By Denis Campbell
There was an unseasonable hailstorm in London today as hundreds of shoes rained down upon the entrance to Downing Street, Great Britain’s version of the White House, home to Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Chancellor Alistair Darling (Finance Minister).
This was neither a pre-election protest, reaction to Mr. Brown’s 100,000 new jobs pledge something opposition leader David Cameron is no doubt salivating over the chance to address during Prime Minister’s Questions this coming Wednesday, nor a general commentary on the economy.
No, these shoes were a reaction from hundreds of people gathered outside protesting the deafening silence from the USA, UK, EU and Arab world governments about the ever-increasing barrage by Israel (and now tank-based land assault) in the Gaza strip. There was a rather tepid New Year’s Eve meeting between France’s President Sarkozy and Israel’s Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and then that was followed by more silence as everywhere from Brussels to London not a peep was heard, not even a mouse, whilst the fighting grew ever fiercer.
US President-Elect Barack Obama is on record as saying Israel has a right to defend itself, “if bombs were raining down on my house and my two young daughters, I would do something about it.” But the real sense of urgency is the ticking of the clock towards January 20th. They know the Bush Administration supports them, (even though daily press briefings on the issue fell to some poor third string press office lackey unfortunate enough to have to work on holidays).
Mr. Bush has not viewed the crisis with any sense of urgency, cut his holiday short or rushed back to the Situation Room in Washington. Mr. Brown has not convened a COBRA emergency group meeting (named after Cabinet Office Briefing Room A located in the bowels of Downing Street where it normally meets.) Even the UN Security Council was thwarted today in their attempt to agree on a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire as US envoy Alejandro Wolff refused to support a draft text put forward by Libya. There was no point in issuing statements that Hamas would ignore, he said (even US UN Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad was not disturbed on his holiday).
Israel is not certain the political will is there with Obama, thus the rush to respond so forcefully to something that has been a daily occurrence, rocket attacks by Hamas on Israel. They clearly expect and hope to be done punishing Hamas by the Inauguration, so we sit and wait. And a few are becoming more than impatient. Tomorrow everyone is back to work and we’ll see what happens.
There is a lot at stake. Members of the Palestinian Authority controlling areas outside of Gaza, have an interest in seeing Israel wiping out Hamas. They are perceived as more moderate and, in theory, would come in and take over again.
The Arab world is also embarrassed with Hamas and as chief NBC Foreign Correspondent Ricard Engel said on New Year’s Day, it’s not what you see on the street that matters in the Arab world. The silence of governments from Tehran to Tripoli to Riyadh that is significant. They have has mostly turned their head and so that is perceived as tacit approval, in principle, of the Israeli operations.
They want it done quickly and worry only that the media shows civilian suffering, however, we all saw the blast of munitions stored in residential areas and it became clear Hamas is using Gazans as human shields and everyone is paying a horrible price.
So, frustrated Britons made their point as the ‘protest du jour’ is to throw one’s shoes, a sign of disrespect in the Arab world (as we saw with George Bush’s victory tour visit to Iraq). Throwing shoes though is becoming a cliché.
Looking at the photo, there were some rather high priced Italian loafers and other stylish/expensive shoes. While agreeing with their point, in this economy it made me wonder if anyone was questioning their decision, albeit in hindsight, on whether throwing one’s shoes on a day when the mercury never rose above freezing, walking across London’s unforgiving concrete sidewalks, making one a clear target for police action, on a Sunday when stores close early, heading home shoeless because you cannot get on the London Underground or buses without them.
Too, those shoes will be unceremoniously gathered by a front-end loader and donated to charity (as in the case of the mystery truckload of shoes dumped yesterday on a major Miami, Florida highway). These too will end up being swept up, paired and sent by the charity Soles4Soles, perhaps to Haiti as the ones in Miami were destined.
It was a curious price of protest, save souls while losing your own soles.
