Studenten voor Rechtvaardigheid voor Palestina (SRP) and Samidoun Germany are happy to announce the second event of the two-part webinar titled “Resistance through Art – communicating the struggle”.
This second event will be diving deeper into how art shapes the Palestinian identity, its importance in portraying the struggle and reality of Palestinian life, and how it’s used to popularize the cause and allow it to reach an international audience.
The event will be held in Arabic and English with interpretation for both languages available.
About the events:
When the forces of Zionist colonialism seek to erase the Palestinian identity, Palestinian art has proven vital to fighting these failed attempts. Was it through our paintings, novels, Dabka, embroidery, poems, songs, or sculptures, Palestinian art has been essential in shaping and maintaining the Palestinian identity. It has also played a major role in portraying the daily Palestinian struggle, resilience, and resistance. Through powerful symbolism, the depiction of Palestinian heroism and tragedies or the use of unmistakably Palestinian themes, our artists are on the frontlines of the cultural battle for the Palestinian identity.
We will explore the unbreakable link between Palestinian art and the struggle against the occupation. For that, two webinars will be held handling topics like: why is the occupation afraid of artists? How are Palestinian writers articulating our struggle? Why are Palestinian artists often thrown in jails? What is prisons art? How do artists help educate the world about Palestinian experiences and realities? How can art give a voice to the voiceless and portray issues we find hard to put into word? All of that, and more, will be discussed by our amazing speakers.
About the speakers:
In our second webinar, we will feature speakers from Visualizing Palestine and Sada movement. Visualizing Palestine is a non-profit organization that combines data science and technology with design to pass down information about the Palestinian struggle to the public. Their research backed work has been used by international organizations to explain the complex network of repressive systems used by the occupation against Palestinians. Sada Movement, on the other hand, is a youth organization of Palestinian artists based in Jerusalem. Their collection of paintings, sculptures and art installations are exhibited in multiple galleries and shed the light on obscure and hard to explain Palestinian struggles and feelings.
About SRP and Samidoun:
SRP is a student collective with the aim of an academic boycott against Israel. In addition, SRP seeks to educate students and youth about Palestine and build strong ties with other activist movements for the Palestinian cause.
Samidoun Gremany is the newly created chapter of the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network. It works to raise awareness and provide resources about Palestinian political prisoners, their conditions, their demands, and their work to free themselves, their fellow prisoners, and their homeland. Its focus stretches to also include the intersections between the prisoners movement, the feminist movement, and the students’ movement.
We hope to see you there, and join us in a discussion about art and resistance!
Online screening of the new film Kofia: A Revolution Through Music, with director’s introduction and live Palestinian music.
Have you heard “Leve Palestina” and other songs for Palestine in Swedish and wondered about their origins? Delve into the history and present of Palestinian Swedish music making with “Kofia: A Revolution through Music,” at this online screening of the new film.
Join us for a full film screening of the Kofia documentary, for the first time at a North American online screening! The program will include the full film (30 minutes), an introduction from director Dr Louis Brehony and a musical performance from Palestinian oud player and composer Reem Anbar from Gaza.
Any funds raised will support Samidoun’s work organizing Palestinian youth as well as the release of the film in Palestine and internationally. Zoom link will be sent to attendees. Tickets available by donation – pay what you can!
Singer-songwriter George Totari fled Palestine during Israel’s 1967 war and founded the political band Kofia in Sweden. Bringing the sounds and struggles of the Palestinian people to a grassroots music scene, the Kofia story is nothing short of remarkable. Their revolution is unfinished and their songs still reverberate.
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network expresses its strongest rejection of the the recent normalization agreements signed between Israel and Morocco, overseen by the United States. These agreements are part of a coordinated plan to set on paper and ink the full normalization of the Israeli colonial presence in the region, as the de-escalation of hostilities and resumption of full diplomatic agreements accelerates.
One after another, US-aligned states and clients like the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and now Morocco have signed agreements with Israel, leading to normal relations between them and illustrating the dominance of imperialism at the expense of the Palestinian people and the Arab people more broadly – not to mention, the people of the world.
It is clear that these agreements represent the acquiescence of the elites in furtherance of their own interests, at the expense of the people; indeed, the Arab masses have made it clear that despite all of the devastation, poverty, war and colonial subjugation that has been inflicted on the region at the hands of imperialism, they continue to reject the imperialist and Zionist forces embraced by reactionary regimes.
The international elements of the deal are clear. In the words of historic anti-Zionist militant Sion Assidon, there is a “novelty in the geostrategic order: the regional construction of a military axis,” bringing together the Gulf petro-states, and Egypt under Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, and furthermore indirectly or directly aligning them with Israel. This is a rupture with business as usual, even beyond Morocco’s intervention in the “war of aggression” against Yemen, especially given ever-mounting aggression against Iran.
Furthermore, the participation in forging an axis of war comes amidst rising bilateral military cooperation with the United States. On 2 October 2020, Morocco and the US signed military agreements. Those allowed for Morocco to obtain armaments from the US, but furthermore provided for the US to assist Morocco in the development of a local weapons industry. The US carried out the same procedure in Israel in the 1970s, and was a major spur to the creation of a local defense-industrial base. Furthermore, the US will shift one of its bases from Germany to Morocco.
