Friday, 14 December 7:00 pm Polytechnic-AUTh Room 301 – Architecture Thessaloniki, Greece More info
“Freedom to all detainees, from the youngest cub to the oldest person…I carry a message of steadfastness – and defiance to the jailer.” These were the words of Palestinian student Lina Khattab as she exited Israeli jails, where she was imprisoned and tortured.
Lina Khattab, now a student at the University of Birmingham, is one of many victims of Israeli atrocities against the struggling Palestinian people. She was arrrested during a protest for Palestinian political prisoners in Beitunia in the West Bank on 13 December 2014. She was accused of “participating in an illegal demonstration” and “throwing stones” at Israeli soldiers.
After harsh interrogation, she served six months in Israeli prison, released in June 2015. She did not stop her struggle against occupation, participating in the student movement and the movement to support political prisoners and their resistance.
Lina Khattab will come to Greece as a guest of the Solidarity Initiative for the Palestinian People, to share her experiences as a young Palestinian, a student and a liberation struggler.
Solidarity Network with the Palestinian Resistance
«Ελευθερία σε όλους τους κρατούμενους, από τον μικρότερο μέχρι τον μεγαλύτερο. Φέρνω μήνυμα ακλόνητης στάσης και περιφρόνησης στους δεσμοφύλακες». Aυτά ήταν τα λόγια της φοιτήτριας Λίνα Χατάμπ, αμέσως μόλις βγήκε από το ισραηλινού κάτεργο της Οφέρ, όπου φυλακίστηκε και βασανίστηκε.
Η Λίνα Χατάμπ, φοιτήτρια στο πανεπιστήμιο Μπιρζάιτ, είναι ένα από τα πολλά θύματα της ισραηλινής βαρβαρότητας ενάντια στον αγωνιζόμενο παλαιστινιακό λαό. Συνελήφθη στη διάρκεια διαδήλωσης στους παλαιστίνιους πολιτικούς κρατούμενους στη Μπεϊτούνια της Δυτικής Οχθης, στις 13 Δεκεμβρίου του 2014. Κατηγορήθηκε για «συμμετοχή σε παράνομη διαδήλωση» και «ρίψη πετρών» σε ισραηλινούς στρατώτες.
Μεταφέρθηκε αρχικά στη φυλακή οφέρ, όπου βασανίστηκε με ξυλοδαρμό και καθήλωση σε υγρό τοίχο, σε συνθήκες χειμώνα. Στη συνέχεια, μεταφέρθηκε στο κάτεργο της Χασαρόν. Τον Φεβρουάριο του 2015 καταδικάστηκε σε ποινή εξάμηνης φυλάκισης και πρόστιμο 6.000 σέκελ (1.500 δολάρια). Αποφυλακίστηκε τον Ιούνιο του 2015 και, φυσικά, δε σταμάτησε να αγωνίζεται ενάντια στην Κατοχή, συμμετέχοντας στο φοιτητικό κίνημα, στο κίνημα συμπαράστασης στους πολιτικούς κρατούμενους και σε κάθε αντικατοχική εκδήλωση διαμαρτυρίας και αντίστασης.
Η Λίνα Χατάμπ έρχεται στην Ελλάδα καλεσμένη της Πρωτοβουλίας Αλληλεγγύης στον Παλαιστινιακό Λαό. Θα συμμετέχει σε εκδήλωση της Πρωτοβουλίας στην Αθήνα και θα επισκεφτεί τη Θεσσαλονίκη, καλεσμένη οργανώσεων και συλλογικοτήτων της πόλης ( Αριστερή Συσπείρωση, Δικτύωση Αλληλεγγύης στην Παλαιστινιακή Αντίσταση, Ενωση Φίλων Παλαιστίνης, ΚΚΕ(μ-λ), Κόντρα).
Η Λίνα θα μοιραστεί μαζί μας τις εμπειρίες μιας νέας Παλαιστίνιας, φοιτήτριας και αγωνίστριας του απελευθερωτικού αγώνα.
Η εκδήλωση στην Αθήνα θα γίνει στο Πολυτεχνείο (αμφ. Γκίνη) την Πέμπτη 13 Δεκεμβρίου, στις 7μμ. και στη Θεσσαλονίκη στο Πολυτεχνείο-ΑΠΘ (αίθουσα 301 Αρχιτεκτονικής), την Παρασκευή 14 Δεκεμβρίου, στις 7μμ.
Thursday, 13 December 7:00 pm Gini Auditorium Athens Polytechnic Athens, Greece More info
“Freedom to all detainees, from the youngest cub to the oldest person…I carry a message of steadfastness – and defiance to the jailer.” These were the words of Palestinian student Lina Khattab as she exited Israeli jails, where she was imprisoned and tortured.
Lina Khattab, now a student at the University of Birmingham, is one of many victims of Israeli atrocities against the struggling Palestinian people. She was arrrested during a protest for Palestinian political prisoners in Beitunia in the West Bank on 13 December 2014. She was accused of “participating in an illegal demonstration” and “throwing stones” at Israeli soldiers.
After harsh interrogation, she served six months in Israeli prison, released in June 2015. She did not stop her struggle against occupation, participating in the student movement and the movement to support political prisoners and their resistance.
