CONTEXT: DM2014: NUJ rejects Israeli goods boycott

While the NUT banner was one of the first to arrive on Saturday at Ecostream, the NUJ has actually rejected any boycott. Left foot and right foot don’t appear to get along, or at least the National body and the Brighton division.

13 April 2014

Delegates to the conference in Eastbourne of the National Union of Journalists voted against a motion seeking to support a boycott of all Israeli goods and to support the Boycott, Disinvestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.

Delegates were told by Michelle Stanistreet, general secretary, that journalists working in the Middle East, Palestine and occupied territories would be put in jeopardy if the motion was passed. She stressed that the boycott motion would be decided by the NUJ conference and not by outside bodies, but it was a decision which must reflect the interests and safety of our own members.

She pointed out that the NUJ’s colleagues in Palestine had not asked the union to introduce a boycott.

Simon Vaughan, representing BBC London said that his branch and the group representing Mothers and Fathers of Chapel of all BBC branches had been mandated to oppose the motion because they believe it will make the lives of their colleagues covering events in that part of the world very difficult.

Pete Lazenby, of Leeds branch, said he supported BDS and he publically camapigned for BDS, but he did not support the motion because it would put journalists in jeopardy.

Alan Gibson, of London Magazine branch, who proposed the motion, said he wanted to join Stephen Hawking and Noam Chomsky, as well as other unions and MPs who supported the BDS movement. He said the union needed to show that it was standing up against the biggest bully in the world, the Israeli state.

Conference did pass a motion condemning the Israeli authorities for preventing the movement of Palestine journalists between the West Bank and East Jerusalem and the refusal to accredit journalists with press cards, so they can do their job.

The motion committed the union to renew the campaign led by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) to convince the Israeli authorities to recognise its press cards in the occupied territories of Palestine. The NUJ agreed that it would continue to work with its sister union in Palestine.

Jim Boumelha, president of the IFJ, and Paul Holleran, NUJ Scottish organiser, are due to go Palestine as part of this campaign.

Jim Boumelha said:

“For the past 25 years, we have campaigned in solidarity with Palestine and their journalists who face day after day of humiliation from the Israeli authorities, even if they have the right papers. They face constant harassment and arrest and that is why the union must continue to campaign for the recognition of the press card.”

http://www.nuj.org.uk/news/dm2014-nuj-rejects-israeli-goods-boycott/