Well a bit of an anti-climax - they got a very poor turnout at Bishopsgate Institute on Friday [26th] in spite of the promotion by the Stop the War Coalition web site.

http://stopwar.org.uk/content/view/1299/1/

No more than a hundred came if that. Many of them drifted in up to half an hour late. A few years ago when Gallows and the SWP used to pack ’em in their hundreds - he didn’t get offered the main hall this time just the Upstairs Hall at the back of the building.

We went in to the meeting to distribute open letter to the London Mayor against Press TV ads on the buses and the Tube and a statement by Iranian bus workers on the tube. We didn’t hang about to hear Galloway’s hot air.

Galloway himself was handed a the letter (in which Galloway is conspicuously mentioned by name in our letter and featured on some of the Press TV ads) and the statement simply said “thank you very much.”

Lindsey German by comparison took the ‘how dare you hand me bits of paper’ attitude - irrespective of what they might be about. She was very pally with Galloway in spite of the Respect split (so touching such friendliness among supposedly ‘divorced’ comrades). John Rees, who like German was recently purged from the SWP Politburo, was also at the meeting.

We spent most of our time downstairs handing them out to the few attendees.

Rob Hoveman who is the de facto MP for Bethnal Green and Bow (in that he does the bulk of the constituency work that Galloway should be doing) was one of the few to refuse to take our handouts and simply marched past us with a ‘fuck off’ look on his face.

Most took our stuff and some talked to us and were quite sympathetic to what we were doing.

Even the dreaded Bob Pitt of Islamophobia Watch (he is laughably much feared in some quarters) was friendly even though knows perfectly well who we are and what we stand for.

“Give Galloway hell” we said.

The point is that the meeting was about racist attacks on the Muslim community and the BNP which are very important issues. Such issues are totally undermined by the presence of Galloway on the platform given his recent and disgraceful comments about the (s)elections and protests Iran and his presence on Press TV.

See full version of our letter below plus Tehran bus driver’s statement, which we wrote in consultation with Iranian protesters in this country. More than a hundred have signed this so far on the protest outside the Iranian embassy.

Mayor of London,
City Hall,
Queen’s Walk,
London
23^rd June 2009

Dear Mr Johnson
 

We are concerned Londoners, including Iranians living in London, who are writing to you to protest against the advertising of Press TV on London buses and on the London Underground. You as chair of Transport for London as well as Mayor have overall responsibility for transport in the capital.
 

We are obliged to point out to you that Press TV is a propaganda station for the Iranian government. It is funded by that government and was launched by Mahmoud Ahmadinezhad personally in July 2007. By allowing these advertisements Transport for London are giving implicit support to that government and helping to promote their propaganda.
 

These ads claim that Press TV gives “voice to the voiceless.” Yet the true “voiceless” are not the Iranian government, who have a whole phalanx of nauseating apologists outside the country, but the Iranian people who are currently being beaten and killed by the regime’s thugs for trying to make their voice heard. The Iranian press is heavily censored and foreign correspondents have been expelled. Mansour Osanloo has been in prison for two years for the ‘crime’ of leading an independent trade union for bus workers.
 

You said when elected you wished as Mayor to have no foreign policy, by contrast with your predecessor. That is fair enough. However, you cannot be totally oblivious to events in the outside world which have relevance to your work.
 

It is incredibly offensive to many people, including the great majority of Iranians in this country, who are appalled by what is happening in their country, to be constantly confronted by these advertisements and in particular by the face of George Galloway on these ads.
 

With regard to Mister Galloway perhaps the less said the better, but we shall say this. His comments in praise of Saddam Hussein are so infamous they hardly bear repeating. Among many other war crimes, Saddam’s troops committed widespread rape of women and young girls in a number of places when they invaded Iran in the 1980s. It shows the low level of principle on the part of the Press TV that they should employ Galloway. His comments belittling the protests and endorsing the recent rigged election are matters of public record.
 

If you think it is acceptable to have these advertisements where would you draw the line? Would it have been acceptable to have the face of Lord Haw Haw on London buses during the War advertising the programme ‘Germany Calling’? Would it be acceptable to have Nick Griffin’s face on London buses advertising the BNP?
 

We hope you do agree that these advertisements are objectionable. We believe that CBS Outdoor is normally responsible for advertisement on London buses and the underground, though we don’t know if that is the case in this instance. Whoever put these advertisements up we urge you to call for them to be removed. At the very least you should issue a statement saying you find them objectionable. This is hardly ‘having a foreign policy’ or interfering in internal affairs of Iran, this is an internal British matter whether or not our transport services should promote this propaganda station.
 

We hope to hear your response soon. Attached is a copy of a statement by Tehran bus drivers, whose trade union leader is in jail as stated above, in support of the protests. We are copying this open letter both to the Transport and General Workers Union and CBS Outdoor.

Yours sincerely
[NAMES]  

 

A shorter and sweeter version of the letter is posted here:- http://azarmehr.blogspot.com/2009/06/uk-trade-union-solidarity-with-people.html Below is the bus driver’s statement  

Iranian Bus Workers’ Statement on the Demonstrations
Vahed Syndicate – Any Suppression or threat of civil liberty condemned, Sandica-Vahed, 18 June

In line with the recognition of the labour rights, we request that June 26 Action Day – Justice for Iranian workers – to include the human rights of all Iranians who have been deprived of their rights. In recent days, we continue witnessing the magnificent demonstration of millions of people from all ages, genders, and national and religious minorities in Iran. They request that their basic human rights, particularly the right to freedom and to choose independently and without deception be recognized. These rights are not only constitutional in most of the countries, but also have been protected against all odds. Amid such turmoil, one witnesses threats, arrests, murders and brutal suppression that one fears only to escalate on all its aspects, resulting in more innocent bloodshed, more protests, and certainly no retreats. Iranian society is facing a deep political-economical crisis. Million-strong silent protests, ironically loud with un-spoken words, have turned into iconic stature and are expanding from all sides. These protests demand reaction from each and every responsible individual and institution. As previously expressed in a statement published on-line in May of this year, since the Vahead Syndicate does not view any of the candidates support the activities of the workers’ organizations in Iran, it would not endorse any presidential candidate in the election. Vahed members nevertheless have the right to participate or not to participate in the elections and vote for their individually selected candidate. Moreover, the fact remains that demands of almost an absolute majority of the Iranians go far beyond the demands of a particular group. In the past, we have emphasized that until the freedom of choice and right to organize are not recognized, talk of any social or particular right would be more of a mockery than a reality. The Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Vahed Bus Company fully supports this movement of Iranian people to build a free and independent civil society and condemns any violence and oppression. In line with the recognition of the labour rights, the Syndicate requests that June 26 which has been called by the International Trade Unions Organization `Day of action’ for justice for Iranian workers to include the human rights of all Iranians who have been deprived of their rights. With hope for freedom and equality.

The Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Vahed Bus Company      

    

  

 

 

 

 

               

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