This, too, is a vast departure from Morocco’s traditional stance of non-alignment, in which the last US military base there was officially closed in 1963, amidst the ambient atmospheric pressure from world-wide popular-nationalist and anti-colonial movements.
In “exchange” for the normalization deals, the US gave its blessing to the Moroccan “annexation” of the occupied Western Sahara, another centerpiece of the aggression of the Moroccan regime. Morocco continues continues to detain at least 23 Sahrawi strugglers in its attempt to quell their liberation struggle.
Such shifts are of a piece with the ugly face Morocco shows internally. Since 2011, the accusation, “attacking the security of the state” has become ever-more-common. Over the past years, amidst a massive social movement called the Hirak du Rif, the Moroccan state has detained journalists Omar Radi and Soulaimane Raissouni, and the university professor Maati Monjib, who recently entered in a hunger strike. The 23 detainees of the Rif movement are joined by those from Beni Tajit and the Jerrada miners’ struggle. In the words of Monjib, a distinguished historian and one of the most outspoken opponents of the Moroccan regime and defender of human rights, “it is the political police who rule Morocco.” His detention comes amidst politically-impelled accusations of money laundering.
Before Monjib’s arrest, he gave an interview to L’Humanite and Mediapart about the political repression targeting his work to form an association of investigative journalists. He highlighted the role of defamation and slander for an assortment of bogus criminal allegations – alongside political imprisonment – in an attempt to suppress popular movements as well as the corruption that benefits those willing to side unreservedly with the monarchy and its alliance with imperialism. “Those who constitute this regime use their political power to enrich themselves in a reckless way. In Morocco, great fortunes are increasing visibly. There is also this very sophisticated way of digesting the elite, the political parties, their apparatuses, their personnel. The intelligence services have files on all public figures. The slightest dissension exposes you, on the spot, to defamation. Even pro-regime ministers at the highest level are sometimes vilified. Anyone who steps aside is exposed to the wrath of the Palace and denigration of the libel media. It is a regime based on political cynicism and calumny.”
The Moroccan client state is as keen to maintain ironclad monarchical-capitalist control internally as it is to support the reactionary-capitalist-colonial international order. Escalating internal and external repression show as clear as day that the reactionary capitalist monarchies in the region are the enemy of Palestinians and the Arab peoples more broadly, and making it imperative to support struggles against their international repression as part of the broader project of uprooting imperialism and Arab reaction from the region.
**
The “normalization” project being promoted by the United States and its partners, particularly reactionary Arab regimes, is an attempt to legitimize the illegitimate: the theft of Palestinian land and the expulsion of the Palestinian people at the hands of reactionary regimes in league with imperialism. Standing with the Palestinian prisoners is part and parcel of confronting normalization, and Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network is part of the Global Campaign to Return to Palestine’s call to action against normalization for 2021. We invite all supporters of Palestinian liberation to join us in the campaign against normalization – and for liberation from Zionism, imperialism and reactionary regimes!
Please join us for an online webinar with Dr. Nahla Abdo, “A Palestinian Feminist Vision: Toward an Alternative Cultural Discourse”
This event aims to discuss Palestinian society and culture, with a focus on gender relations. As a people with a highly developed historical culture of resistance, we reject that social and gender relations are outside the political realm. Let us ask questions together: How do we evaluate the contributions of Palestinian women to building their history and society? How do we restore women’s rightful place in recognizing their long history of struggle? How was Palestinian patriarchy formed, especially under settler colonialism, and what is the impact on women?
Event in Arabic, live translation via Zoom in Spanish, English and French
الصديقات والأصدقاء شاركونا في حضور ندوة بعنوان ” رؤية فلسطينية نسوية: نحو خطاب ثقافي بديل”
حيث تهدف هذه الندوة إلى مناقشة الثقافة الاجتماعية الفلسطينية، مع التركيز على العلاقات بين الجنسين. بالنسبة لشعب يتمتع بثقافة مقاومة تاريخية شديدة التطور، نرفض أن تكون علاقاتنا الاجتماعية والجندرية بهذا الشكل القائم. لنطرح معا أسئلة أهمها: كيف نقيم مساهمة المرأة الفلسطينية في بناء تاريخها ومجتمعها؟ كيف نعيد للمرأة مكانتها الصحيحة تقديرا لتاريخها النضالي الطويل؟ كيف تشكلت السلطة الأبوية الفلسطينية وبالذات في ظل الاستعمار الاستيطاني وما تأثير النظام الذكوري على المرأة؟
وذلك عبر الرابط الآتي: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83536657726
Esta charla tiene como objetivo discutir la cultura social palestina, con un enfoque en las relaciones de género. Para un pueblo con una cultura de resistencia altamente desarrollada, rechazamos que , las relaciones sociales y de género estén muy por detrás del ámbito político. Algunas de las preguntas que planteamos: ¿cómo evaluamos las contribuciones de las mujeres palestinas a su historia y sociedad? ¿Cómo restauramos a las mujeres a su lugar apropiado dentro de su larga historia de lucha? ¿Cómo se ha formado el patriarcado palestino, especialmente bajo el colonialismo de asentamientos y con qué impacto en las mujeres?
