“Labour is not a party of protest” – evidently!
JVL introduction
Rachel Reeves’ statement after a heckler interrupted her conference speech in Liverpool on Monday perfectly expresses the reality behind the much-vaunted “change” we can expect from Starmer’s Labour. Speaking at a podium emblazoned with the words “Change Begins”, her message was clear – this is not a party of protest but a party of conformity in defence of the status quo, in the UK and on the world stage.
There will be more to say about the content of party leaders’ speeches and a myriad controversies, including manipulation of the agenda which has infuriated the unions. For now we are publishing below a selection of reports from Liverpool focusing on Palestine, which was the subject of protest both outside and within the conference hall.
NWI
A mass rally, censorship, chokeholds and exclusion
Despite attempts by the leadership to throttle – literally in one case – expressions of solidarity with Palestine, support for the people of Gaza and the West Bank and outrage at Labour’s refusal to hold Israel to account for its mounting crimes were evident from day one of party conference 2024.
On Saturday September 21, thousands marched from Liverpool city centre to the pier head for the first national protest against Israel’s genocidal war to be held outside London. Crispin Flintoff’s film (below) captures the mood expressed by a protestor quoted in Socialist Worker: “It’s astounding that after a year of internationally recognised genocide this is still happening—and our Labour government supports it.”
Dave Vickers from Manchester, speaking for the Jewish Bloc, received a rousing welcome from the crowd. Listen to him 13.40 minutes into the video, followed immediately by Maxine Peake’s heartrending reading of a diary entry by Sondos Sabra, a writer in Gaza.
Don’t mention the genocide
On Monday the Palestine Solidarity Campaign held its traditional fringe meeting. The few media reports focused on the presence of MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy who called for a continuation of protests but faced a heckler demanding she resign from Labour. The reports did not explain that the meeting’s tame title – Justice for Palestine – was the result of censorship by the Labour establishment which demanded removal of the phrases “end the genocide” and “end the apartheid” from the event publicity.
Nor has the mainstream media given any coverage to the suspension of James Whiting, general secretary of the Socialist Education Association, one of Labour’s most important affiliated bodies. Skwawkbox reported that Whiting, a party member for 45 years, “was ejected and banned from the conference and had his Labour party membership suspended, apparently because he dared to wear a small badge saying ‘Free Palestine’ and wore a keffiyeh, the traditional scarf of Palestine.”
“I thought we’d voted for change Rachel”
One incident that did attract media attention was an intervention by a young man, so far unnamed in reports, who interrupted Rachel Reeves’ conference speech with a vocal protest about Labour’s policy betrayals on climate change and Israel’s war on Palestine.
Canary reported that activists from campaign group Climate Resistance unfurled a banner reading “Still backing polluters, still arming Israel – we voted for change”. The banner is not visible in the many videos circulating online, but the heckler’s message came across loud and clear: “We are still selling arms to Israel. I thought we’d voted for change Rachel.”
Climate Resistance spokesperson Sam Simons told Canary afterwards: “Labour promised us change – instead we’re getting more of the same. The same pandering to the fossil fuel industry; the same arms licences that are fuelling a genocide in Gaza, and the same austerity that sees the poorest hit hardest.”
A disproportionately brutal response by security men who repeatedly grabbed the young man’s throat while dragging him from the hall, reminded many veterans of the ejection of Walter Wolfgang, a Jewish Labour campaigner in his 80s, after he heckled Jack Straw in 2005. On that occasion the party immediately apologised. Little likelihood of that now!
Reeves, speaking at a podium labelled CHANGE BEGINS, delighted the Starmerite clones in the audience by intoning: “This is a changed Labour Party, a party that represents working people, not a party of protest.”
Comments below the Guardian News video of the occasion express the sentiments many on the left will be feeling at this time.
“That horrible smug grin across her face is infuriating”
“all the sheep clapping”
“At least one has the balls to speak out the rest just sit there clapping like performing seals”
“Fear of criticism that resonates is evidenced by how a peaceful protester is violently wrestled out”
How anyone with any conscience, sense of humanity or social justice can have any faith in this “party”, of establishment, warmongering, political prostitutes is beyond my comprehension. Supporting mass extermination of the Palestinians whilst accepting “donations” [bribes] for dresses and tickets to see Taylor Swift. If it wasn’t so tragic, it would be laughable. Time will tell who is on the right side of history, and hopefully very soon.
THEM
It’s not the fault of Rachel Reeves
There’s probably another one
Nothing like her. It’s the same
With Starmer, Streeting. They’re
Just versions, scribbles, poorly
Visualised. Hardly human, really
Created by their sponsors
No they are a party of tories.
I thought Kim Johnson MP was unfairly heckled. OK, she muddled a few negatives but her heart seems in the right place, to me.
Maybe I’m missing some background? If so- add your wisdom to these comments!
I’ll happily contribute if the young man sues for criminal assault.
