On Tuesday, 26 September, Samidoun Netherlands joined Palestijnse Gemeenschap NL for a solidarity demonstration outside the Rotterdam court building, on the occasion of Amin Abu Rashed‘s first formal hearing before the court; he has been jailed as a Palestinian politiclal prisoner in the Netherlands since June of this year.
Despite his deteriorating health and with no evidence presented against him, the judge still returned Amin to pre-trial detention before his next hearing on 7 December, labeling him a “flight risk” even though he is a Dutch citizen with a family, businesses and organizations in the Netherlands who has lived there for decades.
During the demonstration, members of Samidoun NL spoke about Amin’s life, his experience with Zionist repression, and his work to provide thousands of Palestinian refugees, especially in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, with basic needs and a dignified life.
For decades, Amin Abu Rashed has been one of the most prominent leaders of the Palestinian community in the Netherlands, founding and participating in many community organizations as well as solidarity initiatives, such as the Freedom Flotilla and the European Campaign to Break the Siege on Gaza. Most recently, he is the president of the Palestinians in Europe Conference, whose conference in Malmo in May 2023 drew thousands of Palestinians across Europe and was bitterly attacked by Zionist organizations that attempted to prevent it from happening, smearing Abu Rashed in the process.
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network considers this decision — and the imprisonment of Amin Abu Rashed — as an attack on the Palestinian movement in Europe, and we consider him to be a Palestinian political prisoner in the Netherlands. He has been targeted for years by the Zionist movement because of his effective role in organizing the Palestinian community and in providing direct charitable support to Palestinians under siege and in exile. This came alongside attacks by the Palestinian Authority on the conference and the work to organize Palestinians in Europe. In a sharp rebuke to all of these propaganda efforts, the conference was a major success in mobilizing the Palestinian community around a message of clear commitment to the right to return on the road to the liberation of Palestine.
We demand the immediate release of Amin Abu Rashed and that all charges against him be dropped. Amin is a respected community leader and organizer, who actively supports his people in social, political and humanitarian ways. We call upon all Palestinian- and solidarity organizations to stand together in defense of Amin and the right to organize for Palestinian liberation.
Israeli occupation forces stormed section 5 of Ramon prison today, Sunday 1 October, closing multiple sections of the prison and transferring all of the 90 prisoners held there to section 10 of Nafha prison. This includes Ahmad Sa’adat, the imprisoned General Secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The prisoners were not allowed to bring any of their personal belongings with them, and they were told they would not be returned to Ramon prison.
This comes days after occupation forces ransacked several prisoners’ rooms in section 5 of Ramon prison; they also transferred several Palestinian political prisoners to solitary confinement and one, Mazen al-Qadi, to interrogation.
The Zionist prison administration routinely uses transfers and raids to disrupt the prisoners’ lives as well as their organizing, ransack and confiscate their belongings and undermine their sense of stability. Ahed Abu Ghoulmeh, Sa’adat’s comrade and fellow prisoner, wrote: “These movements aim to confuse the prisoners, undermine their stability and that of the organizational work inside prisons. The torment of trips called “Bosta”, which transfer prisoners between prisons and courts, is a severe form of torture.”
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine expressed its outrage at the transfer of Sa’adat, and there is a high level of tension among the PFLP prisoners in occupation prisons. The prisoners are on alert and prepared to take steps of struggle to confront the latest attacks upon the prisoners’ movement. In a statement, the PFLP said, “This attack targeting the leadership of the Popular Front is an integral part of the comprehensive attack on the captive movement, which did not stop and has increased further after the fascist and racist criminal Ben Gvir took over the so-called Zionist Ministry of Internal Security.”
Ahmad Sa’adat, the imprisoned General Secretary of the PFLP, has been jailed in occupation prisons since 2006, following 4 years in Palestinian Authority prisons under U.S., British and Canadian guards. He has repeatedly been subjected to isolation, interrogation and sudden transfer in order to remove him from his leading role in the prisoners’ movement.
There are currently approximately 5,200 Palestinian political prisoners in occupation prisons, including over 1,300 jailed without charge or trial under “administrative detention,” in which Palestinians can be detained indefinitely by an occupation military court.