Via: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83536657726
Rejoignez nous pour un webinaire avec Dr Nahla Abdo, “Une vision féministe palestinienne : vers un discours culturel alternatif”
Cet événement vise à discuter de la société et de la culture palestiniennes, avec une focus sur les relations de genre. En tant que peuple ayant une culture historique de résistance très développée, nous rejetons le fait que les relations sociales et de genre soient en dehors du domaine politique. Posons-nous ensemble des questions : comment évaluons-nous les contributions des femmes palestiniennes à la construction de leur histoire et de leur société ? Comment restaurer la place qui revient aux femmes dans la reconnaissance de leur longue histoire de lutte ? Comment le patriarcat palestinien s’est-il formé, en particulier sous la colonisation de peuplement, et quel est son impact sur les femmes ?
Studenten voor Rechtvaardigheid voor Palestina (SRP) is happy to announce its first event of 2021 in cooperation with Samidoun Germany. We will be speaking with Palestinian writers and artists about the role of art and literature in the struggle against colonialism and Zionism, and for the liberation of Palestine from the river to the sea. The events will take place on 08.02.2021 and 15.02.2020 respectively, both at 7pm Palestine time/6pm Berlin time.
Resistance through Art
Studenten voor Rechtvaardigheid voor Palestina (SRP) is happy to announce its first event of 2021 in cooperation with Samidoun Germany. We will be speaking with Palestinian writers and artists about the role of art and literature in the struggle against colonialism and Zionism, and for the liberation of Palestine from the river to the sea. The events will take place on 08.02.2021 and 15.02.2020 respectively, both at 7pm Palestine time/6pm Berlin time.
The link for the second webinar will come out in the next couple of days.
About the events
When the forces of Zionist colonialism seek to erase the Palestinian identity, Palestinian art has proven vital to fighting these failed attempts. Was it through our paintings, novels, Dabka, embroidery, poems, songs, or sculptures, Palestinian art has been essential in shaping and maintaining the Palestinian identity. It has also played a major role in portraying the daily Palestinian struggle, resilience, and resistance. Through powerful symbolism, the depiction of Palestinian heroism and tragedies or the use of unmistakably Palestinian themes, our artists are on the frontlines of the cultural battle for the Palestinian identity.
We will explore the unbreakable link between Palestinian art and the struggle against the occupation. For that, two webinars will be held handling topics like: why is the occupation afraid of artists? How are Palestinian writers articulating our struggle? Why are Palestinian artists often thrown in jails? What is prisons art? How do artists help educate the world about Palestinian experiences and realities? How can art give a voice to the voiceless and portray issues we find hard to put into word? All of that, and more, will be discussed by our amazing speakers.
About the speakers
In the first webinar, Wisam Rafeedi and Hafez Omar will join us to discuss their works and experiences.
Prof. Wisam Rafeedi is a Palestinian writer, researcher, and professor of sociology in Bethlehem university. While in prison, he began writing his bestselling novel “the three hypostases” and through 54 “capsules”, he was able to sneak it out of prison right under the occupation’s nose.
Hafez Omar is a Palestinian graphic designer, visual artist and painter from A’nabta, Palestine. His work has been used in campaigns defending the rights of Palestinian prisoners and by the BDS movement with some of his famous posters, like the “unknown prisoner”, finding their way into the mainstream. As a freed prisoner, Hafez revitalized the use of this art-form as a means to expose and resist the occupation and bring forward Palestinian issues to the international stage
SRP is a student collective with the aim of an academic boycott against Israel. In addition, SRP seeks to educate students and youth about Palestine and build strong ties with other activist movements for the Palestinian cause.
On Monday February 1, activists from Palestine Action and Extinction Rebellion blocked the entrance to an Elbit Ferranti arms factory in Oldham, Greater Manchester, UK. The various activists covered the building with red paint, smashed several windows and chained themselves to the gates using chains and padlocks. In addition, they deployed numerous #ShutElbitDown banners demanding the closure of 10 sites, including four arms factories, in Great Britain.
For several months, they have been mobilizing against Elbit Systems, an Israeli arms company which markets its weapons after having tested them on Palestinian civilians. The move comes weeks after the British government announced a new £ 100million contract with the Israeli company to supply cutting-edge technology to the military. In a statement , Palestine Action said: “Evidence of Israel’s war crimes, aided by Elbit’s deadly weaponry, has done nothing to stop the British Government from prioritising profits over people and the planet. The change must come from the people, to uphold human rights where our ‘leaders’ refuse to do so.”
As a result of this important action, at least 6 people were arrested by the British police who are deploying a significant repressive arsenal to try to silence this important campaign of direct action and civil disobedience against Israeli criminals and their British allies. . But the activists are determined to continue their mobilization and they are assured of all our solidarity: #ShutElbitDown!
Hear from our speakers on the struggles and efforts for the liberation of Palestine.
1. Charlotte Kates is the international coordinator of Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network and has organized delegations, actions, reports and articles that highlight the struggle for the liberation of Palestine and the Palestinian prisoners. She is also the coordinator of the International Committee of the U.S. National Lawyers Guild and a member of Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition and the Organizing Collective of the US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel.
2. Khaled Barakat is a Palestinian leftist writer and activist whose work has been widely published in Arabic and English. In 2019, he was expelled from Germany on the basis of his advocacy for Palestinian liberation and Palestinian rights.
3. Hassan Husseini is a long-time labour and international solidarity activist, currently an organizer with Labour for Palestine-Canada.
