AFPS and BDS France 63 invite all to an action calling for freedom for Palestinian political prisoners. Long-term imprisonment is a structural component of colonialism and Israeli apartheid in order to suppress a people demanding justice. Since 1967, more than 850,000 Palestinians have been imprisoned. In April 2017, there were 6,300 prisoners in Israeli jails.
Administrative detention: total denial of rights. Those subject to this include Salah Hamouri, Franco-Palestinian lawyer and Khalida Jarrar, parliamentarian
Detention of children: an unacceptable scandal, as in the case of Ahed Tamimi, 16 years old.
Prison for life – hunting leaders, like Marwan Barghouthi, a legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.
How to express our solidarity here in France? Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions
**
AFPS-BDSF 63 vous invitent à une action de tractage (fichier attaché) et contacts avec la population :
Marché des Salins à Clermont-Fd, dimanche 4 février à 10h
Liberté pour les prisonniers politiques palestiniens
L’emprisonnement de longue durée est une composante structurelle de l’ordre colonial et du système d’apartheid israélien, afin d’obtenir la soumission d’un peuple qui réclame justice.
Depuis 1967, plus de 850 000 Palestiniens ont été emprisonnés (40 % des hommes).
En avril 2017, il y avait 6300 prisonniers dans les geôles israéliennes.
La détention administrative : un déni de droit total SALAH HAMOURI, avocat franco-palestinien
KHALIDA JARRAR, parlementaire,
La détention des enfants : un scandale inacceptable
AHED TAMIMI, 16 ans.
La généralisation de la prison à vie : une chasse aux leaders MARWAN BARGHOUTI, un représentant légitime et reconnu du peuple palestinien
Comment exprimer notre solidarité, comment agir ici en France ?
Boycott, Désinvestissement, Sanctions
Sur l’aspect sécuritaire et carcéral, G4S et celles dérivées de Hewlett Packard, comme DXC, ainsi que les entreprises d’armement et leurs complices (dont la banque française AXA avec la société israélienne Elbit ).
Exigez du gouvernement français l’interdiction de l’importation des produits des colonies en territoires palestiniens, et du commerce des armes avec Israël, pour obliger cet Etat à respecter les droits humains, et libérer tous les prisonniers politiques.
Miko Peled will discuss US-Israeli Collusion in Eroding Civil Liberties: The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five.
This month he is launching his latest book, “Injustice: The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five.” The event will be live-streamed. Copies of the book will be available for sale. More information at www.justworldbooks.com/books/injustice/
Cosponsored by Resistance in Brooklyn and Just World Educational.
In his talk, Peled will trace the labyrinthine course of the case of the Holy Land Foundation Five, presenting a terrifying picture of governmental over-reach in post-9/11 America.
The Holy Land Foundation was the largest Muslim charity in the nation until it was shuttered by the federal government in Dec. 2001. Five leaders of the HLF were subsequently arrested. Their first trial ended in a hung jury. They were convicted in a second trial marred by highly questionable procedures in which anonymous Israeli informants were allowed to give uncontested testimony in gross violation of basic Sixth Amendment protections. The five were given very lengthy sentences—for “supporting terrorism” by donating to charities in Palestine that the U.S. government itself and other respected international agencies had long worked with.
The five men, now all well over 50 years old, are serving multi-decade sentences in some of the US penal system’s worst longterm prisons. Peled traveled to those prisons to interview the men. Those interviews along with interviews with the lawyers and family members form the basis of his powerful story.
Endorsements for the book:
“Miko Peled shines a light on one of the most egregious cases of injustice committed to date against Muslim leaders in the United States. …an ominous and important warning about the degradation of the rule of law and civil liberties that increasingly characterizes American society.”
–Chris Hedges, Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and former Middle East Bureau Chief for The New York Times
“Miko Peled has written a moving and compelling story of the men ensnared by the government’s prosecution of what was once the largest Muslim charity in the United States. In so doing, he reveals the cost to the Holy Land 5 and their families in clear, human terms that should challenge many of the cultural misconceptions that have gone into fighting a ‘war on terror.’ Additionally, Peled shows the sheer negative impact that alleging terrorist links can have on the law, twisting basic principles of due process and constitutional protections beyond recognition.”
–Wadie Said, author of “Crimes of Terror: The Legal and Political Implications of Federal Terrorism Prosecutions”
On Sunday the 4th of February 2018 at 11AmM noon , Human Rights Defenders Organization in cooperation with the children, and residents of Tel Rumeida and Shahadeh street have organized a solidarity and show of support for all the children imprisoned in the Prisons of the Israeli Occupation . In support for children currently incarcerated such as Shadi Farah who is the youngest Palestinian prisoner and has been held since December 30th 2015 and was sentenced to 2 years but is still imprisoned a extra year., Ahed Tamimi who also is currently imprisoned and Israeli Occupation have promised to do their best to keep her in prison for many years, the 13 year old child From Aroub refugee camp in northers Hebron where 350 children are being held in prison.