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network expresses its strongest solidarity with Ahmad Sa’adat and all Palestinian prisoners confronting Zionist colonial incarceration and tactics of repression. We urge the liberation of all Palestinian prisoners — a necessary step toward the liberation of Palestine from the river to the sea.
Palestinian-Italian researcher Khaled el-Qaisi was released from Israeli detention on Sunday, 1 October, after his uncle paid a financial bail guarantee; however, he is subjected to a travel ban and cannot return to Italy. He must remain in Palestine until at least 8 October — the next court hearing — although he is not under house arrest, his wife Francesca Antinucci told Italian outlet Pagine Esteri:
“For now I can only say that it is not a question of house arrest but that until 8 October there is a ban on leaving the country and he is obligated to remain at the disposal of the judicial authorities,” Antinucci specified. Meanwhile, the family members still have no certain information and are still unable to contact Khaled.”
The Comitato Free Khaled, representing his family and friends, issued a statement, saying:
“We confirm Khaled’s release from prison. It’s comforting news even if a state of limitation of freedom remains with investigations still underway…We will give updates on his condition and release details once direct contact with him has been established. In this context, the committee for Khaled’s release and his family remain vigilant in a situation that is still very delicate, until its full and definitive resolution.”
This news comes one day after a national day of action in Italy, where protests were held in Rome, Bologna, Napoli, Cagliari, Trieste, Ancona, L’Aquila (with another demonstration forthcoming in Milan on Monday, 2 October at Corso Sempione 27 at 6 pm. These demonstrations gathered outside the offices of RAI, the Italian national broadcaster, to demand appropriate coverage of Khaled’s case in the mainstream national media. These demonstrations were organized by a wide range of organizations in Italy, including the Giovani Palestinesi d’Italia (Palestinian Youth of Italy), Centro Culturale Handala Ali, and many left and progressive organizations.
In Aubervilliers, France, Samidoun Paris Banlieue joined the day of action as part of its Palestine Stand, carrying a large banner calling for freedom for Khaled el-Qaisi:
El-Qaisi is a translator, researcher and student in the Department of Oriental Languages and Civilizations at Sapienza University of Rome who was detained by Israeli occupation forces since 31 August. El-Qaisi, a Palestinian and Italian citizen, was visiting Palestine with his wife and four-year-old son. While leaving Palestine at the bridge to Jordan, he was suddenly seized by occupation forces and handcuffed in front of his young child. In Italy, El-Qaisi works with the Giovani Palestinesi d’Italia (Palestinian Youth of Italy) and is the co-founder of the Palestinian Documentation Center, a project that works to archive, translate and make accessible Palestinian historical documents, items and works. Occupation officials have not brought any charges against El-Qaisi.
A group of Palestinian and Italian academics wrote an open letter calling for El-Qaisi’s freedom and highlighting previous cases of Palestinians in diaspora, particularly European citizens who have been detained by the occupation (original in Italian, translation below):
El-Qaisi: Legal barbarism to silence the diaspora
We write this letter as Italian, Italian-Palestinian and Palestinian academics with great concern for the fate of Khaled el-Qaisi, arrested at Allenby Bridge by the Israeli occupation army on 31 August 2023, as he was preparing to return home with his wife and his son after a holiday spent in Bethlehem, his city of origin on his father’s side.
Khaled – student of oriental languages and civilizations at Sapienza University, intellectual and translator of books of fundamental importance for Palestinian political and cultural history – has been detained for almost a month in Israeli prisons without charges, deprived of the possibility of meeting with his lawyer. Amnesty International reported that Khaled was subjected to psychological and physical harassment during detention, including “sleep deprivation, threats, verbal abuse and prolonged imposition of stress positions” which, Amnesty continues, “potentially amount to a crime under international law”.
All this is in contrast with the declarations of the Italian government, which instead tried to reassure our country about Khaled’s good condition. Equally violent and inhumane is the way in which the Israeli military treated Khaled’s family, his wife and their 4-year-old son, who, after witnessing the arbitrary arrest of their husband and father, were deprived of money and phones and left at the border in a state of extreme precariousness and violation of their most basic rights, even more serious considering the presence of a child already certainly traumatized by the events. Only thanks to the solidarity of some Palestinian women on the spot, the family managed to reach Jordan and go to the Italian embassy for the necessary support.
