Sheffield Palestine Solidarity Campaign held a demonstration on June 2 in the city centre, in response to the recent Israeli attack on the flotilla of ships trying to break the siege of Gaza and deliver aid. It was well attended with about 200 people turning out to hear a selection of speakers from Sheffield PSC, its student branch, the TUC, the Palestinian society, the Green Party and messages from Labour MPs.

The speakers differed very little in their messages which focused on condemnation of the killing of 10 activists on board the Mavi Marmara and an end to the ‘illegal’ blockade of Gaza. For the PSC the strategy for achieving their goals involves raising awareness and putting pressure -locally, nationally and ultimately internationally on the state of Israel.  Largely preaching to the converted, the speakers highlighted the plight of the Palestinian population including how the blockade’s effect on the rebuilding of Gaza following the IDF bombing in 2009. Student speakers spoke of the devastating effect the blockade has on education, and the ongoing campaigns to get Sheffield universities to condemn the role of Israel in the Middle East.

The demo outside Sheffield town hall

The solution to the problems in Palestine were presented less clearly by the speakers, perhaps due to its nature as a broad coalition single issue campaign.  This lack of clarity was best expressed when a member of the Green Party said, without irony, that “(following the deaths of the flotilla) . . . I think the European Council could be doing more”. For the PSC the central answer is to build their boycott of Israeli goods. This, they believe, will end what they see as ‘apartheid’, in a similar way to apartheid South Africa. The utility of economic boycott as a tactic, and mechanical comparisons between Israel and South Africa aside, this solution – requiring the involvement of the major western powers – actually ignores their supportive relationship with Israel.

For communists, our role in such a campaign is to try to engage activists on issues which go above and beyond a single issue/single answer mentality. Namely, the nature and role of imperialism in the Middle East and the necessity of proletarian internationalism.

James Linney