Lina Khattab will come to Greece as a guest of the Solidarity Initiative for the Palestinian People, to share her experiences as a young Palestinian, a student and a liberation struggler. The event will take place at the Polytechnic (Gini Auditorium) on Thursday, 13 December at 7 pm. The speech will be followed by a discussion with the attendees.
«Ελευθερία σε όλους τους κρατούμενους, από τον μικρότερο μέχρι τον μεγαλύτερο. Φέρνω μήνυμα ακλόνητης στάσης και περιφρόνησης στους δεσμοφύλακες». Aυτά ήταν τα λόγια της φοιτήτριας Λίνα Χατάμπ, αμέσως μόλις βγήκε από το ισραηλινού κάτεργο της Οφέρ, όπου φυλακίστηκε και βασανίστηκε.
Η Λίνα Χατάμπ, φοιτήτρια στο πανεπιστήμιο Μπιρζάιτ, είναι ένα από τα πολλά θύματα της ισραηλινής βαρβαρότητας ενάντια στον αγωνιζόμενο παλαιστινιακό λαό. Συνελήφθη στη διάρκεια διαδήλωσης στους παλαιστίνιους πολιτικούς κρατούμενους στη Μπεϊτούνια της Δυτικής Οχθης, στις 13 Δεκεμβρίου του 2014. Κατηγορήθηκε για «συμμετοχή σε παράνομη διαδήλωση» και «ρίψη πετρών» σε ισραηλινούς στρατώτες.
Μεταφέρθηκε αρχικά στη φυλακή οφέρ, όπου βασανίστηκε με ξυλοδαρμό και καθήλωση σε υγρό τοίχο, σε συνθήκες χειμώνα. Στη συνέχεια, μεταφέρθηκε στο κάτεργο της Χασαρόν. Τον Φεβρουάριο του 2015 καταδικάστηκε σε ποινή εξάμηνης φυλάκισης και πρόστιμο 6.000 σέκελ (1.500 δολάρια). Αποφυλακίστηκε τον Ιούνιο του 2015 και, φυσικά, δε σταμάτησε να αγωνίζεται ενάντια στην Κατοχή, συμμετέχοντας στο φοιτητικό κίνημα, στο κίνημα συμπαράστασης στους πολιτικούς κρατούμενους και σε κάθε αντικατοχική εκδήλωση διαμαρτυρίας και αντίστασης.
Η Λίνα Χατάμπ θα έρθει στην Ελλάδα, καλεσμένη της Πρωτοβουλίας Αλληλεγγύης στον Παλαιστινιακό λαό και θα μοιραστεί μαζί μας τις εμπειρίες μιας νέας Παλαιστίνιας, φοιτήτριας και αγωνίστριας του απελευθερωτικού αγώνα. Η εκδήλωση θα γίνει στο Πολυτεχνείο (αμφιθέατρο Γκίνη), την Πέμπτη 13 Φεβρουαρίου, στις 7μμ. Μετά την ομιλία της Λίνα Χατάμπ θα ακολουθήσει συζήτηση με τους παρευρισκόμενους.
Ενα χρόνο μετά την προκλητική αναγνώριση της Ιερουσαλήμ ως πρωτεύουσας του Ισραήλ από την αμερικανική κυβέρνηση (6 Δεκέμβρη του 2017), οι Παλαιστίνιοι δυναμώνουν την αντίστασή τους ενάντια στην ισραηλινή κατοχή, κάτω από ιδιαίτερα αντίξοες συνθήκες, με δυσμενείς διεθνείς συσχετισμούς. Η σιωνιστική βαρβαρότητα βαθαίνει, ενισχυμένη από την ασυλία που της παρέχει συνεχώς η ιμπεριαλιστική Δύση. Διακόσιοι νεκροί και δέκα χιλιάδες τραυματίες είναι ο φόρος αίματος που καταβάλλουν επί έξι μήνες οι Παλαιστίνιοι στη «νεκρή ζώνη» γύρω από την πολιορκημένη Λωρίδα της Γάζας, διεκδικώντας το Δικαίωμα της Επιστροφής στις πατρογονικές τους εστίες, από τις οποίες ξεριζώθηκαν και ξεριζώνονται εδώ και δεκαετίες.
Prior to the Israeli attack, he had been imprisoned since 2002 by the Palestinian Authority under U.S. and British guard. The imprisonment of prominent Palestinians like Sa’adat played a role in the 2006 Palestinian Legislative Council elections in which the legislative party associated with Hamas, the Change and Reform Bloc, prevailed. Less than a week before the new PA officials were to be sworn in, Israeli armed forces attacked the Jericho prison, killing two Palestinians.
Since that time, Sa’adat was sentenced to 30 years in Israeli prison, even though he was not charged in the assassination of Rehavam Ze’evi. The notoriously far-right Israeli tourism minister was assassinated by PFLP fighters after the Israeli army assassinated PFLP General Secretary Abu Ali Mustafa in his Ramallah office, using a U.S.-made and –provided helicopter-fired missile on August 29, 2001. Several of Sa’adat’s comrades were sentenced to life imprisonment after the raid.
Israeli officials have repeatedly demonstrated their fear of Sa’adat’s political influence. He was held under isolation for three years, an isolation that ended as part of the 2012 Karameh mass hunger strike. He writes and issues statements from prison, thanks to the creative work of fellow prisoners and their comrades in making sure that the writing and analysis of Palestinian prisoners are not isolated from the world. The interview follows below:
Q: How would you assess the current situation in Palestine and the attitude of the U.S. administration under Donald Trump?