This month we also prepare for the international campaign to lift closures on Hebron, organized by Dismantle the Ghetto org which will be near the settlement of “Bait Hadasah” and the settlement of Tal- Rumeida.
Participating in the event will be former child prisoners such as Abdullah Dwaik, Dima Al-Wawi, Saleh Abu- Shamsiyah.
Miko Peled will be joined by Noor Elashi to discusses the case of the Holy Land Foundation Five, presenting a terrifying picture of governmental over-reach in post-9/11 America.
Peled is releasing his newest book, “Injustice: The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five.” Elashi is the daughter of Ghassan Elashi, one of the HLF5. She has written for McSweeney’s and the The Huffington Post and is currently writing a memoir chronicling her father’s decade-long prosecution.
Cosponsored by the Center for Constitutional Rights, the Palestinian American Community Center, and Just World Educational.
The event is part of Peled’s speaker series: US-Israeli Collusion in Eroding Civil Liberties: The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five.
“Injustice” traces the labyrinthine course of the case of the Holy Land Foundation Five, presenting a terrifying picture of governmental over-reach in post-9/11 America. The five men were leaders of the Holy Land Foundation, the largest Muslim charity in the nation until it was shuttered by the federal government in Dec. 2001.
Their first trial ended in a hung jury. They were convicted in a second trial, marked by highly questionable procedures in which anonymous Israeli informants were allowed to give uncontested testimony, an event that grossly violated basic Sixth Amendment protections. The five were given very lengthy sentences—for “supporting terrorism” by donating to charities that the U.S. government itself and other respected international agencies had long worked with.
The five men, now all well over 50 years old, are serving multi-decade sentences in some of the US penal system’s worst longterm prisons. Peled traveled to those prisons to interview the men. Those interviews along with interviews with the lawyers and family members form the basis of his powerful story.
Endorsements for the book:
“Miko is a dedicated storyteller who approaches the difficult and complex Holy Land Foundation case in a sensitive, careful, and methodical manner while doing so with a humanistic focus on the impacted families. Injustice is a must-read for it provides a window into another painful dimension to the continuation of Palestine’s and Palestinians Nakba—but this one unfolds in the diaspora. For Miko, narrating the HLF case is a part of a long journey toward doing acts of justice that in a small way can contribute to putting Palestine back on the map.”
–Dr. Hatem Bazian, U.C. Berkeley and Zaytuna College
“This book is a compelling and moving account of the lives and trials of the Holy Land Foundation Five. It makes a convincing case that these 5 men are paying with long prison sentences for the 9/11 attacks, which they had nothing to do with. The book also demonstrates that US American juries are unable to be fair and just in cases that revolve around Palestine/Israel, since few have an unbiased understanding of the issues. Under such conditions, government prosecutors can allege just about anything, play on widely held stereotypes, and win, whether their case has any merits or not. Justice was not, and can not be, served.”
–Louise Cainkar, author of Homeland Insecurity: The Arab American and Muslim American Experience after 9/11 (2009, Russell Sage Foundation, New York).
Join us for a rally followed by speeches, petition signing, and information about moving forward in the pro-Palestine, BDS movement of South Florida!
We unequivocally stand in solidarity with 16 year old Palestinian youth activist Ahhed Tamimi and all other Palestinian child prisoners illegally detained in Israeli prisons.
Ahed has been targeted by the Israeli state for her family’s long standing anti-colonial activism that opposes the Israeli occupation and the continued annexation of their village lands by Israeli settlements. On January 1, Ahed was indicted with 12 charges for activism, including assault of an IDF soldier and incitement based on social media posts. This punishment has also been collectively extended to her mother Nariman and her cousin Muhammad Tamimi who was shot in the face with rubber bullets at an Anti-Trump action.
Since the year 2000, over 8,000 Palestinian children have been detained in Israeli jails. These children are often not allowed legal counseling or even allowed contact with their parents. Israel, using its “emergency rules,” operates under 1,500 military laws that can be arbitrarily changed. This often denies Palestinians the right for legal representation or trial, leading to indefinite detainment. Mass arrest is commonly used as a tool of collective punishment which is illegal under international law. Israel is the only country to prosecute children in military courts.
We stand against this practice and the larger colonization of Palestinian lands that has been ongoing for decades. We support all those, young and old, who resist Israeli occupation. We denounce the charges against Ahed and the criminalization of young freedom fighters, while violent while IDF soldiers are given free range to abuse Palestinians with no consequences.
In Solidarity,
POWIR, Al Awda, Jewish Voices for Peace, Friends of Sabeel
We are delighted that Hassan Diab is back in Canada! As you know, it has been a very long ordeal for him and his family. We are deeply thankful to all the supporters who signed petitions, donated money, wrote to politicians, participated in vigils, attended our events, and helped in so many other ways.
