"Say It With Shoes" is a group for all those who want to take action to prevent the horrific violence we are seeing day after day in Gaza, and to help bring about a just peace in the Middle East, in accordance with international law. It is a group for those that are not prepared to tolerate in silence our Government's continuing military support for Israeli aggression and atrocities. It is a group for all those who want to go beyond writing emails and signing petitions, to join with others in making a direct, physical statement to our Government.

Above all, "Say It With Shoes" is an experiment in democracy - an attempt to see whether we can harness the power of people, linked through the internet, to push for a real and lasting change in Government policy. Every bit of pressure we can bring to bear on our Government takes us a step in the right direction - which may mean fewer lives lost, and more suffering averted in the long run.

To participate in this action, all you have to do is to complete six simple steps:

1. Find an old shoe (or even a new one, if you prefer);
2. Write a short, punchy, personalised, note - signed, and with your name and address - calling for an end to Britain's diplomatic, military and commercial support for Israel;
3. If you have a camera, take a picture (or record a short video message) of your shoe;
4. Attach your note to your shoe, and send it off to Downing Street (10 Downing Street, London, SW1A 2AA);
5. Leave a message on our wall; if you have one, post up your picture or video for all to see - and let others know that you have joined them in taking action;
6. Tell your friends - and help spread the word about this action.

Your shoes can be as bland or as flashy as you want. We may award prizes for the most interesting, original or amusing shoes and/or messages however - so feel free to be creative!
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WHY THE SHOE?

Shoes are a symbol of anger. Ever since Iraqi journalist Muntader Al-Zaidi hurled his shoes at George Bush during a press conference in December - shouting "this is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq" - the shoe has come to embody the anger felt across the Arab world and beyond at the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent people as a result of Western and Western-backed actions in the Middle East.

Shoes are a symbol of empathy. In conversation, we talk about "being in his shoes"; "walking a mile in her shoes", or ask "what would you do in my shoes?" Shoes can be a potent metaphor for putting ourselves in the place of suffering others.

Shoes are a symbol of grief. During Israel's 2006 attack on Lebanon, marchers in London laid pairs of children's shoes by the Cenotaph. Like other residual physical traces of human lives, shoes can be a powerful and moving reminder where such lives have been cut short.
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BACKGROUND: FACTS AND FIGURES

What military support does Britain give Israel?

Britain has consistently provided Israel with arms and military equipment, including during some of its worst atrocities. While Britain's contribution is small compared to the billions of dollars in military aid given annually by the US, Israeli military officials have attested that it includes essential items of equipment. Its contribution is also growing - the latest Foreign Office figures show that Britain exported £24 million in arms and military equipment to Israel over the first half of 2008, including £18,847,795-worth of weapons in the first three months - a massive increase compared to the £7.5m it provided in the whole of 2007. This includes essential components in the US-supplied F-16 fighters which, according to Amnesty, Israel has "routinely used" to "bomb and shell Palestinian residential areas". It also includes components for combat aircraft and military aero engines, "helmet-mounted display equipment", equipment for the use of weapons sights and military communications equipment.

Why does Britain give this support?

For two reasons: the interests of British arms dealers, and to maintain good relations with the US. According to former Foreign Office Minister Jack Straw, “Any interruption to the supply of these components would have serious implications for Britain’s defence relations with the United States”; and the sale of F16 parts is also a policy which ministers have said "was dictated by the interests of British arms companies".

What's the problem with arming Israel?

The Israeli military uses weapons both in indiscriminate attacks, and in the direct targeting of civilians. Former Israeli soldiers have attested to acting on "standing orders" to "open fire on people regardless of whether they were armed or not, or posed any physical threat", including young children. They have also spoken of orders to "fire at anything that moved", to kill "every person you see on the street", and of "pressure to get kills". In the words of one former soldier, "The commanders said kill as many people as possible".

During its assault on Gaza, Israel has attacked, among other targets, schools, medics and ambulance crews, mosques, a television station, a university, and civilian homes. As the human rights groups Amnesty International and B'Tselem have noted, Israel has deliberately targeted civilians and civilian buildings over the course of the assault, and statements by Israeli officials indicate a clear policy of attacking civilian targets. Deliberate and indiscriminate attacks on civilians for political ends are ordinarily described as terrorist acts: by arming Israel, Britain is giving direct support to terrorism.

As a spokesman for Oxfam noted in March, Israel's economic and humanitarian blockade against the civilian population in Gaza constitutes collective punishment - a "serious crime against humanity". Human Rights Watch have also described Israel's blockade as "a policy of protracted collective punishment, a serious violation of international humanitarian law" - and note that it has been "tacitly or openly supported by the UK and other Israeli allies".

Israel's occupation of Gaza and the West Bank is in violation of international law, as has been re-iterated by countless UN resolutions, and by the International Court of Justice. Israel has also demonstrated a systematic pattern of ending pauses in the conflict by launching attacks. The most recent ceasefire with Hamas, established in June 2008, was ended by Israel in an attack on the 4th of November. And while Hamas has continued to moderate its position, signalling its willingness to participate in a long-term peace between Israel and a Palestinian state within its internationally-recognised borders, Israel has refused even to negotiate with Hamas.

What other support does Britain give?

While providing public backing for a ceasefire in Gaza, Britain appears to have been lending diplomatic support to US efforts at stonewalling such efforts. According to the former UK diplomat Craig Murray, a "former colleague in the UK Mission to the United Nations" attests that "British diplomats on the United Nations Security Council are under direct instructions to offer "tacit support" to United States' efforts to block a ceasefire."

Along with the rest of the EU, Britain participates in the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which allows preferential access for Israeli imports to EU markets. The UK voted to upgrade these commercial ties twice in 2008, in June and December. This is in spite of the “surprise” expressed by the House of Commons International Development Committee that "the EU has decided to upgrade its relationship with Israel while it continues to flout international law".

Can we win this?

Yes. Already there are a whole host of efforts to hold Israel to account, and to encourage Britain to curtail its direct support for Israel. Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, has already put political pressure on the Government by calling for a suspension of the upgrade to the EU trade agreement with Israel, and to arms supplies. On January 10, Britain witnessed its biggest march in defence of Palestine to date. Recent polls of the British public have found that 65% view Israel's role in the world as "mainly negative", and 79% favour the Government not taking sides in the conflict. The UK Government has also recently taken steps towards clamping down on goods imported from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied territories. By seizing the initiative, we can bring about positive change. There is no better time to do so than now.
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"Say It With Shoes" is a group for all those who want to take action to prevent the horrific violence we are seeing day after day in Gaza, and to help bring about a just peace in the Middle East, in accordance with international law. It is a group for those that are not prepared to tolerate in silence our Government's continuing military support for Israeli aggression and atrocities. It is a group for all those who want to go beyond writing emails and signing petitions, to join with others in... (read more)