First of all, I would like to thank you for this interview. It is absolutely crucial to communicate with Italian readers and explain the Palestinian left vision for the current situation in Palestine and in the region. We view the United States, under the Trump administration, as an extremely dangerous power, not only for the Palestinian people and for our region, but for all of the people of the world. It is often said that the only difference between Trump and previous administrations is that Trump reveals the true, ugly face of capitalism and imperialism, taking the use of plunder, hegemony and exploitation to an extreme level.
Trump’s declaration on recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of the Israeli state and the transfer of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is the natural continuation of 100 years of colonization in Palestine and the 1917 Balfour Declaration. It is part and parcel of the ongoing attempt to liquidate Palestinian rights and to accelerate the ethnic cleansing of our people, especially in Jerusalem. Palestinians across the board politically reject Trump’s attempt to eliminate the Palestinian cause. Our people are resisting and rejecting this attempt not only with words, but with action: the launch of a true, heroic popular uprising in Gaza – the Great March of Return, in the spirit of the first Intifada and with the participation of the PFLP and a broad range of Palestinian political forces.
2) What current strategy would allow for the rebuilding of a strong Palestinian liberation movement?
The main task facing us today is the project of rebuilding and reconstructing the Palestinian national liberation movement. The primary Palestinian national objective today is to place Palestine, once again, on the road of liberation by restating and reaffirming the essence of the Palestinian struggle. That is, the return of the refugees and building the liberated, democratic secular society in Palestine – not the “Palestinian state on 1967 borders alongside Israel.”
A historic and devastating rupture has taken place in the Palestinian movement after the signing of the Oslo accords in 1993. This has distorted the true meaning of our struggle and the essence of the conflict. An entire Palestinian generation has been born and grown up since the signing of that catastrophic document on 13 September 1993 in Washington, D.C. Since then, the Palestinian movement has been shattered, splintered and chaotic.
As for the immediate tasks, it is critical to reestablish the Palestinian national liberation front, the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) if you will, in order to provide the necessary conditions for a renaissance of the Palestinian movement and the Palestinian revolution. We come from a different perspective than both Fateh and Hamas, and we are committed to a real national unity that includes our progressive framework and which must be based on popular representation and participation. All Palestinian classes must be a part of this process, and the popular classes must not be excluded from the leadership of the movement as they have been for the past 40 years. The freedom of Palestine will be won by the people, not the elites.
3) What alternative political direction does the PFLP suggest?
We think that the main premise of change is popular participation that allows Palestinians to participate in the struggle and in political decision-making, in a manner that is effective and meaningful. This not only requires struggle against occupation, but also struggle to regain those Palestinian rights to participate in our own movement. For example, in Jordan, there are over four million Palestinians whose demands, needs and calls to action may seem to be absent. However, they must be heard. The same is true for Palestinians in Lebanon, Syria and elsewhere, as well as those in Palestine.
Popular participation and leadership is necessary for rebuilding the resistance movement against Zionist colonization and implementing a strategy for the liberation of Palestine. This must also take place in the diaspora as well as in Palestine, in Europe and elsewhere in the world where there are Palestinians. If our communities are always threatened by all kinds of criminalization, repressive laws and right-wing attacks, then our tasks will be more difficult. The cornerstone of our vision lies upon this – people’s right to participate in developing their future. This is the most advanced, democratic process of participation which we are fighting for, unlike those who have imposed an elite hegemony on the Palestinian people.
4) The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine has marked the fiftieth anniversary of its founding. How do you evaluate the situation of the Front today?
The Front concluded its seventh convention in early 2014, and we are now approaching the eighth convention of the Front. This will be an opportunity for all of our comrades inside and outside Palestine to assess the strengths and weaknesses of our Front and evaluate its advances and retreats.
In the last five years, we can say that the Front has faced tremendous difficulties and challenges that have manifested political and financial siege: repression, mass arrests of its cadres, the killing of cadres. Yet we have advanced in our military capabilities in Gaza because we do not face the same conditions that we do in the West Bank under occupation and Palestinian Authority security coordination. Several comrades – including myself – are imprisoned precisely because of this security coordination between the PA and the occupier, but we are not alone in this regard. Hundreds of cadres have been subject to oppression and arrests as well.
In terms of the Front organizationally, we also have made progress in terms of youth participation and renewal in various different aspects of our work. It is always challenging to accumulate achievements due to our circumstances, so we are always engaged in a process of building and rebuilding.
5) How has the PFLP changed since its foundation until now?
The Front has changed tremendously in that time – we are talking about half of a century. There are four stages in the life of our party. The first, which could be identified as the “Jordan era,” from 1967 until 1972; the second, the experience of the Palestinian Revolution and the PFLP in Lebanon, from 1973 until 1982; the third, the first great Palestinian popular uprising from 1987 until 1993; and, since then, we have been living the stage of the so-called Oslo process.
Now, these changes have affected the Front on many levels: political, theoretical, organizational. These have affected us as they have others: the wars in the region, the peace pacts between Arab regimes and Israel, the fall of the Soviet Union and the larger socialist bloc and the liquidation process (also labeled the “peace process.”) All of these factors and many others have affected the Front, its strength and its analysis.