We invite you to a reception to thank you and welcome Hassan home, on Saturday February 3rd.
Event: “Welcome Hassan Home and Thank You Supporters” reception
Date: Saturday, February 3, 2018
Time: 3:30 pm – 6:00 pm
Location: First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa, 30 Cleary Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario
Program:
* 3:45 pm: Welcome Hassan
* 4:30 pm: Brief remarks by Rania (Hassan’s wife), Don Bayne (Hassan’s Canadian lawyer), Ria Heynen (member of the Hassan Diab Support Committee), and Hassan
Light refreshments will be served. Children are welcome.
Ahed, 17, was seized by occupation forces in a pre-dawn raid on her family’s home in the Palestinian village of Nabi Saleh, near Ramallah, where she and her family are leaders in the anti-colonial indigenous land defense and resistance movement. The village’s land and even its spring have been confiscated by the illegal colonial settlement of Halamish and the village is regularly subject to invasions, raids and arrests. Ahed’s mother, Nariman, a strong activist in her own right, was arrested by occupation forces later the same day.
Ahed’s confrontation with occupation forces invading her family’s land, in which she slapped a heavily armed occupation soldier seeking to use the land to repress a demonstration in the village, was video recorded live and streamed on Facebook; Ahed and her family were already well-known in Palestine and internationally for their role in years of organizing in their village. The abduction of Ahed Tamimi and her mother by occupation forces has sparked worldwide and widespread solidarity, and she has become a young symbol of Palestinian resistance.
She is one of over 350 Palestinian children imprisoned by the Israeli occupation and one of nearly 6,200 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails. Each year, around 700 Palestinian children are brought before Israeli military courts, and 25 Palestinian children have been subject to administrative detention – imprisonment without charge or trial – over the past two years.
Ahed’s 17th birthday inspired a call for days of action around the world – for her freedom, the freedom of all Palestinian prisoners, and the freedom of the land and people of Palestine. The actions are continuing in the coming days, with weekend actions in cities throughout New Zealand; Antwerp, Belgium; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Clermont-Ferrand, France; al-Khalil, Palestine and elsewhere, leading up to the next military court hearing for Ahed and Nariman Tamimi on 6 February and ongoing until Ahed – and Palestine – is free.
Events and actions for Ahed Tamimi during the global days of action:
Catalonia
Unadikum Catalonia hosted several screenings of the film, “Radiance of Resistance,” focusing on the lives and struggles of Ahed and her younger cousin, Janna Jihad Ayyad, in San Feliu de Llobregat and Barcelona. on 26 and 27 February.
Dublin
On 25 January, the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) organized a protest outside the Dail Eireann – the Irish Parliament – demanding freedom for Ahed Tamimi as she turns 17 inside Israeli prison. “The protest was well attended with many members of the Irish parliament attending including TDs Dessie Ellis, Maureen O’Sullivan, Pat Buckley, Richard Boyd Barret, Gino Kenny, Paul Murphy, Aengus Ó Snodaigh, Maurice Quinlivan, John Brady and Joan Collins, and Senators David Norris, Padraig MacLochlainn, Alice Mary Higgins, Niall Ó Donnghaile and Grace O’Sullivan. Ibrahim Halawa, the Irish citizen was arrested aged 17 and spent four years in an Egyptian prison, also attended,” noted the IPSC.
On 31 January, Ahed’s birthday, the struggle of Ahed and her fellow Palestinian political prisoners – and the Palestinian people – was featured as part of a “Bloody Sundays” protest by Anti-Imperialist Action Ireland. Approximately 100 people participated in the event, highlighting “ongoing Imperialist war crimes in Ireland and around the world..It was attended by a broad range of progressive forces including Irish Socialist Republicans, The Independent Workers Union, Saoradh, The Irish Republican Socialist Party, The 1916 Societies, the Anti Internment Group of Ireland and the Free Tony Taylor Dublin Committee as well as Independent Activists and other progressives,” noted the organizers. The event included a collective “Happy Birthday” song for Ahed.
San Rafael, California
Activists in San Rafael in California’s Marin County gathered on 26 January to call for freedom for Ahed and her fellow child prisoners in Israeli jails. 15 people joined the protest where they distributed hundreds of flyers to nearby drivers. They urged people to contact their member of Congress to support HR 4391, the Promoting Human Rights by Ending Israeli Military Detention of Palestinian Children Act.
Perth, Australia
Friends of Palestine Western Australia (FOPWA) organized a protest on Saturday, 27 January at the Murray Street Mall in Perth, calling for freedom for Ahed and all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. They distributed leaflets and organized solidarity images greeting Ahed on her birthday.