Samidoun Deutschland invites all to participate in an event to discuss the revolutionary path of struggle represented by the imprisoned Palestinian leader Ahmad Sa’adat, as part of the international week of solidarity to free Ahmad Sa’adat. We also plan to discuss the attacks against this revolutionary path organized by the forces of surrender and collaboration since the beginning of the Madrid-Oslo path three decades ago. Because the case of Ahmad Sa’adat does not only implicate Zionist colonialism, but also on the cooperation of the Palestinian Authority with the enemy and its submission to the imperialist powers in the world. In the event we will also address the different facets of the struggle of the Palestinian prisoners in the Zionist prisons, in particular their steadfastness in confrontation and their leadership role in the struggle of the entire Palestinian liberation movement.
Comrade Mohammed Khatib, the coordinator of the Samidoun network in Europe, is attending our meeting. Be there on Friday, January 29th, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. GMT + 1 (Berlin) / (8:00 p.m. in occupied Palestine), under the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84144414442
This event will take place in Arabic, English translation is available.
الصديقات والأصدقاء الأعزاء، ندعوكم في شبكة صامدون للدفاع عن الأسرى الفلسطينيين- ألمانيا إلى المشاركة في ندوة نستعرض فيها النهج النضالي الذي يمثله الأسير البطل أحمد سعدات وذلك ضمن فعاليات “أسبوع التضامن الدولي مع القائد أحمد سعدات”، لنتطرق فيها إلى ضرب النهج النضالي من قبل النهج السلمي والتنسيق الأمني الذي جلبه مسار مدريد-أوسلو والمستمر منذ ثلاث عقود، حيث لا تمثل قضية الأسير القائد أحمد سعدات قضية استعمار صهيوني فقط بل تواطئ أجهزة السلطة وخضوعها لقوى الإمبريالية العالمية. ونتحدث فيها عن نضال الأسرى الفلسطينيين في السجون الصهيونية وسطور صمودهم في وجه السّجان، ودورهم القيادي في النضال والتحرر.
يشاركنا هذه الندوة، محمد الخطيب، منسق شبكة صامدون في أوروبا، وذلك يوم الجمعة الموافق29/1/2021، في تمام الساعة 7:00 مساءً بتوقيت برلين وفي الساعة 8:00 مساءً بتوقيت فلسطين المحتلة، وذلك عبر الرابط: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84144414442
PS: English translation is available.
Liebe Freundinnen und Freunde, wir in Samidoun Deutschland – das Netzwerk für die Befreiung der Palästinensischen Gefangenen, laden euch zur Teilnahme an einem Meeting ein, in welchem wir über den revolutionären Weg des Gefangenen und Helden Ahmad Sa’adat diskutieren wollen, und zwar im Hinblick auf “die internationale Woche zur Solidarität mit dem Anführer Ahmad Sa’adat”. Wir wollen auch die Angriffe gegen diesen revolutionären Weg besprechen, die von den Kräften der Kapitulation und Kollaboration seit dem Beginn des Madrid-Oslo-Pfads vor drei Jahrzehnten organisiert werden.
Denn die Frage des gefangenen Anführers Ahmad Sa’adat bezieht sich nicht nur auf den zionistischen Kolonialismus, sondern auch auf die Kooperation der Palästinensischen Autonomiebehörde mit dem Feind und ihre Unterwerfung gegenüber den imperialistischen Mächten in der Welt. Wir werden in der Veranstaltung auch die unterschiedlichen Facetten des Kampfes der Palästinensischen Gefangenen in den zionistischen Gefängnissen thematisieren, insbesondere ihre Standhaftigkeit in der Konfrontation mit dem Feind und ihre Führungsrolle in Kampf der gesamten Palästinensischen Befreiungsbewegung.
An unserem Meeting nimmt Genosse Mohammed Khatib, der Koordinator vom Netzwerk Samidoun in Europa teil. Seid dabei am Freitag,29.01.2021, um 19:00 Uhr GMT+1 (Berlin) / (20:00 Uhr im besetzten Palästina), unter dem folgenden Link : https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84144414442
PS: English translation is available.
From 15 to 23 January 2021, activists and organizations around the world joined Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network in the Week of Action to free Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners. The week of online events, media actions, demonstrations and street stands highlighted the case of Sa’adat, the imprisoned General Secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation, and the 4,500 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails. The week also highlighted the complicity of the Palestinian Authority with the imprisonment of Sa’adat, part of the Oslo project and its “security coordination” with Israel, as well as the direct responsibility of the United States, UK, Canada and other imperialist powers for Sa’adat’s imprisonment and the ongoing dispossession and colonization of the land and people of Palestine.
People around the world joined in an array of diverse actions and initiatives to demand liberation for Sa’adat and his fellow Palestinian prisoners – and for Palestine, from the river to the sea. Despite the COVID pandemic and attendant health restrictions, activists and organizations devised creative mechanisms to raise the profile and highlight the struggle of Palestinian political prisoners as well as their leadership in the liberation movement.
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network thanks and salutes all of the organizations and activists around the world who joined in the week of action. We invite you to continue to build and organize together for the liberation of Palestinian prisoners and of the land and people of Palestine. If you would like to get involved with Samidoun, launch a chapter in your area, affiliate to the Samidoun Network or plan a joint activity or action — or if your event is not included below — please email us at samidoun@samidoun.net. Onward — towards victory for Palestine!
