We're having a one-off discussion online about Peter Oborne's book Complicit: Britain's Role in the Destruction of Gaza. If you're in solidarity with Palestine, and you want to talk about this book, join us!
About the book
Fearless and forensic, this incendiary indictment from one of Britain’s most celebrated political journalists lays bare the full extent of British complicity in the destruction of Gaza.
In a gripping narrative informed by original reporting, Peter Oborne tells how Britain’s Conservative and Labour parties converged to back Israel’s criminal assault—in the process occupying disturbing common ground with the far right.
Rather than challenge this political cartel, British media colluded in its misrepresentations. The shocking result was that, as British authorities helped Israel set Gaza as well as international law aflame, almost everything the public was told about this momentous conflagration was untrue.
When citizens still turned out in their hundreds of thousands to demand a ceasefire, roiling the nation’s politics as they stayed faithful to the ancient British tradition of popular protest in defence of liberty, the political-media machine bared its fangs. The investigative reporting in this book exposes the methods by which peaceful demonstrations were smeared as “hate marches”.
Formerly chief political commentator at the Daily Telegraph and Spectator, Oborne knows the British establishment from within. In this book he names names and provides receipts. His demand is accountability—for atrocities, and their accomplices.
We've chosen Complicit because it's not there to convince the reader of Palestinian suffering or the Palestinian cause. It's a book that promises to lay out how our own political and media institutions are complicit in the subjugation of Palestinians. We hope it might help us - in the UK - to think more about how we resist what our institutions are responsible for.
Find the book in bookshops, in the Palestine Solidarity Campaign shop (£12), at Bookshop.org (£12) or potentially at your local library. (Google and Amazon are both facilitating the occupation, apartheid and genocide, so please don't reward them by using Amazon, Audible or Google Books.)
Not got enough time to read the whole book? That's understandable, but please come anyway! Instead of reading the whole book before the discussion, you could:
- Only read chapter 2 of the book, ‘There are no journalists in Gaza’ (approx 34 pages)
- Watch or listen* to Peter Oborne's interviews about the book on:
- Novara Media, called 'Media Insider EXPOSES Israel’s Capture Of British Politics | Aaron Bastani Meets Peter Oborne' (1 hour 12 mins)
- PoliticsJOE, called ‘We will never be forgiven for our role in Gaza | Peter Oborne interview' (53 mins)
- Owen Jones, called ‘EXPOSED: UK Guilt In Israel’s GENOCIDE w/. Peter Oborne’ (59 mins)
- The Electronic Intifada, called 'How Britain aided and abetted Israel's genocide, with Peter Oborne' (41 mins)
* Google is facilitating Palestinian subjugation, so please don't reward them with your ad revenue and personal data on YouTube! To watch these interviews, try downloading the free Grayjay app and searching for them there, or otherwise watching them on YouTube but on private browsing modes, with ad blockers and/or without logging in. To listen to them as podcasts, try downloading the free Pocket Casts app.
More about the call
We've organised this to be close to Workplace Day of Action for Palestine and the Nakba 78 march. This event is advertised on the FreelancersForPalestine.org.uk website, as part of a calendar of activities bringing freelancers together around Workplace Day of Action for Palestine. But you don't need to be a freelancer to come to the discussion.
Don't worry: this will not be a place for expert-level discussion. Neither will it be a place to debate Palestinian freedom, equality and justice. If you're anti-zionist and pro-Palestine but not always up-to-date or taking action in solidarity, you'll be welcome here.
We'll use a videocall platform that's not on the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) list, like Proton Meet or Nextcloud Talk. We'll choose a platform that you can access easily from your browser, without making your own account. Let us know in advance (when booking, or through the ‘Contact Organiser' button) if you have access needs or questions for the videocall platform. Check your emails before the event for the link.
You'll be welcomed by Ramisha, who regularly organises their own local book club in South East London. Ramisha will welcome everyone and facilitate discussion ☺️