Certain positions which we took in a time of retreat made the Front look more “realist,” but that was due to internal contradictions in the Front. We discussed this publicly in our documents from the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Conventions. The Front always engages in self-criticism and we do not hesitate to point out our shortcomings. But the conclusion to which we have arrived, from 1992 until today, is that the party, like our people, is living through a comprehensive crisis, theoretically, politically, financially and otherwise, and this crisis can only be overcome through resistance and struggle at all levels.
6) How do you see the role of the prisoners’ movement inside Israeli prisons?
The prisoners’ movement inside Israeli jails has, historically, played a major and central role in the fight against Zionist oppression. This comes not only in our daily confrontation of the occupier and prisoners’ responsibility as the first advanced rank of the revolution but also in our role in the overall political scene in Palestine.
We must remember that the national consensus agreement for Palestinian national unity has been called the Prisoners’ Document. It was drafted inside prisons and formed the basis of all later discussions for the Palestinian movement’s national unity. The prisoners’ movement has lived through various experiences of campaigns, hunger strikes, and prisoners lives’ being taken under torture.
We political prisoners have been called the vanguard and the heart of the Palestinian revolution. This is because Israel always targets the Palestinian movements and their leaders for imprisonment – student movements, women’s movements, labor movements, youth movements. In essence, prisons have been a place where all of these aspects of our movement meet and engage in thorough discussions. That is why Palestinians often call prisons “the schools of the revolution.”
We are not separated from the liberation movement outside prison. Palestinian prisoners are from all of Palestine – the West Bank, Gaza, Jerusalem, the Triangle, the Naqab, Galilee, all of our land. We also consider Palestinian political prisoners in American and French jails as part of our movement, particularly Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, imprisoned in France for over 34 years.
The two were held under harsh interrogation for 44 days at the Moskobiyeh interrogation center, during which Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association reported that they were subject to torture and ill treatment, including sleep deprivation, lengthy interrogation sessions, the use of stress positions and threats against themselves and their families. In addition, occupation forces seized Haitham’s mother and brought her to the interrogation center in order to put further pressure and attempt to extract confessions from him.
Haitham Siyaj and Seif al-Idrissi. Phot: Addameer
Failing to do so despite these tactics, the occupation military commander over the West Bank ordered Haitham Siyaj to six months in administrative detention, imprisonment without charge or trial, on 21 October. On 24 October, Seif al-Idrissi received the same detention order, and they have been held without charge or trial since that time. The military court confirmed both of their administrative detention orders on 4 December.
Both al-Idrissi and Siyaj have been detained on multiple occasions. Neither has been charged or tried; instead they have been ordered to administrative detention without charge or trial. Administrative detention orders are indefinitely renewable, and Palestinians have spent years at a time jailed under these orders, which are used especially against leading activists and political figures like Palestinian legislator and feminist Khalida Jarrar.
Photo: Basil al-Araj
Basil al-Araj was assassinated by Israeli occupation forces on 6 March 2017 after being pursued for months by these occupation soldiers. He was known as a youth leader and intellectual who wrote prolifically about the Palestinian cause, participating in protests, demonstrations and transnational mobilizations for boycott and against Israeli apartheid. In April 2016, al-Araj and five other Palestinian youth, including Siyaj and al-Idrissi as well as Mohammed al-Salameen, Mohammed Harb and Ali Dar al-Sheikh, were seized by Palestinian Authority forces in what was then hailed as a victory for security coordination between the PA and Israel.
During their time in PA prison, they were subjected to torture and ill-treatment and launched a hunger strike after almost six months held behind bars. They were detained without charge for most of that time. Shortly after their release, four of the youth – Siyaj, al-Idrissi, Harb and al-Salameen – were seized by Israeli occupation forces and ordered to administrative detention. Throughout this time, al-Araj remained outside their grasp, although armed occupation forces repeatedly invaded his family home in the pre-dawn hours.
Photo: New York protest demands justice for Basil al-Araj. Credit: Joe Catron
When occupation forces attacked the apartment where al-Araj was staying in El-Bireh, he resisted their attack for two hours and refused to turn himself over to them. He was shot by at least 10 bullets, in his heart, back, chest, rib cage, abdomen, liver and spleen. Thousands of Palestinians marched in his funeral, and Palestinians and solidarity activists around the world organized protests to demand an end to PA security coordination with Israel. Outrage against the PA only deepened when the five surviving youth – and even al-Araj – were charged with dubious political charges in PA courts while being held in administrative detention, charges that were eventually dropped after mass protests.
Since that time, the al-Araj family and Basil’s comrades have been repeatedly subject to persecution and attacks by occupation forces; these administrative detention orders and the arrest of Said al-Araj are part and parcel of these same repressive tactics.
Ayse Duzkan with Fadwa Barghouthi. Photo: BDS Turkey
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network expresses its strongest solidarity and raises its voice for the immediate cancellation of the sentencing order against Ayşe Düzkan, Palestine solidarity activist, feminist and journalist in Turkey.
Ayşe, an activist for Palestine involved with BDS Turkey since its the earliest days of, has been ordered to report to prison within the next week after she was convicted for serving as an “honorary editor in chief” for Özgür Gündem, a Kurdish newspaper banned by the Turkish state.
The history of Özgür Gündem is one of repression; founded in 1992, 89 employees of the publication were killed on duty. Its buildings have been bombed and its employees and managers repeatedly imprisoned.
