Palestine is a site of genocide and a testing ground for oppression. We know what happens when that mould is left to spread, writes Cal Rosie.
I wrote most of this article during a possible interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, not knowing whether my friends and comrades would last the night without being abducted by the Israeli regime; the second such abduction in as many weeks, the first of which resulted in Flotilla participants detained for 40 hours (or 10 days in the case of Saif Abukeshek and Thiago Avila who were both taken back to Israel), beaten, held in brutal, inhumane conditions, with some experiencing sexual abuse. And all of what is taking place is the merest hint of what our Palestinian cousins have been experiencing over the last two and a half years of genocide, and eighty years of colonial oppression.
As I finished writing, the entire Flotilla was attacked again by Israeli forces and all 428 participants abducted. Our legal team on the ground in Occupied Palestine reported similar barbaric treatment as the previous interception. In fact, it seems likely to have been even worse.
The Global Sumud Flotilla is an international effort to break the illegal Israeli siege on Gaza made up of hundreds of dedicated activists and at least sixty boats at its height. Setting sail from Barcelona in early April, it is the latest in a long series of civilian-led flotillas that have sailed to break the illegal Israeli siege, and the largest; it is in fact the largest civilian flotilla effort since Dunkirk.
The Flotilla is inspired by the resilience of our Palestinian comrades: Sumud translates to steadfastness, a trait taught to us by Palestinians and the way they have refused defeat after almost three years of genocide. Every single participant knew the risks of sailing against a genocidal army, and for the last leg they sailed directly into a storm, but each one was determined to reach the shores of Gaza and stand shoulder to shoulder with our cousins in Palestine – the real heroes of this story.
Scotland should be proud that we have been represented on this mission by my comrades Owen Richardson Okie, Bryn Higgs, Antonis Vradis, and Hughie Stirling. Three of these comrades are lads from the same part of the Highlands who all volunteered together to do their part in ending the genocide and combatting UK- and US-backed Israeli fascism.
Owen, Bryn, Antonis, and Hughie are continuing a long tradition of Scots standing against fascism. Oswald Mosley’s black shirts never managed to get a foothold in Scotland, and their every attempt was blocked by Scottish men, women, and children. Meetings were dispersed, speakers were debated and/or heckled, and when all of that failed, tossing them out head over foot tended to do the trick.
This anti-fascist stance led to Scots being well represented in the first large-scale international fight against fascism, with many Scots joining the Spanish civil war on the side of the Republicans against Franco’s Nationalists. So great was the support from places like Scotland that the Republican army established the International Brigade to house them all.
This huge show of support was despite the UK’s policy of non-interference in the war, enforced by the Foreign Enlistment Act, which meant that fighting in the war (on either side) was illegal. Recognising that fighting injustice was more important than UK foreign policy, thousands from all over the UK volunteered to fight or provide medical support, and even more remained home to raise funds and organise support for the Republicans. Much of this support was organised and facilitated by Scottish trade unions, and by socialist and communists organisations. John ‘Patsy’ McEwan, a member of the International Brigade, explained why he chose to fight in a foreign war more than a thousand miles away by saying: “If I don’t go and fight facism, I’ll just have to wait and fight it here.”
The Flotilla carries on this tradition, albeit in a completely non-violent manner, of bringing together those from all around the world to fight for justice, with activists pulled from every different leftist organisation you can think of: socialists, communists, anarchists, trade unionists, and even mainstream Green Party representatives like Zak Khan who received beatings during his abduction so severe that he was one of many hospitalised after their release.
What every participant has in common is the inability to stand idle in the face of injustice, and the knowledge that fascism, like black mould, will spread if left unchecked. This was something we understood in Scotland back in the 20s and 30s when fascism first emerged, and we’d do well to remember now.
The Republicans, even with the support of the International Brigade, lost the Spanish Civil War in April 1939. I don’t think I need to highlight the significance of that year in the history of fascism. With Hitler and Mussolini (who both supported Franco with weapons and military intelligence) using the Spanish Civil War as a dry run for their own conquest of Europe, it is difficult to say how history may have played out if fascism had been stamped out then in Spain; or it had been properly combatted in Germany in the early 30s; or even if it had been rooted out during its beginnings in Italy in the 20s.
But instead fascism was appeased and ignored by most western countries for almost two decades, much like Israel’s crimes against Palestine, and more recently Iran and Lebanon, are either ignored, defended, or supported by European, Australian, and American governments. Back then, it led to the Holocaust, and now to the genocide of the Palestinian people.
And it must be stopped. It would be enough to stand against Israeli imperialism for the sake of the children who have been slaughtered in their thousands. Flotilla Steering Committee member Thiago Avil said, days after being released from brutal Israeli detention: “These last two years of genocide killed a very important part of me. I believe everyone died a little bit with every child in Gaza.”
But if you need more than murdered children to convince you to join this resistance movement, then consider that Palestine has been a testing ground for oppressive techniques and technologies for decades. For example, at a recent pro-Palestine demonstration in London, police deployed live facial recognition technology for the first time; technology that was first tested on Palestinians.
This is sometimes referred to as the colonial boomerang: oppressive policies are first tested out on colonies before being deployed on citizens in the home countries.
And if the idea of the treatment of the Palestinians being extended to Scottish people on Scottish soil seems to you unlikely, I would refer you to the policy papers of Reform UK, tied second largest party in Scotland, and recommend you amend your opinion on the matter.
Scotland must remember its anti-fascist history and work to uproot fascism everywhere we find it. In this we must look to people like Owen, like Bryn, like Antonis, like Hughie, and all of the previous Scottish Flotilla participants including Sid Khan, Jim Hickey, Margaret Pacetta, and Yvonne Ridley. And most importantly we must look to our Palestinian cousins whose unwavering resilience these past years and decades is nothing short of astounding.
We must eliminate fascism, the rot at the heart of humanity, once and for all, and supporting the Flotilla, and direct action efforts like it, is the best place to start. Because if we don’t go and fight fascism in Palestine, we’ll just have to wait and fight it here.
Cal Rosie is head of press for UK Global Sumud.