobacco  shop on the corner, not saying good morning  to the barber standing outside his shop.
Evdeerything that surrounds us becomes part of us, infiltrating our physical sensations and our feelings of life,  and like spittle of the great spider,  it subtley binds us to whatever is close, tucking us  into a soft bed of slow death which is rocked by the world.  Everything is us,  and we are everything but what  good is this, if everything is nothing? A ray of sunlight, a clud whose shadow tells us it is passing, a breeze that rises, the silence that follows when  it rises, ceases, one or another for a few voices, the incidental laughter of the girls who are talking,  and then night with the meaningless, fractured  hieroglyphs of the stars."

International day of solidarity with the Palestinian people

In 1977, the United Nations General Assembly called  for this day the 29th of November to be an annual observance of International Solidarity with the Palestinian people. An observance I mark daily.
I acknowledge too,  all those who have struggled for the Palestinians cause and all the Palestinians who have had to live and endure life under occupation, as refugees and in exile. A solidarity that sadly is still so much needed because Israel continues  to daily violate their basic human rights with impunity. In  the last few weeks  alone we have seen more Palestinians shot down and killed ( young and old) the continuation of home demolitions, the seizure of their land, and the continued seige of Gaza and the West Bank.
This injustice and suffering must cease. I passionately believe it is a moral and humanitarian responsibility to share their burden. As individuals we should pressure our governments to compel Israel, the occupying power to abide by International law to put an end to its daily violations and illegal aggressive destructive practices that disregard  international law.
The occupation of Palestinian territory ( the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the open prison of the Gaza strip ) must cease,  along with the punitive arrests, unfair treatment and excessive use of force.
It is our duty to support their struggle through boycott, divestment and sanctions, to continue to share their story's, about these proud people who refuse to lie down, whose spirit refuses to be defeated, whose pain must end. With solidarity and humanity, and pain in our hearts we must keep trying to bring an end of their collective punishment.
I realise that their are wars and turmoil all around us at the moment, in places like Syria and the recent terrorist atrocity in Paris but we must not allow them to distract our attentions from the Palestinians. The human tragedy of Palestine is ever so real, we cannot be deaf and blind to their plight.

Rafeef Ziadeh - Shades of Anger