RAM: "Stop the killing in Gaza!"

Below is the text of a RAM leaflet (http://www.ram.org.nz/) produced for a Wellington protest on 6 January against Israel's attacks on Gaza: STOP THE KILLING IN GAZA! “It’s horrible, but what can we do about it?” That’s the reaction of people everywhere to the pictures of dead Palestinian children and the pleas of the doctors in Gaza. Israel’s military might can seem unstoppable. But the ongoing attacks are only possible because of the diplomatic, financial and military support they receive from the US state, its allies and friends. Around the world, people are taking action to end their government’s acceptance of the Israel attacks. We can: Protest Protests have the power to keep the plight of innocent victims in the public eye. They can help people at home, feeling sickened by the TV news, to feel they aren’t alone. It’s hard for a lone individual not to shrug their shoulders and look the other way. It’s natural for people to come together at times like these to say they want it to stop. Protests can keep hope alive. Tell our government to take a stand National’s foreign minister, Murray McCully, has said almost nothing about the biggest international crisis of the day. He did declare that the NZ government “won’t take sides”. This is a continuation of what Labour called its “even handed approach”. But if a boy poked out his tongue at another in the school playground, and the second clubbed him back with a baseball bat, is it good enough to “not take sides”? British prime minister Gordon Brown has called for an immediate ceasefire. Venezuela’s campaigning president, Hugo Chavez, condemned the Israeli attacks as “criminal” and called for a “massive campaign of repudiation”. Our government should do similar. Boycott Israel In the 1980s, Black South Africans asked the world to impose an academic, sporting, political and economic boycott of their country. This added to the pressure which eventually ended South Africa’s racist apartheid system. Today, Palestinians are calling for a boycott of Israel. We can support it by refusing to buy Israeli products and by writing to the shops that sell them. Food brands include Beigel Beigel and Silan (sold by Pak’N’Save). Children’s toys (including Happy House) are sold by Bunnings Warehouse and Edukids. DIY hardware includes Chromagen hot water systems and Keter plastics (manufacturer of some Black & Decker toolboxes, sawhorses etc, stocked by Placemakers and Mitre10). And we must put pressure on the NZ company Rakon, which supplies components for Israeli guided bombs, to stop. Find out more With our news media full of official statements and interviews with the powerful, relying on mainly US and British reports for overseas news, the whole story is rarely told. Find out more about what’s going on and what’s behind the headlines: Global Peace & Justice Auckland http://www.gpja.org.nz/ Palestine Human Rights Campaign http://palestine.org.nz/ Boycott Israeli Goods http://big.org.nz/ Wellington Palestine Group http://wellingtonpalestinegroup.blogspot.com/ Auckland University Students for Justice in Palestine http://ausjp.wordpress.com/