Online Launch Event
The week of action was anchored by a webinar on Saturday, 16 January, featuring speakers Lena Meari, professor at Bir Zeit University and the author of “Sumud: A Palestinian Philosophy of Confrontation in Colonial Prisons;” Hadeel Shatara, coordinator of the Samidoun Network in Occupied Palestine; and Mohammed Khatib, coordinator of the Samidoun Network in Europe.
Also on Saturday, 16 January, Collectif Palestine Vaincra in Toulouse, France, a member of the Samidoun Network, organized a Palestine Stand in central Toulouse at metro Capitole, where they distributed large numbers of flyers and gathered solidarity photos with Sa’adat and his fellow Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
The Collectif Palestine Vaincra had launched the week of action one day earlier, on 15 January, with media actions and postering throughout Toulouse, including a massive call for “Freedom for Ahmad Sa’adat!”
On Sunday, 24 January, a delegation from theCollectif Palestine Vaincra traveled to Lannemezan Prison to visit Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, the Lebanese Arab struggler for Palestine imprisoned in French jails for over 36 years. During the meeting, he expressed his support and encouragement for the week of action to free Ahmad Sa’adat and the growth of the work of Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network.
Earlier, on Saturday, 23 January, activists from the Collectif in Toulouse distributed hundreds of small flyers highlighting the case of Sa’adat in the Bagatelle neighbourhood, building on efforts earlier in the week to post stickers and posters throughout downtown Toulouse and the Minimes district.
Activists in Marseille, France, also posted solidarity photos highlighting their support of the campaign to free Ahmad Sa’adat and Georges Abdallah as part of the week of action.
In addition, Jeunes Revolutionnaires in Lyon and Saint-Etienne organized banner drops and solidarity photos calling for the liberation of Ahmad Sa’adat, Georges Abdallah and all of Palestine:
Révolutionnaires palestiniens, Ahmad Sa'adat et Georges Abdallah sont tous les deux emprisonnés depuis de nombreuses années, en Palestine et en France, sous pression des forces impérialistes.
The Week of Action to Free Ahmad Sa’adat came to a close on Sunday, 24 January as the Unified Campaign to Free Georges Abdallah rallied in Paris, France to free Sa’adat, Georges Abdallah, and all Palestinian prisoners; the rally also highlighted the cases of Walid Daqqa and Kamil Abu Hanish. Over 60 protesters gathered at Menilmontant to express full solidarity with the Palestinian liberation struggle and all Palestinian prisoners in imperialist and Zionist jails. A number of organizations joined the Campaign at the protest, including the ANC de France, ACTA and the Rete dei Comunisti.
Palestine
Hundreds of Palestinians in Gazarallied in Gaza City outside the International Committee of the Red Cross on Sunday, 17 January. The protest, organized by the PFLP, marked the 19th anniversary of the Palestinian Authority security services’ abduction of Ahmad Sa’adat, the under the Oslo accords’ PA “security coordination” with Israel.
Germany
After joining the Liebknecht-Luxemburg-Demo in Berlin, Germany, on 10 January, joining with thousands of revolutionary leftists with Palestinian flags, signs and banners highlighting the cases of Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners, Samidoun Deutschlandlaunched a day of media actions in Berlin with posters, stickers and graphics throughout the city on Sunday, 17 January.
TheVolksrat der Suryoye in Europe issued a call to action and a solidarity message with political prisoners for the week of action, highlighting Ahmad Sa’adat, Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, Mehmet Ozdemir, Ali Osman Kose and Musa Asoglu, himself imprisoned for 4 years as a political prisoner in Germany:
Next, on January 20, Samidoun Deutschland and Free Palestine FFMtook to the streets in Frankfurt, Germany with posters, stickers and information materials to draw attention to the imprisonment of Ahmad Sa’adat, Georges Abdallah, Mumia Abu-Jamal, Khalida Jarrar and all political prisoners.
On January 23, in Dusseldorf and Bremen, activists posted signs, graffiti and images highlighting the demand to free Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners.
On Saturday, 23 January, No Pasaran Hamburg issued a statement and participated in a demonstration for the freedom of all political prisoners. In their statement for the demonstration, No Pasaran Hamburg highlighted the continuing threat of US imperialism for Palestine: “A series of oppression, exploitation, and genocide – these are the results of the USAmerican settler politics; these are the goals and practice of the Israeli government. Just like the headquarters for global democracy in Washington exterminated 95% of the North American indigenous peoples, the so-called “only democracy in the Middle East” wants to carry out their policies against the Palestinians.”
Meanwhile, in Offenbach,activists posted signs and graphics around the city on 23 January calling for freedom for Sa’adat and his fellow imprisoned freedom fighters.
Samidoun Deutschland is continuing its activities for the liberation of Ahmad Sa’adat with anonline event on Friday, 29 January, taking place in Arabic with English translation. Mohammed Khatib, the coordinator of Samidoun in Europe will speak about the Palestinian prisoners and the liberation struggle. The event will take place at 7 pm Berlin time (8 pm Palestine, 10 am Pacific, 1 pm Eastern) on Zoom.
Sweden
Samidoun Sweden in Stockholm and Gothenburgorganized a photo campaign to collect solidarity images highlighting support for Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners. They gathered selfies, online meeting photos and more, with signs calling for the liberation of Sa’adat and of the Palestinian people.
On 21 January, activists in Stockholm displayed two banners on large roads, denouncing imperialism and calling for freedom for Ahmad Sa’adat.