Adelaide, Australia
Australian Friends of Palestine Association held their 373rd protest on 27 January, which they dedicated to Ahed in advance of her birthday. In the mid-summer weather, they distributed information to shoppers and received widespread interest and support.
Buenos Aires, Argentina
On 27 January, Izquierda Socialista (Socialist Left) held a discussion on Palestine focusing on the case of Ahed Tamimi and the struggle for her freedom. The event included a panel presentation by Laura Marrone, a legislator in the City of Buenos Aires, and Nicolas Nuñez.
Tyne-on-Newcastle, UK
The Revolutionary Communist Group and Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! held a tabling event and demonstration in Tyne-on-Newcastle on 28 January. They highlighted the case of Ahed Tamimi and demanded freedom for all Palestinian prisoners as well as demanding that UK banks stop funding and profiting from the Israeli arms industry and occupation.
Foggia, Italy
On 28 January, activists working with the CREO cultural association joined with supporters of Amnesty International to organize a tabling day and a photographic action in which people stood with signs urging freedom for Ahed Tamimi and fellow imprisoned Palestinians.
Bratislava, Slovakia
The Iniciatíva za spravodlivý mier na Blízkom východe joined with Amnesty International for an action on the evening of 29 January, in which participants distributed information, signed petitions and held a birthday celebration for Ahed Tamimi.
Derry, Ireland
On 30 January, activists with the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign and other organizations came together to demand freedom for Ahed Tamimi. Gathering at the famous Free Derry Corner that continues to represent the Irish anti-colonial struggle, participants carried signs and banners calling for freedom for Ahed and her fellow Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
Athens, Greece
The international days of action for freedom for Ahed Tamimi and all Palestinian prisoners coincided with the visit of Israeli president Reuven Rivlin to Greece, meeting with strong protests in both Athens and Thessaloniki. In Athens, the Solidarity Initiative for Palestine – including the Ghassan Kanafani Front and a number of other organizations – organized a mass protest in Monastiraki Square on 30 January for freedom for Palestinian prisoners and the Palestinian people.
Thessaloniki, Greece
Simultaneous with the Athens protest, the Ghassan Kanafani Front, the Friends of Palestine Association and other Thessaloniki groups organized a demonstration outside the U.S. Consulate to demand freedom for Ahed Tamimi and all Palestinian prisoners as well as to denounce ongoing U.S. crimes against Palestine and the position of the Greek SYRIZA-ANEL government. The protest also came in rejection of the visit of Reuven Rivlin to Greece.
Toulouse, France
Organizers with Coup Pour Coup 31, the anti-imperialist collective that is also affiliated with the Samidoun Network, distributed literature and information about Palestinian political prisoners and the Palestinian struggle for liberation on 30 January, marking 16 years of imprisonment of Ahmad Sa’adat, the General Secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the 17th birrthday of Ahed Tamimi.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
As part of ongoing actions at Dam Square in the center of Amsterdam, organizers have compiled a series of collages and photos of Amsterdam residents and visitors expressing their solidarity and support for Ahed Tamimi. The photos were gathered as part of continuing protests for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel and support for the Palestinian people.
Rome, Italy
On 30 January, activists from various groups and associations forming part of the “Rome Network of Solidarity with the Palestinian People” did a flash mob/”banner drop” action on Rome’s historic Ponte Sisto bridge, and circulated an electronic greeting card in support of Ahed and fellow imprisoned Palestinians.
Gijón, Spain
Organizations in Gijón organized a demonstration as part of the international day of action to free Ahed Tamimi on 30 January, gathering in the city’s center to demand freedom for Ahed and all Palestinian prisoners in Israeii jails.
Valencia, Spain
Activists with BDS Pais Valencia organized an action on 30 January in Valencia, Spain in support of Ahed Tamimi and all palestinian political prisoners. They projected images of Ahed and demands for the freedom of Palestinian prisoners on iconic landmarks, including Serranos Gate/Towers, the main monument of València City, former prison.
Berlin, Germany
The Coalition Berlin organized a birthday celebration for Ahed Tamimi in a local cafe, with cakes, music and discussion to support Ahed and her fellow Palestinian political prisoners. The evening event followed a series of protests and actions in Berlin in support of Ahed, including a strong contingent at the Women’s March on 21 January.
Gothenburg, Sweden
Activists in Gothenburg organizing as Frihet åt Ahed Tamimi Göteborg demonstrated on 30 January at Gustav-Adolfs-Torg in the center of the city to highlight Ahed’s case and demand freedom for Palestinian prisoners. The demonstration was joined by several youth organizations and included speeches demanding an end to ongoing European military and security trade and cooperation with the Israeli state as well as emphasizing the importance of building the BDS movement.