Israeli arrest and detention systems have operated outside of international law for decades. According to Amnesty International, there are over 5 thousand Palestinians currently detained in Israel (illegally deported from the occupied territories) and among these 1,260 are in prison without charge or trial, thanks to Israel’s use of administrative detention which can be renewed indefinitely for 6 month periods, allows Israel to detain citizens without any evidence, charge or trial, often for many years, in total disregard of international law and basic human rights.
As academics we are deeply concerned about the conditions and nature of Khaled’s detention, which represents a further escalation of Israel’s repression against students, intellectuals or ordinary citizens whose only crime is to be active or visible in various capacities in the promotion of culture and rights of their people in the diaspora.
Often these are citizens of other countries, of Palestinian origin, who simultaneously hold – thanks to great sacrifices and perseverance – a Palestinian passport or a residence permit in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, or in Gaza. They are “Guilty of Palestine”, as the slogan of the campaign for Khaled’s release which has been activated in recent weeks has effectively summed up.
This is not the first time this has happened in recent years. In September 2016, a British citizen, Fayez Sharary, was arrested in conditions similar to those of Khaled, in front of his wife and 3-year-old daughter, as he was preparing to return home after holidays. In this case, it was an Israeli military judge who ordered his release, after having ascertained the use of torture and forced confession on the detainee and declaring the charges irrelevant.
Mustafa Awad, Belgian citizen and dancer of Palestinian origin, was detained for 253 days in Israeli prisons and freed thanks to a vast campaign in favor of his release and the legal assistance of the well-known Israeli lawyer Lea Tsemel, who managed to demonstrate the unfoundedness of the accusations of “terrorism” leveled against him.
And, again, the French-Palestinian lawyer Salah Hamouri detained in “maximum security” administrative detention from March 2022 to December 2022 and then deported to France after being deprived of his residence permit and Jerusalem identity card.
What is underway is a clear attempt to silence the voices of the diaspora and at the same time to deprive student citizens and intellectuals of the diaspora of the right to reside, return, or visit their families and loved ones in the occupied Palestinian territories.
As Italian and Palestinian intellectuals of the diaspora we express deep concern at the lack of attention that our media has given to Khaled’s arbitrary detention.
We call upon the Italian government and the deputy prime minister and foreign minister Tajani, who recently stated that our country “does not intend to interfere with Israeli judicial activities” (!), to instead interfere, interceding to stop the legal barbarity of detention without charge , with detention conditions profoundly harmful to Khaled’s dignity and health and in violation of the most fundamental human rights.
The release of Khaled el-Qaisi must be called for immediately. Unless our government considers Khaled, as an Italian-Palestinian, a second or third class Italian and the diplomatic relationship with Israel is more important than the dignity of our fellow citizen.
First signatories: Ruba Salih, University of Bologna Carlo Rovelli, Aix-Marseille University Massimo Cacciari, San Raffaele University, Milan Wasim Dahmash, formerly University of Cagliari Alessandro Petti, Royal Institute of Art, Stockholm University Sandro Mezzadra, University of Bologna Ada Barbaro, Sapienza University of Rome Giovanni Levi, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice Sara Farris, Goldsmiths University of London Nicola Perugini, University of Edinburgh Alessandra Mezzadri, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London Francesca Biancani, University of Bologna Leopoldina Fortunati, University of Udine Leonardo Capezzone, Sapienza University of Rome Diana Carminati, formerly University of Turin Daniela Pioppi, University of Naples L’Orientale Riccardo Badini, University of Cagliari Simone Sibilio, University of Venice Ca’ Foscari Cristiana Baldazzi, University of Trieste Marco Ramazzotti, Sapienza University of Rome Roberta De Monticelli, Former lecturer of Philosophy of the Person at the universities of Geneva and San Raffaele of Milan Luigi Daniele, University of Nottingham Trent Giacomo Costa, former full professor of Political Economy at the University of Pisa Marco Ammar, University of Genoa Roberto Beneduce, University of Turin Simona Taliani, University of Turin Paola Rivetti, University of Dublin Maria Chiara Rioli, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia Annalisa Frisina, University of Padua Paola Gandolfi, University of Bergamo Patrizia Zanoli, University of Venice Ca’ Foscari Barbara De Poli, University of Venice Ca’ Foscari