In Gothenburg, the local section of the Left Party highlighted the week of action for Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners in its Instagram stories, tagging Samidoun Gothenburg:
A Swedish leftist podcast, Eld & Rörelse, with a focus on military history and related subjects highlighted Sa’adat and the week of action on their Instagram page:
In Denmark, activists of the Internationalt Forum published a series of articles for the Week of Action highlighting the case of Ahmad Sa’adat. The Internationalt Forum – Middle East Group published a report in Danish in Arbejderen, the newspaper of the Communist Party.
In Belgium, thePlate-Forme Charleroi-Palestine highlighted the Week of Action to free Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners with a series of actions and photo campaigns. At the 401st rally in front of the Israeli embassy in Brussels, organized by the Association Belgo-Palestinenne, Plate-forme Charleroi-Palestine raised posters for the campaign and the week of action, demanding freedom for Sa’adat and fellow imprisoned Palestinians.
The Plate-forme continued the campaign of photo solidarity, gathering many photos in Charleroi of supporters of the Palestinian prisoners.
On Saturday, 23 January, Samidoun Nederland joined withRevolutionaire Eenheid, Partizan, Migrante (Philippines) and ILPS to hold a demonstration on Museumplein in Amsterdam, the Netherlands highlighting and denouncing continuing US imperialism.
The demonstrators noted that the inauguration of Biden will not bring any fundamental change to the United States, which remains the greatest enemy of working people around the world. Samidoun activists carried Palestinian flags and posters calling for freedom for Ahmad Sa’adat, highlighting the role of the U.S. in the ongoing colonization and occupation of Palestine.
Italy
In Italy, the Colletivo Contro la Repressione per un Soccorso Rosso Internazionale participated in Milan on 11 January 2021 in a protest outside the court where anti-Zionist activists for Palestine are being placed on trial for challenging Zionists at an anti-fascist protest in Italy, commemorating liberation from fascism, on 25 April 2018. There, they announced the week of action at the protest and declared their support for the campaign to free all Palestinian prisoners as well as fighting repression in Italy.
Comrades in solidarity with Palestine in Milan also joined in the protest outside S. Vittore jail in Milan on 18 January 2021, in support of 22 prisoners being subjected to trial for alleged riots in March 2020, in protest of the failure to protect prisoners from COVID-19. 14 prisoners were killed in the suppression of this uprising. They noted their solidarity with resistance to state repression in Italy as well as their solidarity with Ahmad Sa’adat, Georges Abdallah and all Palestinian prisoners.
Activists hung banners in Milan, created a graffiti mural in Rome and posted signs and banners in Val Susa, noting that the Sa’adat case highlights the struggle against occupation as well as that against imperialism and security coordination and affirming Palestinians’ right to resist.
In Switzerland,Secours Rouge Geneve organized a photo solidarity campaign with Palestinian prisoners and Ahmad Sa’adat, posting a series of photos in support of the Palestinian liberation struggle.
Turkey
The Friends of Palestine Against Imperialism and Zionismissued a solidarity statement in support of the week of action, emphasizing the call for the boycott of Israeli occupation: “Today, we join the call of Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network and once again call for Sa’adat’s immediate release from the Zionist prisons, as did we many times before. We also do stress a sine qua non of a real friendship with the Palestinian people and a real support to the Palestinian captives: An effective boycott of the Zionist entity, including a full ban on trade with Israel and an immediate end to all military & intelligence relations with it. A sine qua non that Turkish governments never fulfil!”
Palestinian and Tunisian activists and artists in Tunistook solidarity photos highlighting their support for the week of action and the demand to free Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners.
Ireland
On 15 January, Anti-Imperialist Action Ireland announced that members of Macradh-ISR Youth’s Slua Áth Cliath were launching in a seven day solidarity fast, with a different comrade taking part each day, to demand freedom for Sa’adat and his fellow political prisoners. Declaring, “From Ireland to Palestine- One Struggle Against Imperialism!” AIA also posted solidarity posters around Dublin, Ireland.
On 21 January, Eirigi activists in South Dublin joined the international week of action with solidarity photos and posters highlighting the case of Ahmad Sa’adat and his defiant speech before the Israeli military court that sentenced him to 30 years in prison.
Ahmad Sa'adat, the General of the Secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, is serving a 30 year sentence because he dared to take a stand against the violence of the Israeli apartheid state. #FreeAhmadSaadatpic.twitter.com/l9b7M6W9mi
As part of the international week of action for the imprisoned General Secretary of the PFLP Ahmed Sa’adat, and all Palestinian prisoners, Saoradh party activists and Éistigí members based at Saoradh’s Newry office showed solidarity and support at the Palestinian murals in Newry on Saturday, 23 January. Activists held flags, posters and banners in the short demonstration in Catherine Street. Saoradh affirmed, “Ireland and Palestine have an unbreakable bond which today is as strong as ever as together we struggle against colonial and imperialist aggression.”
Saoradh also issued a statement for the week of action, affirming: “Saoradh recognise the plight of the Palestinian struggle and on this occasion we respond to the call for international support and express our movement’s solidarity to Ahmed Sa’adat and the oppressed Palestinian people. Our chains will be broken before we are.”