Toronto activists gathered outside the offices of Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland on 30 January to call for Canada to take action to free Ahed Tamimi and Palestinian child prisoners. The activists, organized by United for Palestine – Toronto/GTA presented balloons, a birthday cake for Ahed and greetings for the children of Palestine to Minister Freeland’s office to call for a real change in Canadian foreign policy on Palestine. The action also came in support of the No Way To Treat a Child Canada campaign and was followed by a second birthday action for Ahed at Ryerson University.
St. Johns, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
The St. John’s Group for Human Rights in Palestine gathered at the office of Seamus O’Regan, the federal Minister of Veterans Affairs, to share a card, a birthday cake and information about imprisoned Palestinian teen Ahed Tamimi with the staff of the office. They called for Canada to take diplomatic action to free Ahed and other imprisoned Palestinian children.
New York City, NY, US
Hundreds of participants from over 40 organizations gathered in New York’s busy transit and commuter hub, Penn Station, on 30 January, for a spirited, strong protest to free Ahed Tamimi and all Palestinian prisoners. The action saw broad participation from a wide array of social justice organizations and is the latest large action in the city inspired by Ahed’s case.
Transit hubs also were a site for action for Ahed in Washington, DC on 30 January as participants gathered in Union Station to celebrate Ahed’s birthday in an action organized by CODEPINK. Participants protested and distributed information as well as singing “Happy Birthday” and distributing a Palestine-themed cake to salute Ahed’s birthday.
Atlanta, Georgia, US
Jewish Voice for Peace was joined by an array of social justice groups in the city for a protest and birthday gathering on 30 January outside the Israeli Consulate in Atanta. Participants called for the immediate release of Ahed and all Palestinian prisoners.
Photo: Rozina Shiraz Gilani
Dallas, TX, US
The Dallas Palestine Coalition gathered at WFAA Studios in Victory Park on 30 January to distribute information and celebrate Ahed’s birthday. Participants held up lighted signs reading “Free Ahed” as they gathered in front of the iconic local landmark.
Pittsburgh, PA, US
Activists with the Pittsburgh Palestine Solidarity Committee and their supporters braved an 8-degree (Fahrenheit) wind chill to take to the streets on 30 January to free Ahed. They distributed information and displayed signs and materials highlighting Ahed’s case and that of fellow Palestinian children.
Los Angeles, CA, US
On 30 January, over 20 diverse human rights and women’s organizations rallied outside the Israeli Consulate in Los Angeles to demand the release of Ahed Tamimi. The LA4Palestine Coalition‘s action included colorful balloons in red, black, green and white and a giant birthday card for Ahed, as she turned 17 in Israeli prison. The protest followed earlier strong LA actions for Ahed’s release as well as a powerful intervention in challenging Zionism at the Women’s March.
Photo: Eric CamposPhoto: Eric CamposPhoto: Eric CamposPhoto: Mike Chickey
Meanwhile, on 31 January, dozens of UCLA students also gathered outside Royce Hall at the University for a protest and birthday event to demand Ahed’s freedom and that of fellow Palestinian child prisoners.
MacKenzie Coffman/Daily Bruin
Johannesburg, South Africa
On 31 January, a coalition of groups, including the art organization 2 Suns Shamsaan launched an exhibition of art and photography for Ahed Tamimi at the site of the former Women’s Jail on Constitution Hill in Johannesburg, South Africa. The exhibition will be on display for a month and includes photographs of Ahed and others in Palestine engaged in protests and resistance to occupation. Ahed and her family traveled to South Africa earlier in 2017 for a solidarity visit with multiple public events and presentations.
Cape Town, South Africa
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign organized a press conference and public event on 31 January to salute Ahed on her 17th birthday and highlight the struggle of Palestinian prisoners for freedom, making links between the historic struggle of South Africa’s imprisoned anti-apartheid strugglers and Palestinians such as Ahed who are imprisoned in Israeli jails today.
Turin, Italy
Student activists with Progetto Palestina joined with Amnesty International for a demonstration at the University of Turin. Participants marked Ahed’s birthday on 31 January by distributing information and caling for her freedom from Israeli prisons.
Edinburgh, Scotland
The Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign organized outdoor actions and collective photography on the streets of the Scottish capital on 31 January for Ahed Tamimi. Participants in Edinburgh also sang a collective song celebrating Ahed’s birthday and demanding her freedom.
Glasgow, Scotland
The SPSC photo and solidarity campaign for Ahed’s birthday also continued in Glasgow, where people gathered on 31 January at the Buchanan Steps to stand in solidarity for Ahed’s freedom and express their birthday greetings.
Copenhagen, Denmark
On 31 January, Ahed’s Friends in Denmark made an action for Ahed’s freedom at the Israeli Embassy in Copenhagen and tried to deliver an open protest letter demanding the immediate Freedom of Ahed Tamini and all Palestinian Prisoners in Zionist occupation Prisons – and send warm congratulations to Ahed on her 17th birthday. Military and police guards said that the Israeli Embassy refused to receive the letter and had closed its mailbox. Later on 31 January, demonstrators gathered at Gammeltorv in Copenhagen for a demonstration demanding Ahed’s freedom and marking her birthday.