Silvia Federici, Hofstra University (Hempstead, New York)
Sara Borrillo, University of Rome Tor Vergata Rosita Di Peri, University of Turin Claudia Ortu, University of Cagliari Francesco Bachis, University of Cagliari Lea Nocera, University of Naples L’Orientale Andrea Brigaglia, University of Naples L’Orientale Valerio Cordiner, Sapienza-University of Rome Stefania Bentonati, University of Pavia Alessandra Brezzi, Sapienza-University of Rome Lucy Ladikoff, formerly University of Genoa Adolfo La Rocca, Sapienza-University of Rome Maria Elena Paniconi, University of Macerata Andrea Cottino, University of Turin Angelo D’orsi, University of Turin Elisabetta Benigni, University of Turin Arturo Monaco, Sapienza-University of Rome Pamela Murgia, University of Macerata Nicola Melis, University of Cagliari
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network urges continued vigilance to ensure the end of the persecution of Palestinian-Italian researcher, scholar and citizen Khaled El Qaisi. The Italian government and all concerned parties must take immediate action at all levels to ensure his safety and his immediate freedom, including his freedom to travel freely and to leave Palestine, to return to Italy, and to return to his homeland Palestine in the future.
The campaign is growing in Germany and around the world to #StandWithZaid: Zaid Abdulnasser, a Palestinian refugee from Syria, coordinator of the Samidoun Network in Germany and active with the Masar Badil, the Palestinian Alternative Revolutionary Path Movement. Dozens of additional organizations have signed on to the statement, while postering campaigns, actions and events are being organized around the world to highlight the case, with multiple events and actions in Germany demanding justice for Zaid and for Palestine.
The campaign called for a demonstration in Berlin, on Saturday, 30 September at 1 pm in Hermannplatz, in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners and against anti-Palestinian repression, and events are being organized in Leipzig, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Berlin, among others.
At a solidarity action in Frankfurt, Germany, activists rallied for Palestine and expressed their solidarity with Zaid on 24 September:
On 15 September, the Collectif Palestine Vaincra organized a Palestine stand in Toulouse where they took photos in solidarity with Palestine, the prisoners and Zaid’s campaign:
— Samidoun 🇵🇸 Red de Presxs Políticxs Palestinxs (@samidounspain) September 24, 2023
On 30 September in Barcelona, Samidoun activists organized a solidarity stand for Palestine and took photos in support of Zaid:
In Gothenburg, Sweden, Samidoun tabled and participated in multiple events at a radical bookfair on 29-30 September, speaking about anti-Palestinian repression in Europe, including the case of Zaid and the attempt of the French government to dissolve Collectif Palestine Vaincra.
Also on 30 September, Samidoun Netherlands had a table at the Bij1 congress in Den Haag, advocating for liberation for Palestine, freedom for Palestinian political prisoner in the Netherlands Amin Abu Rashed, and solidarity with Zaid and against anti-Palestinian repression in Germany.
On 26 September in Berlin, anarchist groups organized a solidarity evening at Rigaer 94 that included a screening of “Fedayin,” the film on the life and struggle of Georges Abdallah, and a discussion with Samidoun Berlin on the campaign against repression:
On Friday, 29 September, Zaid Abdulnasser spoke in Hamburg, at an event organized by Palästina Bündnis Hamburg as part of the International Campaign Against Anti-Palestinian Repression in Germany. He was warmly greeted by a supportive crowd who welcomed him to Hamburg and expressed their outrage at the repression targeting the community.
At the same time, in Dusseldorf, Samidoun Deutschland joined Palästina Solidarität Duisburg on 29 September for an information stand outside the central train station. Participants took solidarity photos as part of the #StandWithZaid campaign and distributed information about Palestine to passers-by.
