Monthly Archives: July 2014

Synagogue attacks condemned

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Synagogue vandalised

Synagogue attacked

Gemma Weir:

‘No excuse’: Gemma Weir:

 

Two weekend attacks on the Jewish Synagogue in North Belfast have been condemned by local Workers Party representative Gemma Weir.

“There is no reason and no excuse for the damage caused to  Belfast’s synagogue” Gemma said. “These incidents are quite rightly being treated as  hate crimes by the PSNI and I urge anyone with any information to contact the police”.

“On a weekend when thousands of Belfast citizens demonstrated their opposition to Israeli attacks against Gaza and it’s people it is outrageous that members of the Jewish faith should be the subject of this type of mindless attack in our city. There is absolutely no connection between Israeli military attacks on Gaza and  the local Jewish religious community”, she said

“As with other types of hate crime it is important that the north Belfast community demonstrates its support for the Jewish community at this time and fully supports the PSNI in their investigation”, concluded Gemma.

 

Gaza Protests Continue

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Candlelit vigil against Israeli slaughter

Candlelit vigil against Israeli slaughter

Candlelit vigil outside BBC

On a day when Gaza suffered the highest death toll since the Israeli offensive began on July 8th,  at least 87 people were reported killed – 60 of them in one area.

A candlelit protest vigil outside the BBC in Belfast marked the city’s continued and growing opposition to Israeli attacks on the civilian population of Gaza. and the justified outrage at the BBC’s and other media reporting of the situation.

Workers Party members at the vigil were making a number of demands including:

  • an immediate cessation of the Israeli attacks against Gaza;
  • an immediate end to the blockade;
  • the removal of Israeli occupation forces from all Palestinian and Arab territories;
  • the immediate end of all political, economic and military agreements between the EU and Israel;
  • an end to the occupation;
  • the immediate end to the settlements and the withdrawal of the settlers;
  • the immediate release from custody of all Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli detention;
  • the implementation of the recommendations of the Goldstone Report together with steps to hold Israel, including its political
  • and military leaders, responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity;
  • the removal of the “apartheid” wall dividing Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza

 

Stop the slaughter in Gaza

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Stop the slaughter in Gaza

Stop the slaughter in Gaza

As thousands of people joined a protest in Belfast against Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Gaza, the Workers Party has condemned the slaughter of Palestinian men, women and children and demanded an immediate end to Israeli attacks, the removal of Israeli  forces from all Palestinian territories and the end of all political, economic and military agreements between the European Union and Israel.

Gaza has a population of 1.8 million, almost half of whom are children under the age of 14. Since 2006 Israel has killed well over 3,000 Palestinian men, women and children in Gaza alone. The current barbaric Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people  continues and escalates. Already this operation has caused more than 300 deaths, thousands injured and more than 50,000 have been forced to flee their homes in the face of a vicious military assault from land, sea and air.

Deliberate

The deliberate targeting by Israel of civilians, including children, the selection of hospitals, residential apartment buildings, rehabilitation facilities for the disabled, schools and mosques is clear evidence of a campaign of collective punishment of a civilian population in breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention 1949.

See the Party statement in full at: WP Gaza Statement July 2014

 

 

A Woman’s Right to Choose

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Supporting a woman's right to choose

Supporting a woman’s right to choose

Pro Choice Rally in Belfast

Workers Party members joined with hundreds of ‘Pro-Choice’ supporters at a rally in Belfast yesterday.

The Party recognises that women have the right to control their own bodies, including their fertility, and to pursue all reproductive choices.

This is fundamental to any reasonable concept of gender equality in order to achieve full political, social, and economic equality with men.

The Party also opposes the paternalistic attitude that regards women as second class citizens incapable of making their own decisions and strongly condemns those who engage in anti-choice harassment and abuse.

The Party supports a full programme of secular sex education for schools, free access to contraception, proper health and social care for pregnant women, the provision of appropriate free and quality child care facilities and adequate support for single and low income parents.

The Workers’ Party believes in a woman’s right to choose and supports the provision of free and safe abortion in her own country which will include practical facilities to support women seeking an abortion and quality post-abortion care.