Aarhus, Denmark
In the town of Brabant in the Aarhus area in Denmark, Palestinian community organizers held an event marking Ahed’s birthday and supporting Palestinian children’s rights on 31 January. Palestinian children in the community joined in for cake featuring photos of Ahed Tamimi and discussions about the struggle of Palestinian prisoners.
Odense, Denmark
The Palestinian House in Odense organized a protest action and birthday celebration for Ahed Tamimi at Banegardspladsen in Odense. Participants distributed information, held signs and lights to highlight Ahed’s case and that of fellow Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
Omagh, Ireland
Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign activists gathered for a birthday event and protest outside the Omagh Courthouse, demanding freedom for Ahed and highlighting the plight of 350 Palestinian child prisoners.
London, UK
Artist-activists launched another “guerilla advertising” campaign in London transit stations on 31 January, as Protest Stencil posted photos of “Free Ahed” graphics inserted into bus stations and transit ad areas throughout the city. This followed on earlier actions in the city that brought the campaign for Ahed’s freedom to the Tube and bus stations.
Warwick, UK
In Warwick, protesters with Warwick: Friends of Palestine Society and Warwick for Justice in Palestine gathered on 31 January at the university’s Piazza to call for Ahed’s freedom and that of all Palestinian prisoners. They also organized an open space to gather letters of solidarity to be sent to Ahed in Israeli prison.
Porto, Portugal
Activists with Grupo Acção Palestina in Porto marked Ahed’s 17th birthday behind bars on 31 January with a large outdoor display of photos, balloons and banners highlighting her case and that of other Palestinian prisoners. Participants distributed information and collected solidarity letters to be sent to Ahed in Israeli prison.
Lisbon, Portugal
The Movimento pelos Direitos do Povo Palestino e pela Paz no Médio Oriente (MPPM) and multiple other organizations in Portugal organized a large solidarity demonstration on 31 January outside the Israeli embassy in Lisbon. Approximately 200 people joined the demonstration, which demanded freedom for Ahed Tamimi and all Palestinian prisoners, freedom for Palestine and an end to occupation, apartheid and colonization.
Sao Paulo, Brazil
BDS Brazil and Palestinian community organizations in Sao Paulo organized a protest and gathering to call for freedom for Ahed Tamimi and other Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons on 31 January. Participants spoke, chanted and held signs demanding Ahed’s immediate release.
Jacksonville, FL, US
Organizers with the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network and other local activists gathered collective and individual photos at various locations in the city expressing solidarity with Ahed and demanding her immediate release as she turned 17 inside Israeli prison.
Chicago, IL, US
Organizers with the US Palestinian Community Network, American Muslims for Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace and other organizations gathered on 31 January outside the Ogilvie Transportation Center for a large and spirited demonstration. Participants from an array of social justice movements joined the demonstration demanding Ahed’s freedom and that of all Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
Oakland, CA, US
A broad coalition of organizations in Oakland organized a protest action on 31 January that marked Ahed Tamimi’s birthday. Participants distributed birthday cakes for Ahed as well as protesting and speaking, as participants from a range of justice movements joined in the protest and march. The outdoor action was followed by a gathering in Reem’s bakery, in which participants spoke about Palestinian prisoners and collected letters of solidarity to Ahed.
Photo: Bill HackwellPhoto: Bill HackwellPhoto: Bill HackwellPhoto: Bill Hackwell
Other Actions
Marking Ahed’s birthday on 31 January, Jewish high school students organized an initiative with IfNotNow to deliver cards and birthday letters to Ahed Tamimi to Israeli consulates in major U.S. cities, including Boston, New York and Washington.
On 28 January, the Party for Socialism and Liberation in Portland, Oregon screened films about Ahed Tamimi and Palestine as part of the days of action. In addition, on 29 January, activists in San Jose, California, joined the protests, holding an action near Cesar Chavez Park. In Boston, MA, writing letters to Ahed was also part of the monthly meeting of Jewish Voice for Peace.
Cleveland, Ohio and Oxford, Mississippi were home to protests for Ahed’s release on 30 January as part of the International Day of Action. In Regina, Saskatchewan and Ottawa, Ontario, Canadian protesters urged Ahed’s freedom and called for a change in Canadian government policy to support Palestinian rights. At Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Students for Justice in Palestine organized a teach-in where participants wrote letters to Ahed to be mailed to her Israeli prison.
In Bristol, UK, activists with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign screened a film in support of the campaign for Ahed’s freedom on 29 January. On 31 January, activists in Mexico City, Santiago, Chile and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil organized demonstrations to free Ahed and all Palestinian prisoners.