On 22 and 23 September, a representative of the Collectif Palestine Vaincra and Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network spoke in Naples, Italy, at an event denouncing anti-Palestinian repression in Europe, including Zaid’s case, the attempted dissolution of the Collectif Palestine Vaincra in France, and other cases, including, most urgently, the Israeli imprisonment of Palestinian-Italian translator and researcher Khaled el-Qaisi.
On 22 September, Samidoun Brussels organized an event in Belgium marking the 25th anniversary of the police murder of Semira Adamu during a deportation; participants in the event discussed Palestinians’ right to resist and right to return, and showed their solidarity with Zaid:
On 23 September, Samidoun Vancouver joined with fellow organizers from the Canada Palestine Association, BDS Vancouver Coast Salish, the International League of Peoples’ Struggle and the Mobilization Against War and Occupation at a protest outside Scotiabank, the Canadian bank that is the largest foreign investor in notorious Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems. Participants showed their solidarity with Zaid:
Also on Friday, 29 September, activists in Tucuman, Argentina at a social movements demonstration gathered to show solidarity with Palestine and to take #StandWithZaid solidarity photos to denounce Germany’s attack on Palestinian organizing:
On 21 September, students at Jean-Jaures University in Toulouse, France, joined with the Collectif Palestine Vaincra to take a stand in solidarity with Palestinian liberation and against the repression of the Palestinian movement in Germany:
🇵🇸 Des étudiant·es de l’Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès soutiennent Zaid Abdulnasser, coordinateur de @samidoun_de. Réfugié palestinien de Syrie, l’État allemand le menace de lui retirer son titre de séjour en raison de son engagement pour la Palestine.#StandWithZaidpic.twitter.com/0Rb8kg5caR
In Toulouse, France, members of the CGT SELA 31 at Jean-Jaures University also showed their solidarity with Zaid:
In Spain, activists participating in a workshop on decolonization in the Global South expressed their solidarity with the Palestinian cause, with Zaid, and with Georges Abdallah, the Lebanese Arab struggler for Palestine jailed in France for 39 years:
On 19 September in Vancouver,Samidoun Vancouver organized a political education evening on “Molding Consciousness or the Re-Identification of Torture” by Palestinian prisoner, revolutionary intellectual and freedom fighter Walid Daqqah. Participants showe their solidarity with Zaid:
On 17 September, the Collectif Palestine Vaincra organized a Palestine Picnic in Toulouse, France, where they held banners in solidarity with Khaled al-Qaisi and Zaid:
🍉🌞 À l’occasion de notre pique-nique Palestine de rentrée à Toulouse, nous avons souhaité affirmer notre solidarité avec deux symboles de la lutte contre la répression du peuple palestinien : Zaid Abdulnasser et Khaled Al-Qaisi.#StandWithZaid#FreeKhaled#FreeThemAllpic.twitter.com/wMrgniKnaj
Activists with the Borotba party in Donbass, and with the People’s Will Party in Syria, expressed their solidarity with the #StandWithZaid campaign:
On 27 September, a group of activists in Berlin showed their solidarity with Zaid, Samidoun and Palestine in a video shared on social media:
Activists in Berlin showed their solidarity with Palestine and Zaid Abdulnasser, the coordinator of Samidoun network whom the German government threatens to revoke his residence permit over his pro-Palestinian activism.#StandWithZaidpic.twitter.com/BmDx6G8Hsw
Avrupa Dev-Genc, an organization of revolutionary youth from Turkey, and very involved in the campaign against paragraph 129(b), recorded a solidarity video with Zaid and Samidoun:
Activists in Lima, Peru, recorded a solidarity video in support of Zaid and the struggle of the Palestinian people:
On 26 September, theKommunistische Organisation released a comprehensive solidarity statement about Zaid’s case in the context of German imperialism, the asylum regime, and the Palestinian cause:
“The Zaid case impressively shows how the German authorities use migration and asylum law as a political weapon: They can apparently neither simply ban Samidoun nor prove that comrade Zaid has committed a concrete crime. Instead, they use his “status” as a refugee, which is ultimately nothing more than a racist legal construct that deprives him of his basic rights. As with all repression, it is not about him alone, but above all about intimidating all of us. The message is clear: Palestinians are not allowed to express themselves politically in the FRG, they are not allowed to denounce colonialism in their home country and they are not allowed to fight against it. Those who do risk not only never being naturalized and thus being able to live here with equal rights, but even losing their asylum and being deported. We advocate that the Palestinians’ struggle for their national liberation in all its forms can be openly supported and propagated in this country, that Palestinians not only get security and residence, but that they can fully exercise their political rights!”
