June 13, 2020
By Larry Hales
I was in Palestine in the spring of 2002, it was about 2 years or so after the beginning of the 2nd intifada I think. Most people that know me know the story, how I was with a group that broke theough the siege of the Church of Nativity to stand with the more than 200 Palestinians trapped inside by the Israeli military.
I wont go into the whole story. But, we actually went to the church of Nativity twice, passing by the same military setup in Manger Square, running toward the door of Humility. The 1st time we didnt get inside. We were detained and were only able to escape because Ted Koppel happened to be there and tried to interview Huwaida, at which point she said, “run,” and we took off running as Israeli troops screamed at us to stop. We got away.
But, the person who detained me tried to enter into a conversation with me. He asked my name. I cant remember what I said to him. I was concentrating on not saying much and was looking around for the comrades in struggled I was with. He said his name was Yuri and that he was a Russian Jew. He had a heavy Russian accent. He then said, “”I don’t agree with what is happening here but it is my job.”
He seemed sincere. How would I know though. Even if he was, it does not exactly mean nothing and I’m not sure what his feelings meant going forward, but at that moment he was actively participating in the oppression of Palestinians. Sure, his entire existence anyway was based off the occupation and continual oppression of Palestinians, but then he was literally holding the lash. He disagreed, but not enough to not do what he was doing.
Think about that. It is not simply about just a person and their personality, whether they are nice, gentle or whatever. Sure, maybe those qualities will make a difference in how they go about their function, however, it is the function that is the issue.
What is the primary role of the military of an imperialist country? What is the primary role of the police, or any state functionary? And, what kind of society is this and how does it continue to exist? How do we get all the things we use? And, how are the lives of the masses of people on the planet and what is our role in it? So, what does that mean for us? Not on an individual level, because you can’t lifestyle your way out of it–that only serves your individual conscience.
It is important to look at function and develop a systemic analysis and not get bogged down in the personal and individual.
When I say F tha police, I’m not, for the most part, thinking about Officer Joe who hands out lollipops to kids and stops to play basketball. What a nice gesture, but, so what, because Officer Joe serves to stand in between those who would want to change a super exploitative and oppressive system and those who would want to maintain it. It aint hard y’all. They aint there for us. They are there to protect those who make their wealth off the misery of billioms of people on the planet.
When I say F tha police I’m daying F the system and F the apparatus that serves to keep the order as it is.
It wont end itself.
This Slave catchers, the first police who served to protect the property relatioms of slave and slave masters, they had friends and family who loved them too. But, they had a function and it is that which is important to take note of.
So, yeah, Yuri may have been nice. He may not have liked his job but he did it. And, his function was not a gentle one, it was to protect an imperialist outpost that everyday attempts to wipe away the existence of Palestinian people. Yeah, he probably had people who loved him too, but so what. It aint about “him.” It’s about the order he protects.
In that sense he can’t ever be a friend of those opposed to that order. His function makes him the enemy, less he should turn his guns and point them in the other direction, even then you’d have to keep a close eye on him. ###