Palestinians and solidarity organizers around the world held demonstrations, celebrations and gatherings demanding Ahed’s freedom as well as that of her fellow Palestinian prisoners – and Palestine itself. Further events and actions are planned in the coming days.
Bassem Tamimi himself has spent years in prison – including as an Amnesty International recognized prisoner of conscience – for his role in the indigenous land defense movement in the Palestinian village of Nabi Saleh, targeted for repression and land and water confiscation by occupation forces and settler colonial Zionism.
Nariman, Bassem and Ahed Tamimi. Photo: Oren Ziv/Activestills
His moving birthday message to his imprisoned daughter Ahed is reprinted below:
Good morning my friends
Birthday… and trial
To be able to write you in a moment like this, I had to lay down in your bed. Then, when I rested my head on your little pillow, you recharged my soul was charged to the brim with gratitude the memory of your generosity. How can my spirit not be lifted when you were the one who brought the world to a gale like a hurricane, you made it bare itself like a volcano?
My courageous, beautiful, shy and bold little girl – victory is befitting of you as much as joy suits you. My daughter, I am so sorry I could not protect you from the ugliness of the Occupation. I am sorry I left the oranges of Yafa sad and unpeeled, yearning for your touch. You are now surrounded by bars of iron, in a place where time is stale, and freedom and love are non-existent. Yet, it is in that cell that my hope of a better future and the certainty we will achieve it is now placed. You, my ray of hope, are locked in a prison, which is built on the ruins of Imm Khaled, near the shore of our sea. The same Imm Khaled that was ethnically cleansed by the army you slapped.
Ahed, your cell, halfway to Haifa, on the through which we will one day return. There, I imagine myself with you, the sound of my voice resonating from behind the walls – Ahed… Ahed… Ahed… My daughter, the strings of my soul – may each year see you shine brighter with the truth you hold inside. May each year see you stronger, more joyful, and as solid as the rocks that hold back the rage of oceans.
Happy birthday.
When parents celebrate their children’s birthdays, we try to make them special and unforgettable – worthy of this wondrous occasion. As parents, these days bring a soft and graceful joy to our hearts.
Today is your birthday, but I woke up in the middle of the night, not with excitement, but rather uncomfortable and short of breath. This birthday of yours different than the ones before it. Yes, it is the day you were born in, but you are forcefully kept farther away than I can bear. Still, you are closer to my heart than you could ever imagine.
Today my daughter you are a year wiser, a year filled with an even deeper love for your homeland. Today you enter a year that will be harder than those that preceded it. I dread the thought of your prison nights and the knowledge of their chill.
Prison nights are not like those at home, with us. The commotion of birthday parties is a stark contrast to the loneliness of the prison cell they have you in. I am so sorry. All I want is to gently stroke your golden hair my little girl, as I’ve done since you were a baby; to tenderly embrace you after you blow the 17 candles on your birthday cake, like I have done since you turned one. But how can my longing for you can surpass those bars of steel that are now placed between us?
Do not worry Ahed, we will see joy again and celebrate as we always have. I hereby promise, your brothers and I will stand at the gates of prison and sing for you and your mother’s freedom. We will demand the freedom of all those imprisoned unjustly; we will demand freedom for all free spirits. And you and your mother will sing with us, and pound on the prison walls with your mighty power.
Tonight we will celebrate your birthday by showing the world that no matter what happens, we celebrate life. We teach life. We love life and will not let this love be squashed. Never.
But until this evening comes when we celebrate together as a family, I wish you to stay strong and resilient. I know the soldiers may come at midnight, shackle you, and drag you through another interrogation session. If you can dress warmly, put on an extra shirt, because they will do their best to take away the warmth. Every room they will put you in, every military vehicle, will be freezing cold, on purpose. But I know I need not worry. I know how warm your soul is. You shouldn’t be, you really shouldn’t be, my little girl, but I know that you can take whatever darkness and coldness they try and torture you with.
Whatever decision it will make, the Israeli military court you will be tried in will not give you justice. These courts were not built to bring justice, these judges do not desire justice, they were built in a realm outside of humanity. 99% of those who stand before them are found guilty. But these are all just the symptoms of the illness – even if you are acquitted, these courts cannot ever be a tool of justice, since they are just another cog in the machine of military occupation. Colonialism and the basic values of mankind will never cross paths. the Occupation can never intersect with freedom, justice, and dignity.
Humanity is beautiful. It paints life with a brush of grace and endows it with beauty. The occupation is ugly, and it is made to disfigure the face of humanity. My daughter, free people do not get lost in their own narcissism, for none of us alone are anything if we do not connect to a deeper purpose and do not dedicate ourselves to positive action. It is through our deep connection, purpose, and action that we move from the solitary conditions of our birth to the real meaning and preciousness that the world has to offer. It is this awareness that allows humanity collective consciousness. You, my little girl, have tapped into that consciousness of all humanity.