Rote Hilfe also shared a call-out for support for the campaign against anti-Palestinian repression in Germany, and hosts the legal support fund for comrades in Germany.
Hanna and Marion Kawas of the Canada Palestine Association also expressed their solidarity with Zaid on Twitter:
YDG – Yeni Demokratik Gençlik, a revolutionary organization of youth from Turkey, recorded solidarity videos for the #StandWithZaid campaign and against attacks on Samidoun. YDG has its own history of confronting repression and criminalization, both in Turkey and in Europe.
Canada Philippines Solidarity for Human Rights issued a solidarity statement with Samidoun and the Campaign Against Anti-Palestinian Repression in Germany:
Young Struggle, a youth movement struggling for the rights of the kurdish people expressed solidarity with the campaign through multiple videos and social media posts:
The Kommunistische Organisation issued a call to action in support of Zaid as well as a series of solidarity photos:
Solidarität mit Zaid Abdulnasser!
Ethnische Säuberung, anhaltender Landraub und die ständige Gewalt einer Militärbesatzung sind Realität des israelischen Staates seit seinen Anfängen – bis heute. […]https://t.co/a5f3KSbc1bpic.twitter.com/XGsmb5Zfuj
Professors and students in the Arab Studies Department at the Autonomous University of Madrid expressed their solidarity with Zaid:
✊🏾Profesores y estudiantes del Departamento de Estudios Árabes de la UAM se solidarizan con el coordinador de la Red de Solidaridad con los Presos Políticos Samidoun en Alemania, Zaid Abdulnasser, y rechazan la represión sistemática del Estado alemán. #fromtherivertothesea 🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/2XVJp2akY0
— Samidoun 🇵🇸 Red de Presxs Políticxs Palestinxs (@samidounspain) September 20, 2023
The Bahraini Society Against Normalization, currently engaged in a major campaign and confronting repression in Bahrain, expressed solidarity with Zaid and the campaign:
Manu Pineda, Member of European Parliament and chair of its Committee on Relations with Palestine, tweeted against Germany’s repression and in support of Zaid:
Continúa la persecución de las autoridades alemanas al activismo pro palestino.
A la expulsión de Khaled Baraka, la prohibición de manifestaciones de apoyo a #Palestina🇵🇸 con motivo de la conmemoración de la #Nakba o de los ataques a #Gaza, se suma ahora la deportación del…
Révolution Permanente in France issued a solidarity statement in support of Zaid and the Palestinian struggle, and Le Poing Levé at Toulouse Jean Jaurès University showed their support for Zaid:
Samidoun Paris Banlieue organized solidarity photos for Zaid, as well as Palestinian prisoners Khaled al-Qaisi, Walid Daqqah and Georges Abdallah, at the Fete de l’Humanite, the annual festival organized by the French Communist Party:
In downtown Oran, Algeria, in front of a monument to the memory of Emir Abdelkader, an activist took a solidarity photo in support of Zaid.
Students and activists in Newark, New Jersey, took solidarity photos with Samidoun NY/NJ to show their support for Zaid and for Palestine:
In Lima, Peru, activists showed their solidarity with Zaid:
Activists in Abbotsford Canada, took solidarity photos with Zaid:
On 16 September, Palästina Solidarität Duisburg participated in a commemoration of the Nakba, educational and cultural event in Bruhl, where participants showed their solidarity with Zaid:
The Anti-Imperialist Front TVconducted an interview with Zaid about the campaign and the struggle for Palestinian liberation today:
Zaid conducted an interview as well (with live Spanish translation) with Radio Che Guevara in Argentina, on repression in Germany and the rising movement of Palestinian youth in exile and diaspora:
Samidoun Deutschland created a video linking the struggle in Germany today to the struggle for the liberation of Palestine and reclaiming the role of Palestinians in diaspora and exile in the liberation movement:
NOTE: If you do not see the name of your organization or your event here, please contact us at samidoun@samidoun.net! We apologize for any errors or omissions.
