Tuesday, March 23, 2010

minutes of branch meeting

Oxford PSC – notes from meeting 9 March 2010

Present: Dave, David, Pam, Tony, Caroline, Stephen, Jenny

1. Previous minutes given orally. Matters arising:
i. Advert re boycott sent in to Trades Council bulletin by Caroline and Tony.
ii. Students to be informed about our boycott actions but not here end of March. Try next term (starts mid-April). They will try one college first re not buying Israeli goods for kitchen.
iii. Cairo Declaration – Dave has signed on our behalf.

2. Reports:
i. Israeli Apartheid Week – we covered each event except Thursday – excellent esp. Ilan Pappé on Tuesday, Karma Nabulsi on Friday, and S. African speaker on Saturday. V. little opposition now (cf US).
ii. Film ‘With God on our Side’ – Pam reported – by American who was pro-Israeli then changed, showing Bible Belt (where he grew up) Christian Zionist rallies, quite shocking, all about ‘Covenant’ – recent invention (last 70 years).
iii. Pam met couple at the FMH showing of ‘To Shoot an Elephant’. She is the Chair of the UK Friends of Sabeel group, he was the head of World Vision in Palestine. Stephen Sizer who was showing the film in his church in Virginia Water (Surrey) wrote ‘Zion's Christian Soldiers?’ Contacts to be followed up?
iv. Tony on Monday 8 March meeting in London (SOAS) with Palestinian women – one from Shufat camp in E. Jerusalem which is worse than W. Bank, with 40 – 50,000 people in limited space.

3. BOYCOTT DAY OF ACTION TUESDAY 30 MARCH plans discussed. Decided:
i. Picket of Tesco Cowley Road 5-7pm on Tuesday 30 March
ii. Make our own leaflet as before and/or use general BIG leaflet (but not new cards which are mainly for trade unions)
iii. Let students know and aim to do more actions together with them next term.
iv. Let national PSC know.

4. National Branch Forum Saturday 13 March: Dave attending, prepared on all topics:
- students
- boycott actions
- trade unions
- getting people to join
Discussion re centre not able to let us know who our local members are, because of Data Protection. Caroline reported they will send out our AGM notice to local members without email. Pam proposed they have slot on national M’ship form ‘Understand my details will only be shared with my local PSC branch’.

5. Trade Unions: Get involved through advert (above) and cards.
>> Possible joint meeting?

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