Britain
In Nottingham, supporters of the Revolutionary Communist Group took part in the week of action, highlighting the cases of Georges Abdallah, Ahmad Sa’adat and Issam Hijjawi Bassalat and the Saoradh 9 with photos and solidarity images. “The RCG stands for the release of all political prisoners of imperialism, from Ahmad Sa’adat to Mumia Abu-Jamal, and will continue to take the streets, inspired by their resistance,” they affirmed.
Earlier, on 17 January, activists with Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism!gathered in Manchester as part of the week of action, highlighting the case of imprisoned Palestinian doctor Issam Hijjawi Bassalat in British jais.
Canada
Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights at Queen’s University (SPHR Queen’s) launched a sticker sale in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners as part of the Week of Actions. Protests from the sale of stickers will be donated to support Palestinian prisoners’ families.
Canada Palestine Association and BDS Vancouver-Coast Salish Territories posted solidarity photos calling for liberation for Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners.
United States
Within Our Lifetime – United for Palestinejoined the week of action with graphics and social media posts, highlighting Ahmad Sa’adat’s ongoing political leadership and struggle: “Throughout his time in prison, he has carried on in the legacy of so many before him, putting pen to paper to amplify the cause of resistance and revolution and internationalize the struggle of those locked inside the prison walls. Freedom for Ahmad Sa’adat and ALL Palestinian prisoners!”
The Freedom Socialist Party in the Bay Areajoined the campaign for the Week of Action to free Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners with solidarity photos, sharing the call for actions and social media campaigns.
Greece
In Greece, the Anti-Imperialist Front joined the week of action, posting banners in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle and demanding freedom for Sa’adat and his fellow Palestinian prisoners along the road leading to the Israeli embassy in Athens.
The International League of Peoples’ Struggle (of which the Samidoun Network is a member) Commission 10, posted a solidarity statement and a series of photos highlighting solidarity with Sa’adat and the campaign to free him and all Palestinian prisoners. As the commission affirmed, “We join the struggle for Palestinian self-determination and liberation against the imperialist powers and Zionist-Israel occupation!”
We join the struggle for Palestinian self-determination and liberation against the imperialist powers and Zionist-Israel occupation!
The Anti-Imperialist Front created a poster and video for the Week of Action, affirming their ongoing support for Palestine and the Palestinian resistance.
Finally, on 18 January, the Global Campaign to Return to Palestine — of which Samidoun is a part — launched its campaign for 2021 as a year of action against normalization with a live broadcast from Gaza.
The “normalization” project being promoted by the United States and its partners, particularly reactionary Arab regimes, is an attempt to legitimize the illegitimate: the theft of Palestinian land and the expulsion of the Palestinian people at the hands of reactionary regimes in league with imperialism. Standing with the Palestinian prisoners is part and parcel of confronting normalization. During this week of action, we will join with the Global Campaign to Return to Palestine’s call to action against normalization for 2021.
As the week of action concludes, we urge all to continue to join Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network in a collective call for the freedom of Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners, with action and global solidarity to escalate the boycott of Israel, end aid and support to Israel, organize for justice in Palestine and resist imperialism and colonialism with ongoing actions and mobilization. We encourage organizers to continue to make use of these resources in organizing:
Unfortunately, due to the circumstances in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic many of the planned physical protests have had to be postponed but our global movement will not be silenced. For the World Says No to War on Yemen Global Online Rally we have brought together a group of prominent voices from across the world to speak out against this utterly brutal war and call for its immediate end.
Amongst those joining us at 7pm GMT on Mon 25th January will be…
Ahmed Al-Babati (British-Yemeni Soldier) Dr. Shireen Aladeimi
Apsana Begum MP Jeremy Corbyn MP
John Finucane MP (Sinn Féin) Danny Glover (Actor) Kate Hudson (CND) Daniele Obono (French National Assembly Member) Yanis Varoufakis (MeRA25 Secretary-General) Dr. Cornel West
Find your nearest protest below 👇👇 – Please ensure all physical protests are COVID safe and follow all necessary precautions.
US:
Bellingham Women Fasting for the Children of Yemen
Mon 25 Jan 7:00 AM-7:00 PM
In your own home
Contact: marymele@gmail.com
Boston
Boston Says No to War on Yemen
Massachusetts State House, 24 Beacon St, Boston MA, 2133
01/25/2021 – 12:00 PM
Contact: info@masspeaceaction.org
Chicago
World Says No to War on Yemen
Federal Plaza, 230 S. Dearborn, Chicago IL, 60604
01/25/2021 – 5:00 PM
Iowa City
No to War on Yemen Caravan
Mercer Park, 2701 Bradford Dr, Iowa City, IA 52245
01/25/2021 – 11:45 PM Click Here for More Info
Milwaukee World Says No to War on Yemen – “Hunger Ward” Movie & Discussion
Online
01/25/2021 – 7:00 PM
Contact: info@peaceactionwi.org
Minnesota
Yemen Online Day of Action & Chapter Meetup hosted by WBW Upper Midwest Chapter
Online Zoom
01/25/2021 – 7:00 PM-8:30 PM
Contact: greta@worldbeyondwar.org
New Jersey
Rallying against the War on Yemen
One Gateway Center, 1 Gateway Center, Newark, NJ 07102
Contact: ourrevolutionmiddlesexnj@gmail.com
New Orleans The World Says No to War on Yemen Day of Action
Jackson Square, 700 Decatur St., New Orleans, LA, 70116
01/25/2021 – 2:00 PM-6:00 PM
Contact: Joycestevens2000@yahoo.com
New York
Protest and March against War Profiteers Preying on Yemen
Union Square, NYC, NY 10003
01/25/2021 – 1:30 PM
Encourage Rep. Greg Meeks to Stand Up for Yemen
Rep. Meeks’ Office, 153-01 Jamaica Ave # 204, Queens, NY, 11432
01/25/2021 – 11:00 AM
Contact: Yemenialliancecommittteeny@gmail.com
North Carolina
No to War in Yemen
Bent Creek River Park, 1610 Brevard Road, Asheville, NC, 28806
01/25/2021 – 4:30 PM-5:30 PM
Contact: kwjj1949@gmail.com
Portland
Mainers say No To War On Yemen
Monday 25 Jan – 12:00 PM
Congress Square Park, Corner of Congress and High Street, Portland, ME, 04104
San Francisco CAR CARAVAN: DAY OF ACTION FOR YEMEN (BAY AREA) MEETING POINT
444 Spear St, San Francisco, CA, 94111
01/25/2021 – 12:00 PM
Contact: YEMENIALLIANCECOMMITTEE@GMAIL.COM
Seattle Adam Smith: No More Excuses! End the war in Yemen!
