This week, a motion calling for the UK government to halt sending armaments to Israel was barred from being tabled at an All Members Constituency Labour Party (CLP) meeting in Canterbury.
The motion reads as followed:
“This CLP calls on its Labour Government to immediately halt all armaments supplies to the current Israeli Government due to its genocidal campaign in Gaza as reported by the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian Territories.”
Proposed by Labour Canterbury City Councillor Mike Bland and seconded by Kevin Powers (both Canterbury branch Labour Party members) the motion passed at a Canterbury Labour Party branch meeting but was reported to members by the CLP Chair, Val Kenny, as having been barred from being heard, debated and voted on at the Canterbury Constituency Labour Party meeting that took place on Tuesday 20th May.
Whitstable resident Chris Weller was at the meeting. A Labour Party member of 28 years he explained that he and other members were “outraged” by obstructive action taken by the Labour Party’s South East Regional Office to ensure the motion could not proceed.
Chris Weller’s press statement follows here:
“At the start of the meeting it was stated by CLP Chair, Val Kenny, that Region would not allow this motion to be tabled and/or debated at the meeting. Why is the Labour Party so scared of this motion? Are the atrocities in Gaza not enough to call for an arms trade ban on Israel? 14,000 babies are currently facing starvation. Is this not enough to take action?
“The motion is not antisemitic and no reason was given for barring this motion from being heard. We were told nothing about why the motion couldn’t be tabled and no-one from the South East Regional office was available to comment. Clearly, those at Labour South East Region had advance knowledge that this motion was to be debated but in my experience this has never happened before. It is up to the CLP to decide debate, but on this occasion our right to do so was blocked.
“Many in the Labour Party, like myself, feel angry and betrayed by the Labour government’s continued complicity in Israel’s military actions in Gaza, while ignoring public sentiment evidenced by the huge pro-Palestine protests since Israel’s actions in Gaza began. Only recently has the government called for a ceasefire but what we need is action not words. Many Labour members believe that this “war” is a disproportionate response to the atrocities that took place on October 7.
“Personally, I support an immediate ceasefire, the return of all hostages and negotiations for a two-state solution.
“I realise that by speaking out like this, I may well lose my party membership but I share common humanity with the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and I cannot watch their suffering and remain silent about what happened this week to block this important motion.”
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