Ozkur Gundem, the targeted newspaper. Photo: Sendika.org.
She was convicted with four more journalists, Hüseyin Aykol, Mehmet Ali Çelebi, Hüseyin Bektas and Ragip Duran. Aykol was sentenced to 3 years and 9 months while Düzkan, Çelebi, Bektas and Duran were ordered to 1 year and 6 months in prison. While their sentences were issued in January 2018, the Istanbul appeals court approved the sentences on 29 November. They are awaiting the official notification that they must report to prison within 10 days.
Several of the targeted journalists are members of the DISK Press-Work Union, and Ayse Düzkan is a member of the union’s board. The appeals court said that they received these lengthy sentences due to their “behavior in the hearing and lack of remorse” for their journalistic activity. The union noted that these sentences come “in a period when constitutional rights are disregarded and the Constitutional Court is deemed not to exist…we know that the punishments are given in a political context and not in a legal context.”
They are far from the only political prisoners in Turkey; the period following the attempted 2016 coup – linked, if anything, to right-wing and military interests – has witnessed massive repression of left and progressive activists and organizations. Dozens of lawyers, including the leadership of CHD, the Progressive Lawyers’ Association (the Turkish affiliate of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers), have been jailed. Across Europe, Turkish and Kurdish activists have been pursued on the basis of complaints from the Turkish government.
Ayse Duzkan speaks at a Palestine solidarity rally. Photo: BDS Turkey.
Ayşe Düzkan is a strong supporter of Palestinian political prisoners and the Palestinian people’s struggle overall as a founding member of BDS Turkey. As an editor and journalist, she has worked to highlight the cases of the dozens of Palestinian journalists imprisoned by the Israeli occupation for their commitment to showing and telling the stories of their people. She has worked to translate Palestinian authors in Turkish and coordinate with human rights organizations to highlight the struggles of Palestinian prisoners while struggling for the freedom of Turkish and Kurdish prisoners. She introduced Samidoun and its work to several organizations working in Turkey to free political prisoners.
We express our full solidarity with Ayşe Düzkan, all victims of repression and all political prisoners in Turkish jails. We demand their immediate release and the end to the political persecution of activists, workers, teachers, journalists and lawyers .
Mustapha Awad, Palestinian refugee and Belgian citizen, co-founder of Raj’een Dabkeh Troupe and metal worker, was sentenced on 28 November by an Israeli court to one year in prison. Like the vast majority of so-called “security” or political cases in Israeli courts (military or “civil”) against Palestinians, the case concluded in a plea agreement. For Palestinians, the consequences of rejecting such an agreement can include trial processes that stretch on for months or even years before the imposition of a lengthy sentence.
Awad, 36 and a longtime activist for Palestinian rights – including the freedom of Palestinian political prisoners – was seized by Israeli occupation forces in an alarming incident on 19 July. Born in Ein el-Helweh refugee camp in Lebanon, Awad wanted to visit Palestine for the first time. Instead of being welcomed to his homeland or even being interrogated and deported as numerous Palestinians with international citizenships – as well as international solidarity activists – have been, he was seized by occupation forces and taken to interrogation inside occupied Palestine.
Photo: Free Mustapha Committee
Awad was interrogated for nearly a month, sometimes under severe pressure and reportedly up to 20 hours out of the day, deprived of sleep. He faced accusations of “membership in an illegal organization,” allegedly the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Every major Palestinian political party has been labeled “illegal” by the Israeli occupation, and even members of student blocs and mass organizations are regularly hit with this charge by the Israeli occupation.
The “Free Mustapha” Committee, an alliance of dozens of organizations and individuals, continues to fundraise to support Mustapha’s legal fees and pressure Belgium to demand his release. As documented by David Cronin in the Electronic Intifada, the Belgian government has failed to take action on Awad’s case, despite the fact that his only citizenship is Belgian. Instead, while Awad has been visited by the Belgian consul, Belgium has not responded to repeated meetings and demands from Awad’s Belgian family and friends to put serious pressure on Israel for his release.
“We have the impression that Belgium is abandoning a Belgian citizen… It should be very clear to say that we do not accept the treatment of a Belgian citizen like that because tomorrow it can be you, it can be me, and it is unacceptable,” said Belgian lawyer and honorary president of the League of Human Rights Alexis Deswaef.
The next protest for Awad’s freedom and in solidarity with Palestine will take place on Tuesday, 11 December at 5:30 pm in the city of Mons, in Grand Place. Previous events have taken place in cities across Belgium, including Brussels, Charleroi, Antwerp and Ghent. Awad’s case has been featured at a range of Palestine and social justice events in Belgium, including the event organized for the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People featuring French-Palestinian lawyer and recently released political prisoner Salah Hamouri.
Salah Hamouri says “Free Mustapha”
Awad’s case has sparked concern from many active Palestinians, especially those with European citizenship, given that it seems to mark an even more intensely escalated level of repression against Palestinians seeking to visit their homeland. Now, Palestinians with international citizenships coming to Palestine not only have to be concerned about racism, harsh interrogations and forced exclusion from their homeland, but also with the possibility of political arrest, interrogation and imprisonment.
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network reiterates our demand for the immediate release of Mustapha Awad. We call on the Belgian government to demand his liberation and to take a stand for Mustapha and other Palestinians facing exclusion and repression at the hands of the Israeli state, including all Palestinian refugees denied their internationally recognized right to return to their homeland.