Join SUPER UW and Samidoun Seattle as we welcome Yousef Aljamal for a discussion of the new anthology Light in Gaza: Writings Born of Fire.
Light in Gaza is a seminal, moving, and wide-ranging anthology of Palestinian writers and artists. It constitutes a collective effort to organize and center Palestinian voices in the ongoing struggle. As political discourse shifts toward futurism as a means of reimagining a better way of living, beyond the violence and limitations of colonialism, Light in Gaza is an urgent and powerful intervention into an important political moment.
Join Samidoun NY/NJ, together with Within Our Lifetime and Dare to Struggle, for a screening of Holy Land 5 on Friday October 6th at 7:00pm! Screening will be followed by a discussion with Nida Abu Baker, daughter of co-founder Shukri Abu Baker, and activists from the Stop Cop City movement.
Holy Land 5 is an Al Jazeera documentary that follows the story of five Palestinian men who were active leaders in the Holy Land Foundation. This was once the largest Islamic charity in the U.S. before it was targeted by the Bush administration and zionist forces as part of the racist “War on Terror” and shut down in December 2001, leading to the wrongful conviction and imprisonment of five Palestinian men. Three of them, Mufid Abdulqader, Ghassan Elashi, and Shukri Abu Baker remain imprisoned today. The two others, Abdulrahman Odeh and Mohammed El-Mezain, sentenced to 15 years each, were released in 2020 and 2022 respectively.
LIVE MUSIC + KÜFA AT KARANFIL, BERLIN Monday, 2 October 7 pm Cafe Karanfil Weisestraße 3, 12049 Berlin, Germany
organised by:
@berlinmigrantstrikers
Samidoun’s coordinator in Germany and member of the Alternative Palestinian Revolutionary Path (Masar Badil), Zaid Abdulnasser, has been threatened by the German state to have his refugee status revoked due to his activism in the Palestinian struggle in Germany. The Palestinian Prisoners Network has launched in return the International Campaign Against Anti-Palestinian Repression in Germany and is calling for active support on a global scale.
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network is organizing a demonstration on Saturday, 30 September at 1 pm in Berlin, Germany, in Hermannplatz, in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike, the resistance in occupied Palestine, and as part of the Campaign Against anti-Palestinian Repression in Germany.
After nine powerful months of international hearings on sanctions & economic coercive measures, we announce the closing event of the International People’s Tribunal on U.S. Imperialism: Sanctions, Blockades, and Economic Coercive Measures. Hosted over two days, September 29 and 30, at the People’s Forum in New York City, this concluding chapter will not only deliver our verdict but also lay the groundwork for the continuation of our international movement to abolish sanctions regimes.
Friday evening speakers:
Vice Minister Carlos Ron, Venezuela
Elias Amare, National Council of Eritrean Americans
Khaled Barakat, Palestinian Alternative Revolutionary Path Movement
Margaret Kimberley, Black Agenda Report
Pierre Labossiere, Haiti Action Committee
Professor Mohammad Marandi, University of Tehran
Professor Jeannette Graulau, The City University of New York
While this marks the end of the Tribunal, it is only the beginning of our collective efforts as an international movement. Special rapporteurs will present comprehensive reports on our findings, and political activists, scholars, and organizers will provide insights. The event will conclude with a panel of jurors issuing their verdict, including Charlotte Kates, international coordinator of Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network.
Join us to learn about our next steps and discover how you can contribute to the movement.
Please share these updates with your colleagues and comrades, and watch our previous hearings at our YouTube channel! Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network is a co-sponsor of the Tribunal. Visit the Sanctions Tribunal website to learn more about the project.
On September 7, the Alliance for Global Justice, together with Black Alliance for Peace and Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, convened a webinar: Cop City to Palestine – Webinar on the Interconnectedness of the Black and Palestinian Struggles.
Moderated by Rasha Mubarak of AfGJ, the webinar featured speakers Camille Landry of AfGJ, Erica Caines of the Black Alliance for Peace and Charlotte Kates of Samidoun.
