The Russell Tribunal Advocates Israeli Boycotts

On November 20-22, 2010, the Russell Tribunal, endorsed by the Palestinian BDS (Boycott, Divest, Sanctions) National Committee, held its second gathering at the Law Society in London. (Link:russelltribunalonpalestine.com/en/sessions/london-session) The topic of the 3-day event was Palestine and their ‘judges’ held a trial for 20-30 companies for complicity with “Israeli war crimes”. (The first Russell Tribunal was held in 1967 in Sweden and Denmark and was an effort to mobilize citizens against the Vietnam War. However, it was not recognized as much more than theatrics for public show.)

Richard Millett, a well known UK blogger, attended the tribunal and reported: “As Michael Mansfield QC led the other ‘jury’ members into the room the whole audience rose in silence as if this was some properly constituted legal court instead of the embarrassing sham kangaroo spectacle that it was.” (Link: richardmillett.wordpress.com/2010/11/09/russell-tribunal-on-palestine-presents-ken-loach-at-amnesty/)

“Mr. Mansfield read the judgment and said that no witnesses of the companies on trial had been present over the two days of the tribunal…In his summing up, he concluded that one tactic that should be pursued was of popular action and that if defendants find themselves in court after entering offices or wherever then they could use the defense of ‘necessity’ and argue that they were doing it for the greater good.”

“As a footnote Mr. Mansfield told us there is one such non-violent protest taking place at Ahava “now, today”and that Ahava is complicit in illegality…”

Please note that Michael Mansfield is a prominent English barrister, socialist and self-proclaimed ‘radical lawyer’. It is this footnote by Mansfield that must not be overlooked, while one still sees the bigger picture of BDS campaigns against Israeli products.”

Upon hearing Mansfield’s Ahava ‘announcement,’ Millet quickly went to the Ahava store to see for himself. Sure enough, the entrance to the Ahava shoppe was already roped off by the police because two activists had locked themselves down on the shop’s floor. The protestors outside Ahava grew both in size and intensity as more people arrived from the Russell Tribunal press conference, motivated by Michael Mansfield’s announcement. The two suspected activists were led away by the police.  

A comment by Sharon Klaff sums up the relevance of this footnote:

“It seems that Michael Mansfield knew about this attack before it happened.  I do hope that when this rabble-rouser is brought to trial that he will be called to answer for his incitement to racial attacks…Surely it is illegal for an officer of the law, such as Mansfield is, to incite such action against law-abiding citizens of the UK! I am not a lawyer, but I would like one to check the legality of a man with the status of Mansfield coaxing rabble rousers to attack Jewish owned shops in the UK, shops with legal tenancy agreements and whose owners pay taxes and business rates, but are not protected against these ill informed ignoramuses!”