To donate to the Free Mustapha committee for Mustapha’s legal bills, use the following bank information:
Free Mustafa
BE96 7360 5044 3805.
BIC: KRED BE BB
Below is the press release from the Free Mustapha Committee:
Belgian worker and artist Mustapha Awad sentenced to one year in prison in Israel.
Yesterday our dear friend Mustapha Awad was sentenced by an Israeli court to 12 months in prison. He was sentenced on the basis of « confessions » obtained under conditions related to torture (secret detention, forced interrogation 20H/day, sleep deprivation). In reality, it is an empty file, dealing with facts for which he could not be convicted in Belgium.
Mustapha is accused of belonging to an « illegal » organization: for Israel any organization that resists occupation and apartheid is illegal. The Israeli court mentions a « training »: in fact, it is a computer security course, which could be organized by any human rights organization. As for support for « financing », the facts mentioned concern humanitarian action.
Once again, the Free Mustapha Committee asserts that Mustapha’s imprisonment is fundamentally unfair and unacceptable and the Committee will continue to demand his immediate release, as well as the end of Belgium’s official silence around this affair.
This message was also delivered at meeting with the Foreign Ministry on the day of conviction in Israel by delegation composed of An Muylaert – Mustapha’s Belgian mother, Alexis Deswaef – Honorary President of the League of Human Rights, Pierre Galand – President of the ABP and the World Organization Against Torture, Hamdan Al Damiri, and Myriam De Ly – members of the Free Mustapha Committee.
The delegation firmly asked that Minister Reynders take a public stand that Belgium can not tolerate such violations of international law and human rights and calls for the immediate release of Mustapha Awad. The Free Mustapha Committee has already organized a new protest action. It will take place on Tuesday, December 11, at 17:30 on the Grand Place of Mons.
Freedom for Mustapha! Freedom for all Palestinian prisoners!
Activists from the Internationalt Forum were subjected to a shocking experience during a flyering action last week encouraging the boycott of Israeli goods.
Two men threatened the activists’ lives, knocking the flyers out of their hands and shouting at them.
This incident is another proof of the sort of understanding of democracy that the apartheid state of Israel and its followers, including those in Denmark, have.
Read below a description of the experience by one of the group members.
Join us to help build the next boycott action on 11 December at 3:30 pm in front of the Helsingør City Center.
“Death threats during Boykot Israel action at Stengade.
‘Are you aware of how many Mossad people we have in Denmark?’ (Mossad is the Israeli intelligence service.) Me: ‘I know that Mossad has murdered 27 leading PLO people around the world.’ Him: ‘Yes, and Mossad has eyes on you. You’ll be the next one to kill.’ Me: ‘And you think it’s OK to threaten to kill me for saying my opinion about Israel?’ Him: ‘You’re not worth it!’
That and much else happened when I and another boycott activist encountered these men during the boycott action in front of the City Center Friday afternoon – first by one man, who then returned a half-hour later with “reinforcement.” We are from Israel, they said…or shouted, as they appeared aggressive and threatening throughout the encounter.
They were even more angered when I asked how they were dealing with the apartheid law adopted by the Israeli parliament in July of this year, in which only Jews have full rights in Israel.
The most aggressive of the two slammed the flyers out of my hand and became even more physically threatening when I asked if it was the kind of democracy that Israel stands for.
This episode has been reported to the police. If someone has taken pictures, please send them to us to help identify the two Israelis. Please send to info@internationaltforum.dk.
Reports by the Israeli government and the Rand Corporation have predicted that the global movement to boycott Israel, BDS, could cost Israel billions of dollars. Valencia, Spain’s third largest city has adopted the boycott of Israel along with 11 other cities in Spain, Trondheim in Norway and Norwegian labor union boycotts. Similarly, various university councils and organizations around the world have adopted the boycott and the movement is growing every day and is effective.
Mossad’s goons should not tell us what to do and say.
Helsingør and Denmark must take a stand against Israel’s assault on Palestine.
So turn up for the boycott of Israel. Otherwise, you support Israel’s war crimes in Gaza, the apartheid regime, illegal settlements, silent ethnic cleansing, political detention and abuse of Palestinian children.
The next boycott action is 11 December, 3:30 pm in front of the city center. After, around 5:00 pm, we will meet for a snack at Cafe Kaiser.”
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Aktivister fra Internationalt Forum Nordsjælland blev i sidste uge udsat for en rystende oplevelse under en flyeruddeling, der opfordrede til boykot af israelske varer.
To mænd truede aktivisterne på livet, slog deres flyers ud af hænderne på dem og råbte, indtil de gik igen.
Hændelsen er endnu et bevis på den forståelse af demokrati, som apartheid-staten Israel og dens tilhængere, også her i Danmark, har.
Læs herunder et læserindlæg, som medlemmerne af gruppen har indsendt til lokalaviserne i Nordsjælland.
Og hvis du har mulighed, kom og støt op om den næste boykot aktion den 11. december kl 15.30 foran Bycentret i Helsingør.
Trusler på livet under Boykot Israel aktion på Stengade.
