Derry civil rights veterans call for support of the Right to Protest / Defend Our Juries rally
The rally will tkae place on Saturday, November 22, at 3pm Guildhall Square
Derry civil rights veterans have called for support of the Right to Protest / Defend Our Juries rally in the city.
The rally will tkae place on Saturday, November 22, at 3pm Guildhall Square.
Similar protests are being organised by Defend Our Juries in Belfast and London on Saturday, following protests in Gloucester, Truro, Nottingham, Northampton, Oxford, Leeds, Newcastle, Caerdydd/Cardiff, Aberystwyth and Edinburgh during the week.
A spokesperson for the organisers said: "The veterans also declare solidarity with the members of Filton 24 whose trials started on Monday. The Filton 24 have been charged with taking direct action against the Israeli arms company Elbit.
"The civil rights of Filton 24 were violated as the 'internment by remand' used against Republicans here is now being used against Palestinian solidarity campaigners across the water.
"It should be remembered that the October 5,1968 march had been banned by Stormont yet we marched on in defiance of this undemocratic edict. Some of the organisers ended up in court under Stormont’s Special Powers Act. The campaign that got rid of Raytheon from Derry similarly ended up in court but those all were given bail. The repression of pro Palestine activism represents an escalation of the assault on civil rights by the clamp down on protest generally.
"To demonstrate against the appalling slaughter being perpetrated on the Palestinian people is to demonstrate commitment to civil rights generally. We hope to see the people of Derry out in defence of our own and of Palestinian rights on Saturday at 3.00pm."