Online letter writing to Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services chairman, Monday 25th 2020 at 12pm: https://seattledsa.org/event/adam-smith-no-more-excuses-end-the-war-in-yemen/
Organized by Seattle Democratic Socialists of America
Setauket
No More War in Yemen Action
Monday, January 25, 2021 – 12:00-1:30PM
25A and Bennetts Road, Setauket, NY 11733
Contact: ncpeaceg@gmail.com
Texas
Tell Lockheed To Stop Sending Bombs to Yemen
01/25/2021 • 2:30-4PM
Lockheed Martin, 1902 W Freeway St, Grand Prairie, TX 75051
Vermont
VT Says NO TO WAR ON YEMEN Caravan
Meet by 1st Congregational Church in W. Bratt., 880 VT-9, Brattleboro, VT, 5301
01/25/2021 – 12:00 PM-1:00 PM
Contact: Isaac – national@actioncorps.org
Washington DC World Says No to War on Yemen – DC Car Caravan
Embassy of Saudi Arabia, 601 New Hampshire Ave NW, Washington DC, 20037
01/25/2021 – 11:00 AM
Contact: leonardo@codepink.org
Canada:
Montreal
Webinaire contre la guerre au Yémen et la complicité du Canada dans cette guerre – Collectif Échec à la guerre
765 rue Beaubien Est, Montreal, H2S 1S8, Canada
01/25/2021 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Contact: info@echecalaguerre.org
Vancouver
Car Caravan – Day of Action for Yemen!
01/23/2021
Italy:
Genoa Eesidio anche a Genova lunedì 25 gennaio in occasione della giornata internazionale contro la guerra in Yemen.
25/01/20 – 4:30PM
Ponte Etiopia Click Here for Full Info
Rome
Giornata mondiale di azione per la pace in Yemen
01/25/21 – 3:00 PM
Davanti a Montecitorio, Piazza di Monte Citorio, Rome, Italy 00186
Contact Info: http://www.sibialiria.org/wordpress/?p=3765
Cagliari, Sardinia Sit in – In front of the Regional Government, viale Trento
Germany
Welt sagt Nein zum Krieg gegen den Jemen – Hamburg
Nahe US Generalkonsulat
Alsterufer 33-35, Hamburg, 20354, DE
01/25/2021 – 2:00 PM Click Here for More Info
Webseminar zur Rolle der Zivilgesellschaft im Friedensprozess
Online
01/25/2021 – 7:30 PM-8:30 PM Click Here for More Info
Stoppt den Krieg in Jemen
01/25/2021 – 6:00 PM
Zinserdreieck, Tübingen, Germany 72070 Click Here for More Info
Spain:
Burgos
CADENA HUMANA : “NO A LA GUERRA DEL YEMEN”
SUBDELEGACIÓN DE GOBIERNO, C/ VITORIA 34, BURGOS, 9004, Espana
01/25/2021 – 6:30 PM
Contact: tabuque4@gmail.com
Guernica
POLITICAL AND POETICAL ACTION AGAINST THE WAR IN YEMEN AND THE ARMS EXPORT
Old Astra Arms Factory
Goiko Ibarra 1, Gernika-Lumo, 48300, ES
01/24/2021 – 11:30 AM
Contact: gernikatikmundura@gernikatikmundura.org
Santander
Concentracion
Sun 24 Jan 2021 – 12:00 PM
Plaza Porticada, Pasaje Seguro Cantabria, Santander, Spain 39001
Contact Info: pasajesegurosantander@gmail.com
Sweden:
Malmö
Världen säger nej till krig mot Jemen
Online
01/25/2021 – 7:00 PM-8:30 PM
Contact: vansterstudentermalmo@gmail.com
UK:
Birmingham NEU – Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen
Online
21/01/2021 – 5.30 PM Zoom Link
London
Global Day of Action: Students Say No to War on Yemen
Online
25/01/2021 – 5:00 PM Click Here for More Info
Manchester
No to War on Yemen! – Manchester & Cheshire StWC Joint Meeting Meeting
Online
24/01/2021 – 1:00 PM Click Here for More Info
Saturday, 13 February