”Er du klar over, hvor mange Mossad-folk vi har i Danmark?”. (Mossad er Israel efterretningstjeneste). Mig: ”Jeg ved, at Mossad har myrdet 27 ledende PLO-folk rundt om i Verden” ”Ja, og Mossad har øjnene på dig. Du bliver den næste, de slår ihjel.” Mig: ”Og det synes du er ok – at jeg skal slås ihjel for at sige min mening om Israel?” ”Du er jo ikke bedre værd!”
Det og meget andet blev jeg og en anden Boykotaktivist mødt med under Boykotaktionen foran Bycentret fredag eftermiddag – først af én mand, som så vendte tilbage en ½ time efter med ”forstærkning”. Vi er fra Israel, sagde de 2 …. eller råbte, for de optrådte aggressivt og truende under hele forløbet.
Det gik helt galt for de israelske temperamenter, da jeg spurgte, hvordan de havde det med den apartheidlov, som det israelske parlament vedtog i juli i år, hvor kun jøder har fulde rettigheder i Israel.
Den mest aggressive af de to slog løbesedlerne ud af hånden på mig, og blev endnu mere fysisk truende, da jeg spurgte, om det var den form for demokrati, Israel står for.
Episoden er anmeldt til politiet. Hvis nogen, har taget billeder, vil det støtte anmeldelsen, for der mangler en del til signalementerne af de 2 israelere. Send gerne til info@internationaltforum.dk
Rapporter fra den israelske regering og the Rand Corporation har forudset, at den globale boykot-Israel-bevægelse, BDS, kan koste Israel milliarder af dollars. Valencia, Spaniens tredjestørste by boykotter Israel sammen med 11 andre byer i Spanien. Trondheim i Norge og norsk LO boykotter. Det samme gør adskillige universiteter og organisationer Verden over, og bevægelsen vokser hver dag. Og bevægelsen har jo åbenbart effekt.
Mossads gorillaer skal ikke fortælle os, hvad vi må mene og gøre.
Helsingør og Danmark må vise fanen mod Israels overgreb i Palæstina.
Så skru op for boykot af Israel. Ellers støtter du Israels krigsforbrydelser i Gaza, apartheidregimet, ulovlige bosættelser, den stille etniske udrensning, politiske fængslinger, overgreb mod Palæstinas børn m.m.m.
Næste boykotaktion er d. 11. december kl. 15.30 foran Bycentret. Bagefter, ca kl 17, mødes vi til en cafésnak på Café Kaiser. Vel mødt!
December 10: A Day of Action Against Fascism and Racism
The Trump administration has emboldened the growth of the alt-right, far-right, and fascists across North America. We have seen the consequences: from the deadly white supremacist attacks in Charlottesville; to the antisemitic massacre in Pittsburgh; the racist murder of Black people in Louisville; the deadly violence against women; and attacks against immigrants and refugees. We have also seen organized assaults against anti-fascist protesters.
The rise of fascism in the United States further emboldens the growth of the far-right and fascism internationally. We have seen the spread of far-right governments and fascist movements from Hungary, to India, the Philippines, and most recently with the election of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil.
We are organizations and activists calling for this December 10, long recognized as “International Human Rights Day,” to be a Day of Action Against Fascism and Racism.
We come together against the attacks on migrants and refugees, Muslim and Jewish communities, Black and Brown people, transgender and queer people, women, Indigenous peoples and their sovereignty, the disabled, and all other working class and oppressed communities. An injury to one is an injury to all.
Some things you can do as individuals, organizations, or coalitions on Dec. 10:
-Plan specific anti-fascist and anti-racist actions like solidarity statements, panels, teach-ins, speak-outs, rallies, or marches
-Connect anti-fascism and anti-racism to ongoing local campaigns.
-Affirm and celebrate anti-fascism and anti-racism in community, artistic, or cultural events.
-Use the hashtags #AllAgainstFascism #AllAgainstRacism
For more information, to endorse the Day of Action, or to list your event, contact: AllAgainstFascism@gmail.com.
See you on Monday, December 10
#AllAgainstFascism #AllAgainstRacism.