With regard to the Conference response to dissent, I’d like to ask if the Labour Party did indeed stop being concerned about ‘other people’s children’ in 2019 as the now infamous exchange suggests:
Sir Keir: “Every child deserves to be respected for the contribution they make”.
Young man whose heart is breaking: “Does that include the children of Gaza?”
Sir Keir: “I think this guy’s obviously got a pass for the 2019 Conference!”
(Wild applause and cheers of approval).
Here is an apposite poem (Michael Rosen’s Don’t Mention the Children, 2014, could be substituted) to consider:
Hollie McNish 2024
(Regarding the response of Congress to the visit of Netanyahu)
but to clap! but to clap!
to press your palms to your palms
as if in noisy prayer to this man;
and to stand! and to stand!
to pull the full weight of your body
to your feet, to the air: and to cheer!
to cheer! as if your favourite singer
has just begun chanting your favourite song;
lord, what does it mean? we will win!
we will win! as if children lost beneath
rubble are balls tossed across pitches
to goal posts; my grandfather signed up
at sixteen, said fighting did not make him
a man, just a young boy with a lot
of dead friends; be kind, not revengeful,
he said, this is not us versus them,
not them versus them, not teams
to watch from the sidelines, this is crimes
against humanity against humanity
This dishonest, false and unpopular right-wing ‘Labour’ government is ruling only because of the failures of Conservative governments, yet, though it says otherwise, it is insisting on counterproductive Conservative dimwittedness, which is indeed having a disastrous effect, in Britain through to Palestine and through the climate change of our world, which the politicians do not grasp.
The inept ‘tough’ choices being made here, such as to rob working people of hard-earned modest support in later years, are so hypocritical, especially so when Starmer, Reeves & Rayner feel entitled to take the big bribes which cushion these sufficiently well off establishment politicians and buy the rich donors the policies, or lack of regulation, which they want. Ordinary working people are irritated and aghast at the abysmal common sense and the glib self serving attitudes of the dim hierarchy which has imposed itself upon us.
Labour is not a party of protest, and our leader, Sir Keir, wants the sausages bought back.
I tend to think the interruption was one of the most impressive parts of the proceedings and the response even more revealing were it not for the omission of ‘not’ doubtless an accident. She of course should have said the Labour Party is NOT a Party fof the
working class and not a Party of protest but I am sure we got the message.
“Labour under our wondrous leader is not a party of protest against the daily mass murder and slaughter of women and children and infants and babies (710 babies in fact, to date, and probably at least half as many again dead under the rubble). No, the complete opposite, and we wholly support the genocide taking place in Gaza (and the West Bank), and have proudly done so since the outset.”
Posted a few days ago on Al Jazeera:
Lawmaker criticises US silence on thousands killed in Gaza
US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib criticised her colleagues’ silence on the thousands killed in Israel’s war on Gaza after a 600-page document with the names of Palestinians killed was made public.
https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2024/9/20/lawmaker-criticises-us-silence-on-thousands-killed-in-gaza
Meant to post a link to this as well in my initial comment:
Starmer’s VILE Response As Slaughtered Palestinian Kids Raised By Protester
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnl_JrHQ_-g (Owen Jones 11mins)
Owen makes the very pertinent point that there is no way on this planet that Starmer would have responded in such a flippant manner if someone had called out about the murder of Israeli children. Which not only says it all, but is actual proof of his inhumanity.
“What about the children of Gaza? Are they included too?”
“I think he must have a pass for the 2019 Conference. We are a changed party!” he quipped, somewhat woodenly, as if the response was an automatic, context-free, pre-scripted response.
Oh how the jackals and hyenas laughed obediently. Smug grins and sycophantic applause all round.
And yet, when the glee died down. The dawning, sickening realisation of what the world saw: a sleek, expensively clad (expensive, but not for him, oh no) man on a platform in front of adoring worshippers, mocking a disgusted, disillusioned young man. Telling him, with a smug smile on his face, that caring about children, no matter where they are, is just so 2019.
A changed party indeed.
Simon – the only thing I can think of is that she apparently made much of the fact she was going to vote against the 2 child benefit cap – then voted for it…
She has always been pro Palestine and was rebuked in Parliament for calling Israel ‘fascist’, and has been critical of Starmer. Voting for the cap maybe seen as betrayal of her constituents…
Of course it’s not the party of protest. It’s the party of craven corruption, supported by the thuggish dregs of the useless “middle class” (21st Century version).
This heckler should sue the goons who prevented him from exercising his right under human rights laws to express his opinions. This is GBH.
The goons should be sued for everything they own.
Being critical of Labour isn’t enough – people need to completely abandon it and form something new. People have been conditioned to think it’s the party of the working class and oppressed, and while it might of historically offered a bit of reform, it’s never really been the case, so a ‘re-education is in order, or else people will continue making the same mistakes, like thinking the leaders of it are the problem rather than the party itself.
We should start calling it the Scab Party.