"Progressivism" in Britain

The "Cowardice" of AWL on the Gaza War

Submitted on 5 February, 2009 - 14:35

Author: 

Eric Lee/Ian Srernberg/Sacha Ismail/Sean Matgamna

[Introductory note: This exchange was triggered by the article,"Rge Socialist Party and the Gaza War: "Socialism" as Evasion". The issues discussed are of more general interest. We invite contributions to the discussion.]

From Eric Lee:

The "Cowardice" of AWL on the Gaza Wa

The most recent issue of Solidrarity features a number of articles about the conflict in Gaza. These articles do the AWL no credit.

Ira Berkovic's "Who speaks for Jewish people in Britain?" reports on the rallies organised by the Jewish community in Britain without once mentioning the politics of those rallies. That's extraordinary. More than that, it's dishonest. As even the BBC reported, these rallies called for peace and an end to Hamas terror. They were not the mirror-image of the pro-Hamas rallies which – as you reported elsewhere in Solidarity – did call for the destruction of the Jewish state.

But to be fair, I think the comrades of the AWL may not be deliberately misrepresenting the Jewish community rallies. I think the article actually reveals the depth of your ignorance. You don't actually know what the rally was about -- because you weren't there.

AWL members were busy getting their signs torn up at pro-Hamas rallies – rallies whose political leaders proclaimed slogans with which you completely disagree. But a rally whose demand was 'Yes to peace, No to Hamas terror' was somehow of no interest to you.

Which brings me to Sean Matgamna's article in the same issue. Sean blasts the Socialist Party for concealing its real views (the two-state solution) for fear of being unpopular, or provoking anger from pro-Hamas demonstrators. The question of political courage runs like a red thread in this article and Sean correctly writes that "the socialist who is afraid to be unpopular who cannot stand against the tide, or even the stream, is a poor little specimen indeed."

Reading these articles, as well as the extensive coverage of the AWL's brave efforts to get its message across to pro-Hamas demonstrators in Sheffield and elsewhere, I cannot help but wonder why the AWL doesn't present that same message to a 15,000 strong rally in London? (And a decent sized one in Manchester as well.)

One would think that with your "third camp" politics, you'd be eager to hold up your placards with their "Down with Hamas, Down with the IDF" not only at pro-Hamas rallies, but even at pro-peace ones organised by the Jewish community?

But you don't. I wonder why. Could it be that the Socialist Party is not the only group on Britain's far left with a muddled message, lacking in political courage?

Eric Lee

Continued: The "Cowardice" of AWL on the Gaza War