Endorsements of this call to action include (list in formation)…
Individuals: -Alan Wald, Emeritus Professor, University of Michigan -Alan Maass, Editor, Socialist Worker -Alex Schmaus, International Socialist Organization -Alpana Mehta, International Socialist Organization -Andrew Ross, Professor of Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis, New York University -Ben Manski, Democracy advocate -Bernadette Devlin-McAliskey, Irish socialist and civil rights activist -Bhaskar Sunkara, Editor, Jacobin* -Bill Fletcher, Writer, activist -Bill V. Mullen, Professor of American Studies, Purdue; Campus Antifascist Network -Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Syracuse University -Dave Zirin, Sports Editor, The Nation; author What’s My Name Fool -David Palumbo-Liu, the Louise Hewlett Nixon Professor, Stanford University; Campus Antifascist Network -Diana Buttu, Palestinian human rights attorney and journalist -Dina Gilio-Whitaker, Native journalist, scholar, author -Françoise Vergés, political scientist, feminist activist, Paris -Henry Giroux, Dept. of English and Cultural Studies, McMaster University -Jill Stein, Green Party presidential nominee (2012, 2016) -Jorge Mujica, Labor organizer and journalist -Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, Author, From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation -Lamis Deek, Attorney and human rights advocate -Lawrence Cox, Author, Why Social Movements Matter; Senior Lecturer, National University of Ireland, Maynooth -Michael Letwin, former President, Association of Legal Aid Attorneys/UAW 2325 -Mireille Fanon Mendes France, Frantz Fanon Foundation, ex-UN expert -Nada Elia, journalist -Ninotchka Rosca, journalist and author -Patrick Bond, Professor of political economy, University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa) -Robin D.G Kelley, Gary B. Nash Endowed Chair, UCLA -Roxane Dunbar-Ortiz, Author, An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States -Satya Mohanty, Cornell University -Scott Kurashige, scholar and author -Shane Burley, journalist -Steven Salaita, Independent scholar -Todd Alan Price, AAUP Illinois State Council; Director of Policy Studies, National Louis University -Tom Morello, Musician, activist -Verta Taylor, Professor of Sociology and Women’s Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara -Wagatwe Wanjuki, Feminist activist, writer -William Robinson, Professor of Sociology and Global Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara
Groups: -Al-Awda NY: The Palestine Right to Return Coalition -Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition in the US -Alliance for a Secular and Democratic South Asia -Architects & Planners for Justice in Palestine (APJP) -Black4Palestine -British Committee for the Universities of Palestine -Campus Anti-Fascist Network -Campus Anti-Fascist Network U.K. -CODE PINK -Committee to Stop FBI Repression-NYC -Council on American-Islamic Relations – SF Bay Area -Existence is Resistance -Freedom Socialist Party -Hate-Free Schools Coalition of Albemarle County -International Socialist Organization -Jewish Voice for Labour, UK -Jews for Palestinian Right of Return -LA4Palestine -Labor for Palestine -Labor for Standing Rock -Liberty Tree -Manilatown Heritage Foundation -March for Racial Justice -Move to Amend -Movimento Alternativa Socialista (MAS/Portugal) -National Lawyers Guild-Massachusetts Chapter -National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP) -NYC Solidarity with Palestine -Oxford Antifascists -Revolutionary Socialism in the 21st Century (RS21) -Resistência (Corrente Interna do PSOL/Brasil) -Rutgers University AAUP -Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network -Showing Up for Racial Justice Charlottesville -Socialist Alternative -Toronto New Socialists -Tree of Life Educational Fund (TOLEF) -US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (USACBI) -US Campaign for Palestinian Rights -WESPAC Foundation -Workers’ Voice / La Voz de l@s Trabajadores
*Organization listed for identification purposes only
WHAT: Send Love Through The Walls Holiday Card-Writing For Political Prisoners WHEN: 3:00-8:00pm, Sunday, December 9th, 2018 WHERE: 263 Eastern Parkway, Apartment 5D (Direction Below) phone: 718.783.8141 COST: FREE (Donations to cover the cost of stamps greatly appreciated)
In what many prisoners have told us is their favorite event of the year, Resistance in Brooklyn and NYC Anarchist Black Cross again join forces to bring you the annual holiday card-writing party for U.S. held political prisoners, prisoners of war, and prisoners of conscience. This event is always a lot of fun, the food outstanding, the camaraderie lively, and the handmade cards flat out amazing. This year will be no different. So plan to bring your friends, your creativity, and a healthy appetite. We’ll have updates on the pp/pow campaigns as well as paints, markers, crayons, and envelopes.
Directions: Getting to 263 Eastern Parkway is simple: From the 2/3/4/5 or Franklin Avenue Shuttle:
Franklin Avenue Stop: Walk west on Eastern Parkway (away from Franklin Avenue, toward Classon Avenue). We’re about half a block down on the north side of the street. When you go into the building, take the elevator to your left.
For more information, contact: Resistance in Brooklyn– resistanceinbrooklyn07 at gmail dot com NYC Anarchist Black Cross– nycabc at riseup dot net
11 December marks 145 days that Mustapha Awad has been unjustly detained in Israeli jails.
In this context, the Free Mustapha Committee and organizations and associations of Mons and Borinage call for a rally on Tuesday, 11 December 2018 at 5:30 pm in front of the Mons Town Hall to challenge the political leaders of Mons to demand the release of Mustapha.
The Raj’een dance troupe, founded by Mustapha, will be present and perform dabkeh dance, as well as dances from the Maison des Jeunes de Cuesmes, who will perform freestyle hip-hop dance in solidarity with Mustapha and in support of the campaign.
The rally will conclude with the handing over of a statement to city officials concerning Mustapha’s situation.
Please join us in number on 11 December to call with us: Free Mustapha Awad!!
Ce 11 décembre cela fera 145 jours que Mustapha Awad aura été injustement retenu dans les geôles israéliennes.
Dans ce cadre, la plate-forme Free Mustapha ainsi que ses organisations et associations partenaires de Mons et du Borinage appellent à un rassemblement le mardi 11 décembre 2018 à 17h30 devant l’Hotel de Ville de Mons afin de pouvoir interpeller les responsables politiques montois afin qu’ils réclament la libération de Mustapha.
La troupe de danse Raj’een, fondée par Mustapha, sera présente et réalisera une performance de dabkeh, ainsi que des danseurs de la Maison des Jeunes de Cuesmes qui danseront du hip-hop Freestyle en soutien à la campagne et en solidarité à Mustapha.
Le rassemblement se clôturera par la remise à un responsable du collège échevinal d’une interpellation citoyenne concernant la situation de Mustapha.
Nous vous attendons donc nombreux et nombreuses ce 11 décembre pour clamer haut et fort avec nous:
