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6 March, Milan: “Behind the Fronts”/”Dietro i Fronti” premiere in Italy

Friday, 6 March
9:00 pm
Beltrade Cinema
Via Nino Oxilia 10
Milan, Italy
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/220825652412373/

Italian premiere of the film directed by Alexandra Dols, with Samah Jabr.

“We, Palestinians, look like short-lived and fragile red poppies. The international community is not impressed by our beauty and neglects to protect us. On the contrary, it often tells us that our aspiration to liberation is absurd and cannot flourish. Nonetheless, we have confidence in our collective ability to embellish the barren side of the mountain and to inspire a revolutionary spring to the oppressed of the earth … “.

“Noi, palestinesi, assomigliamo a dei papaveri rossi, dalla vita breve e fragile. La comunità internazionale non è impressionata dalla nostra bellezza e trascura di tutelarci. Al contrario, ci dice spesso che la nostra aspirazione alla liberazione è assurda e non può fiorire. Ciò nonostante, noi abbiamo fiducia nella nostra capacità collettiva di abbellire il versante brullo della montagna e di ispirare una primavera rivoluzionaria agli oppressi della terra … ”.

POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19 16 March, Sheffield: The Lowkey Voice of Freedom – Israeli Apartheid Week(IAW) Launch

The following event has been cancelled due to the threat of COVID-19:

Monday, 16 March
5:00 pm
Sheffield Hallam Student Union, the Stage
Sheffield, Britain
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/210152350117520/

We are proud to announce our annual participation in Israeli Apartheid Week 2020, a nationally-backed campaign now endorsed by over 180 cities worldwide.!!

This year in Sheffield, we’re kick starting the week by welcoming the London-based Rapper & renowned social justice campaigner, Lowkey! He will be giving an inspirational talk about the Palestinian human-rights struggle, exposing the brutalisation of Palestinian people and the international chain of complicity in the ongoing crimes of Israeli Apartheid.

It will be followed by a Q&A & a memorable performance featuring some of his amazing hits – come along & show your solidarity at the The Stage (Students’ Union HUBS) at 5pm on the 16th of March 2020 for a night you will not forget!!

You might be thinking well, What is #IAW ?

Israel Apartheid week offers a selection of educational events that aim to empower the Palestinian call on the international community to ‘Boycott, Divest & Sanction’ the Israeli apartheid state, force an ending to its systematic oppression against the Palestinian people, along with its historic culture of impunity until the Israeli government respects Palestinians’ rights to freedom, justice, equality and return

7 March, Copenhagen: Women’s Day – Against Imperialism

Saturday, 7 March
4:30 pm
Kapelvej 44
Copenhagen, Denmark
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/2875020755866780/

WOMEN’S DAY – AGAINST IMPERIALISM

Around the world women are fighting for freedom and dignity – not only to be freed from patriarchy, but to be freed from all kinds of oppression linked to global capitalism, neocolonialism and imperialism.

On occasion of International Women’s Day, we want to shed light on the cause of Palestine where women at all times have played a central role in the Palestinian resistance against the occupation. We wish to support their ongoing struggle, especially in the light of president Trump’s recent announcement of a so-called ‘peace deal’ and it’s repercussions that, among other initiatives, have rendered critique of Israel and antisemitism as essentially the same thing, thus censuring all kinds of critique of the Israeli apartheid state. By this move, Palestinians’ international rights to freedom and a homeland are being fundamentally crushed.

On Saturday March 7th, we invite you to an evening of film screening, community kitchen, live music and an amazing setup of dj’s – all surplus from the event will be sent to the women’s organisation PDWSA in Gaza!

PROGRAM

16.30 -18:30 – FILM SCREENING (will be shown in the backyard hall)
Naila and the Uprising (2017)
Portraying Naila Ayesh and the role of women during the first intifada in 1987 – uprising against the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

(The film begins at 17.00)

18.30-19.00 – MAIN BUILDING OPENS
Introduction to PDWSA and open bar!

19:00-20:00 – FOOD
Palestinian Community Kicthen – as always 50 kr only!

20:15-22:00 – LIVE MUSIC
Babylon (DK) – Arabic songs and band
YUKKA (EG/DK) – Songwriter and rapper

22.00-02.00 – DJ’S
TBA

WHAT ARE WE SUPPORTING?
Al surplus from the event is given to the independent organisation PDWSA (Palestinian Women’s Development Studies Association), which, through grassroots and women-to-women projects, organizes and empowers women of Gaza to gain better social and material living conditions. Especially, PDWSA engages women who have been imprisoned by Israel, a situation that often leads to stigma in the women’s own societies, not to mention trauma as an effect of the brutal Israeli imprisonment. To this, PDWSA strives at making women’s participation against the occupation better documented and fully recognized historically.

WHY PALESTINE?
The situation in Palestine stands as a clear example of neocolonialism and imperialism – for more than 70 yrs, Palestinians have been displaced, invaded, occupied, discriminated and killed by the Israeli apartheid state, crimes after crimes building on the acts of European colonial powers. Most recently, through it’s continuous alliance with the US, Israel has obtained a doubtful ‘peace deal’ from Trump, which exemplifies yet another manifestation of Israel’s imperialist extermination policy towards Palestine and the Arab region.

Throughout history, women of Palestine have played a crucial role in resisting the occupation, especially during the first intifada, characterized by a high degree of grassroots activism and creativity, which we want to support and learn from!

From the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free!
Boykot Israel – Free Palestine

We can’t wait to see you on March the 7th of WOMEN’S DAY – AGAINST IMPERIALISM!

ORGANISERS
/// Internationalt Forum København, Konfront, Boykot Israel, Palæstina Aktion, Studerende mod Besættelsen, Copenhagen Underground, Gaza 2020: Breaking the siege, International Solidarity Movement ///

Thanks to Kapelvej 44 for lending us the space!

NO RACISM, NO SEXISM, NO HOMOPHOBIA, NO TRANSPHOBIA, NO ABLEISM, NO HARD DRUGS AND NO VIOLENCE ?

OBS// Unfortunately, the main building is not accessible with wheelchair.

**

KVINDERNES KAMPDAG – MOD IMPERIALISME

Vi ønsker at markere den fortsatte kamp for frihed og retfærdighed, som kvinder kæmper over hele verden – ikke kun mod patriarkatet som isoleret størrelse, men i en kombination mod global kapitalisme, neokolonialisme og imperialisme.

Derfor vil vi, i anledning af kampdagen, sætte fokus på den palæstinensiske sag og den centrale rolle, palæstinensiske kvinder spiller i modstanden mod besættelsen. Vi ønsker at støtte op om deres fortsatte kamp særligt nu, hvor Trump har annonceret sin såkaldte ’fredsaftale’, der fuldstændigt knuser palæstinensernes internationale ret til frihed og hjemland, og når der dybt bekymrende sættes lighedstegn mellem kritik af Israel og antisemitisme, hvormed alle former for kritik af apartheid-staten Israel censureres bort.

Lørdag d. 7. marts inviterer vi til filmvisning, folkekøkken, livemusik og efterfølgende dj’s – overskuddet sendes til kvindeorganisationen PDWSA i Gaza.

PROGRAM

16.30-18.30 – FILMVISNING (i salen i gården)
Naila and the Uprising
Om Naila Ayesh og kvinders rolle under den første intifada i 1987 – oprør mod den israelske besættelse af Palæstina.

(Filmen begynder kl 17)

18.30-19.00 – DØRENE ÅBNER (i hovedbygningen)
Introduktion til PDWSA og åben bar!

19.00-20.00 – MAD
Palæstina Folkekøkken – spis som altid med for en 50’er!

20.00-22.00 – LIVE MUSIK
Babylon (DK) – arabisk sang og band
YUKKA (EG/DK) – sangskriver og rapper

22.00-02.00 – DJ’s
TBA

HVAD STØTTER VI
Overskuddet fra arrangementet går til den uafhængige organisation PDWSA (Palestinian Women’s Development Studies Association), som via græsrodsarbejde og kvinde-til-kvinde projekter organiserer og styrker kvinder i Gaza til bedre sociale og materielle leveforhold. Et særligt fokus er kvinder, der har været i israelske fængsler, som ofte oplever stigma i samfundet, foruden traumer på baggrund af det brutale israelske fængselsophold. Hertil arbejder PDWSA for at få kvinders deltagelse i kampen imod besættelsen skrevet ind i historien.

HVORFOR PALÆSTINA
Situationen i Palæstina står som et klart eksempel på neokolonialisme og imperialisme – i over 70 år er palæstinensere blevet fordrevet, invaderet, besat, diskrimineret og dræbt af den israelske apartheid-stat, hvad der blev sat i gang af de europæiske kolonimagter. Senest har Israel, i sin fortsatte alliance med USA, opnået en såkaldt “fredsaftale” fra Trump, hvilket kun er endnu en manifestation på Israels imperialistiske udryddelsespolitik i Palæstina og den arabiske region.

I Palæstina har kvinder fra start haft en helt central rolle i modstanden mod besættelsen og særligt under den første intifada, kendetegnet ved en høj grad af græsrodsaktivisme og kreativitet, hvilket vi ønsker at lære af og støtte op om!

From the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free!
Boykot Israel – Frit Palæstina

Vi glæder os til at se jer d. 7. marts til KVINDERNES KAMPDAG – MOD IMPERIALISME!

ARRANGØRER
/// Internationalt Forum København, Konfront, Boykot Israel, Palæstina Aktion, Studerende mod Besættelsen, Copenhagen Underground, Gaza 2020: Bryd Belejringen, Fredsvagterne ///

Og tak til Kapelvej 44 for at tilbyde stedet!

INGEN RACISME, INGEN SEXISME, INGEN HOMOFOBI, INGEN TRANSFOBI, INGEN ABLEISME, INGEN HÅRDE STOFFER OG INGEN VOLD ?

OBS// Hovedbygningen er desværre ikke tilgængelig med kørestol.

Berlin protest responds to Israeli crimes in Gaza, demands justice for Palestine

Palestinian youth activists with Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network and Hirak (the Palestinian Youth Mobilization) in Berlin, Germany, joined the demonstration on Monday, 24 February in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and throughout occupied Palestine and in exile struggling for justice and liberation.

The demonstration, held outside the city hall in Berlin’s Neukölln district on Karl-Marx-Strasse, was sparked by Israeli occupation attacks on Gaza, including repeated bombing raids and the killing of Mohammed Ali al-Naim, a 27-year-old man shot dead by Israeli occupation forces whose body was later dragged by a bulldozer in widely circulated footage.

The Israeli military attack on Gaza and the desecration of al-Naim’s body come in violation of international humanitarian and human rights law, including the Hague Regulations, the Rome Statute and the UN Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment.

After occupation soldiers shot Al-Naim, the bulldozer was sent into besieged Gaza to run over his body, pick him up and throw him to the ground again to “confirm the kill,” before Israeli occupation forces abducted his body using the bulldozer. Palestinians who attempted to recover al-Naim’s body were also attacked by occupation soldiers, who continued shooting at them; one of the attempted rescuers was shot in the leg with live bullets. The brutal attack also sparked retaliatory strikes by Palestinian resistance organizations. Al-Naim’s body continues to be held hostage by the Israeli occupation along with other Palestinians’ bodies in an attempt to extract concessions from the Palestinian resistance.

In Berlin, Palestinians and friends of Palestine protested with a vigil marked by passionate chants calling for justice and liberation for Palestine, raising their voices to express their outrage at the latest Israeli crimes as well as the complicity of the imperialist powers in these ongoing attacks. They expressed their support for Palestinians’ right to resist occupation and oppression and demanded that the Palestinian Authority end its security coordination with the Israeli occupation and free Palestinian political detainees.

Protesters highlighted ongoing Israeli crimes, including extrajudicial executions, the kidnapping of Palestinians’ bodies, demolition of homes, mass arrests and torture of Palestinian prisoners and land confiscation, as well as the so-called “deal of the century” between Trump and Netanyahu.

The protest also comes amid racist right-wing threats to Turkish, Kurdish, Arab and other communities in Germany, especially following a fascist mass shooting in Halle, near Frankfurt, where a far-right shooter killed 10 people. It also takes place despite ongoing attempts by the German government to suppress solidarity organizing for Palestine, including anti-BDS legislation and other forms of targeting. The ongoing protests in Berlin continue to demonstrate the strength of Palestinian communities and commitment to struggling for liberation despite multiple types of repression.

On 31 January, hundreds of people from across Europe gathered outside the Bundestag for a demonstration to denounce Germany’s anti-BDS laws and defend the rights of the Palestinian people. In addition to the anti-BDS resolution in the German parliament, the German state imposed a political ban on Palestinian writer Khaled Barakat and refused to renew his residence visa, deported  Rasmea Odeh, and continued the criminal prosecution of Palestinian and Israeli Jewish activists for interrupting a speech by a member of the Knesset. These incidents come alongside the forced resignation of the director of the Jewish Museum, the denial of venues to events hosting Palestinians and supporters of Palestine, the closing of the bank account of Jewish Voices for a Just Peace and the disinvitation of international artists who have taken a stand to support Palestinian rights.

Participants in the demonstration, including Samidoun and Hirak activists, pledged to continue to confront Israeli apartheid and Zionist crimes and mobilize for the liberation of Palestine from the river to the sea.

Imprisoned Body…Free Soul: Samah Jaradat

by Hind Shraydeh

Samah sleeping with her cat, Lozah.
Courtesy: Samah Jaradat’s family

Dressed in their khaki military uniforms, heavily armed Israeli occupation soldiers raided Samah Jaradat’s house while directing their weapons towards her as she slept with her cat hugging her face. Stunned momentarily by the sight, the soldiers exchanged glances to the unexpected and unfamiliar scene. Their astonishment rose as they scrutinized her room, where a violin is placed with care in the corner of her room and musical notes found everywhere they looked. They also noticed a portrait of the German composer and musician Bach along with a souvenir. The room also housed a small library full of textbooks and novels. Samah’s parents say that the exchanged looks amongst them reflected confusion and doubt about their mission to arrest this young woman. Regardless of all that, the forcible arrest took place.

Samah was arrested three days after graduating from Birzeit University with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. This turn of events blew away her dreams and ambitions, including her desire to become a professor at Birzeit University. The arrest took place on 7 September 2019 where she was taken forcefully from her family’s home in Al-Bireh by the Israeli occupation forces.

Samah with her father on graduation day; only three days before her arrest.
Courtesy: Samah Jaradat’s family

In the notorious Moskobiyyeh detention center, Samah was subjected to 22 days of harsh interrogation. She was banned from seeing her lawyer during that whole period, Samah’s father recalls. During her interrogation, “my daughter was subjected to all types of systematic and arbitrary torture methods. Moreover, prison officials also strip-searched her and held her in isolation where she was repeatedly subjected to various forms of psychological torture, including sleep deprivation,” he notes.

To know Samah is to love her. She is a generous and sensitive person. Her generosity and kindness stem from her love for people – especially those who have been marginalized or oppressed – as well as her readiness to make social change. For example, she took it upon herself to take time from her busy schedule at the university to teach an illiterate young woman to read and write. She introduced the young woman to the Arabic alphabet and later brought her workbooks and simple stories to practice her reading and writing.

Another example of her readiness to take practical steps to help others was best expressed by Abu Shadi, a Palestinian craftsman from Qaddura refugee camp, who makes his living by engraving the map of Palestine, among other items using olive wood. He recounts the time when Samah helped find him an appropriate space to sell his handmade items after his kiosk was expropriated by the municipality. “Samah walked all over Ramallah to find me a room in order to continue my work. How can one forget such a lovely person?” he said.

Samah, imprisoned, is missed by many people. Her friend Yasmine speaks fondly of her as she describes her sense of humility and empathy towards her peers. She said Samah used to leave her sandwich on the table in the university cafeteria for students who live in dorms and may not have enough money to buy food.

Samah’s absence hits her family the hardest. Her mother tried to express her feelings when celebrating Samah’s birthday in her absence. “It was a very painful day to celebrate Samah’s birthday without her. It was even more painful to blow out the candles while our thoughts were with her, held in interrogation, tortured and feeling cold.”

Samah’s sister Samar recalls her positive memories of her sister. “I imagine Samah dancing to the music of “the Chamber” for Bach while being with her mates in her new ‘chamber,’” she says. “After all, this is what she did while tidying her room. The Occupation forces imprisoned Samah’s body but they cannot imprison her soul. Samah’s soul will always be free.”

Samah with her mother and father.
Courtesy: Samah Jaradat’s family

This prison was used to house animals before it was turned into a prison, hence it is unfit for human use. It lacks natural light and basic hygiene needs such as proper toilets, running water etc. It is also filled with insects and rats and so on.

Women and girls prisoners held there suffer from overcrowded cells, harsh conditions, and medical neglect, including for women who were pregnant at the time of their arrest. Moreover, these prisoners are denied their right to education and at times family visits under the pretext of security. They are also denied their basic rights by being placed in solitary confinement without any gender-sensitive considerations. These harsh conditions also include difficulty in meeting with Palestinian defense counsel and attorneys. Surveillance cameras are also used 24/7, denying them any privacy.

According to Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, all of the above-mentioned practices are illegal under international law.

As per the Addameer report: “the majority of Palestinian women prisoners are subjected to some form of psychological torture and ill-treatment throughout the process of their arrest and detention, including various forms of sexual violence. This includes beatings, insults, threats, body searches, and sexually explicit harassment. These techniques of torture and ill-treatment are used not only as means to intimidate Palestinian female detainees but also as tools to humiliate Palestinian women and pressure them into giving confessions.”

Samah with her siblings.
Courtesy: Samah Jaradat’s family

Hind Shraydeh is a writer and human rights defender from occupied Jerusalem, Palestine. She is the wife of Ubai Aboudi, the imprisoned Executive Director of the Bisan Center and a Palestinian writer and researcher. To support Ubai’s campaign for freedom, please visit Scientists for Palestine and sign the petition: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/end-the-detention-of-ubai-aboudi

1 March, NYC: Celebrate the Life of Freedom Fighter Robert Seth Hayes

Sunday, 1 March
1:00 pm
The People’s Forum
320 West 37th Street
NYC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/165867098014375/

This event is Sponsored by the Jericho Movement NY.

Join us as we celebrate the Life of Freedom Fighter Robert Seth Hayes! We will also remember other fallen warriors and celebrate recent victories!

Speakers and Culture:
Jihad Abdul Mumit, Jericho Chair and BPP/BLA
Daniel McGowan, Certain Days Calendar Collective
Spiritchild, Revolutionary FReedom Artist

And other speakers and culture to be announced later…

Co-Sponsors:
ProLibertad, Call to Action on Puerto Rico, NYC Free Peltier, Ministry of Solidarity with the Peoples, and other Co-Sponsors to be announced later…

Copenhagen event urges freedom for Ahmad Sa’adat and Georges Ibrahim Abdallah

On Sunday, 23 February, the Internationalt Forum Middle East Group organized a solidarity event in Copenhagen, Denmark, supporting the liberation of Palestinian prisoner and PFLP general secretary Ahmad Sa’adat, Lebanese communist struggler for Palestine Georges Ibrahim Abdallah and all revolutionary prisoners. Held in the Solidarity House, the meeting included discussions, videos and more highlighting the struggles of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli and imperialist prisons.

The event began with a short introduction on the importance of solidarity with political prisoners as a part of the anti-imperialist struggle. Internationalt Forum activists also discussed the cases of Sa’adat and Abdallah, providing details of their lives, their struggle and their continued activity behind bars.

Khaled Barakat, the coordinator of the Campaign to Free Ahmad Sa’adat, presented a video message discussing the Palestinian and international liberation struggles and the importance of the political prisoners. Two more films on the life and imprisonment of Sa’adat and Abdallah were also screened.

Participants engaged in a lively discussion about how best to build international solidarity with the prisoners. At the conclusion of the event, participants were invited to join Boykot Israel in an action on Saturday, 7 March at 1 pm in Norreport in central Copenhagen to promote the economic, academic and cultural boycott of Israel, as well as the anti-imperialist International Women’s Day event that will take place the same evening in Norrebro, Copenhagen. The event will celebrate Palestinian women’s anti-imperialist struggle against Israeli occupation and apartheid and support a women’s project in Gaza; it is organized by Internationalt Forum, Boykot Israel, Palestina Aktion, Konfront and other organizations.

24 February, Berlin: Demonstration to Defend the Palestinian People

Monday, 24 February
6:00 pm
Rathaus Neukolln
Karl-Marx-Str 83
Berlin, Germany
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1579676998836688/

Palestinian and Arab organizations in Berlin are calling for solidarity with the Palestinian people and those whose lives have been taken, and for condemning the brutality and crimes of the Israeli occupation against Palestinians in Gaza.

🔸📣🔸 دعوة عامّة Aufruf🔸📣🔸

وقفة شموع في برلين Kerzen-Demo in Berlin

🔸 تدعوكم هيئة المؤسسات ‏والجمعيات الفلسطينية ‏والعربية في برلين للمشاركة في وقفة شموع وفاءً لشهداء شعبنا واستنكاراً لجريمة دولة الإحتلال البشعة ضد المتظاهرين المدنيين في قطاع غزّة والتّمثيل بجثثهم.

Verband der palästinensischen und arabischen Vereine in Berlin ruft zur Solidarität mit unserem Volk und den Gefallenen sowie zur Verurteilung der schikanösen Verbrechen der israelischen Besatzung gegen die Demonstranten in Gazastreifen und gegen die Verstümmelung ihrer Leichen.

💧 المكان Ort: أمام مبنى بلديّة النويكولن
U7 – Rathaus Neukölln
Karl-Marx-Str. 83
12043 Berlin

💧 الزمان Zeit: يوم الإثنين Montag الموافق 2020/02/24 الساعة السادسة مساءً 18:00 Uhr ..

29 February, Vancouver: Boycott Israeli Wine, Stand Up for Palestine!

Saturday, 29 February
2:00 pm
BC Liquor Store
8th and Cambie
Vancouver, BC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/604986557008335/

For many years, there has been an ongoing local campaign to call for a boycott of Israeli wines, many of them produced in the Occupied Territories, which are being sold in our publicly owned BC Liquor Stores. We asked David Eby, BC Attorney General, to respond to this issue but to date have received exactly the same response we got from previous BC governments, which was to stonewall and ignore our concerns.

The wines in question are either from the Golan Heights Winery (Mount Hermon brand), the Galil Winery (which is a joint venture with the Golan Heights Winery), or from the occupied West Bank, including the illegal Gush Etzion settlement bloc around Jerusalem. Two wines of particular note are the Efrat Judean Hills Kosher and Vision Malbec, both produced by the Israeli Teperberg Winery. This winery openly states that some of its vineyards are in occupied Palestinian territories and even provides a map on its website showing vineyards in the occupied West Bank.

All of this is in direct contravention of the Fourth Geneva Convention and “stated” Canadian policy. Detailed information on Israeli wineries can be found in the exhaustive study done by “Who Profits” entitled Forbidden Fruit: Israeli Wine Industry and Occupation.

25 February, Nottingham: Zionism is Racism Defence Campaign Meeting

Tuesday, 25 February
6:00 pm
YMCA international community centre
61B Mansfield Rd
Nottingham, UK
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/614531419401397/

On Saturday 8 February, Daniel Green, a black pro-Palestine activist was singled out for arrest on an anti-Zionist demonstration organised by the Revolutionary Communist Group. The picket was of HSBC, targeted for its funding of arms companies supplying the racist Israeli state. Daniel was the only black person on the protest, and the only one to be targeted. This wrongful and racist arrest must be put into the context of the ongoing campaign to criminalise opposition to Zionism (a form of racism) – both in Palestine itself, and in Britain especially following the adoption of the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) definition of antisemitism. An example of ‘anti-semitism’ under the IHRA is the statement that ‘Israel is a racist endeavour’. The arrest of this activist shows that the criminalisation of support for Palestine is well underway.

Come along to this planning meeting to get involved in our campaign to demand that Nottinghamshire Police :
• Take no further action against Daniel Green
• Press no charges against anyone else present on the 8 February demonstration