They take you to trial because they want to kill that sense of humanity that is in you; they want to destroy your sense of collective struggle for a better world. It is too dangerous for them to handle. Believe it or not, they are even trying to take away your youth saying that, as you turn 17, you are a child no more. And I ask, does your childhood take a different path than you yourself on the day of 17, or does your childhood have a little more time to play in the orchards of youth and enjoy the last of your school days in peace?
Israel’s experts in immoral law may freely deliberate the unlawfulness of the slap served to their fully armed soldier by a girl and shattered their military manliness and put their fragile institutions at risk of collapse. Let them. Care not about their immoral military laws, for these laws are outside of the confines of humanity.
My little angel… Do not bother yourself with the words of those who trade in politics and religion like merchants in the market. Religious men, pious in their own eyes, want to discuss your hair in order to take attention away from your struggle and its legitimacy. The indoctrinated, unadulterated in their own eyes, do not recognize the humanity and truth in anyone who does not blindly pleads loyalty to their dogmas.
Then there are those who are always absent; the ones who refuse to take a stance for that which is right, who shiver at the idea of standing up in the face of oppression. They refuse to confront brutality, and those who struggle for freedom, like you, tear off their masks to show them for what they are.
Don’t worry about those who criticize you now, my little girl. Your bravery has turned you into a lightning rod and those fear their own hypocrisy revealed want to hide by hurting you. All their criticism of you is made up so that they can continue to hide behind their fears. They know, it is your courage that has reminded everyone – the emperor has no clothes.
Here you stand before the world – like days past and days to come – full of truth because you were raised to be honest with yourself and others, and you have learned from our land and history that true freedom comes from having agency. It comes from being willing to challenge fear time and time again. To refuse to give up your dignity.
Now your tiny slap has shaken their mighty blood thirsty military to the core and shattered their symbolic deterrence. Your own personal truth is our truth, the truth of our historical and human struggle to stay on this land. It challenges the false narratives they have, about us and of themselves.
Your truth now carries with it a whole generation that has refused to surrender to oppression, a generation that will continue to fight for its freedom. Your truth shines through because you stood up for your community and your homeland and those you love. You refused to belong to anything but yourself and Palestine.
Your truth is purer than ever, because in our day and age in Palestine, those who are pure can be found in two places, either as political prisoners on the edge of freedom, or as martyrs who have been taken from us and are now watching us in heaven. Your truth is now a beacon of hope for people around the world that have chosen to resist oppression instead of succumbing to it.
Do not worry, my little daughter – your freedom, as is the end of the Occupation is near, and those who stood against our freedom – the hypocrites and extremists and cowards – will not be left with nothing but disappointment when history is written.
When I return home tonight, I will go to your room with your brothers and we will light a candle for you, and feel your presence with us, chanting that you are our “Ahed”, our promise for a better world. Like an Olive Tree grounded in the earth.
Your mother is waiting for you back in prison. If you get to see her, please hug her for me, and celebrate your birthday together with us in your hearts. And if you are kept alone until dawn in their metal boxes, just take a seat on the saddle of hope, rise up on the horse of courage you have imagined since you were a little girl, do not pay attention to those who want to deceive and hurt you, just look at the sun rise from the small hatch and shine your smile back at it, for it is your smile that will bring us towards a brighter future.
I miss you Ahed, but I say happy birthday. May every year that comes make you stronger. May you always be full of love and bursting with truth.
Hundreds gathered in New York City on Tuesday, 30 January as part of an international day of action to mark the 17th birthday of imprisoned Palestinian teen activist Ahed Tamimi. Over 40 organizations endorsed the large protest, which took place on the Amtrak level of Penn Station, inside the station’s busy commuter hall. Listen to an audio report from WBAI from the demonstration, which interviewed participants from Samidoun, Labor for Palestine, the Neturei Karta, Adalah NY and many others.
Photo: Ellen Davidson
Organizers from a large number of groups and movements participated in the event, including Palestine solidarity groups, student organizations, political parties, Palestinian community groups and social justice movements. Political prisoner advocacy organizations like the NYC Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition joined the demonstration to demand freedom for all Palestinian political prisoners – as well as those held in U.S. jails.
Organizations involved in fighting police violence, racism and anti-Black oppression participated in the event, including Shut It Down NYC and People’s Power Assembly as well as Black4Palestine. Participating organizations reflected broad segments of the Palestine solidarity movement, including Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, the NY4Palestine Coalition, NYC Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace NYC, Labor for Palestine and many more, as well as groups like the Committee to Stop FBI Repression and alliances like the International League of People’s Struggle. A number of organizations involved in the Filipino people’s movement, including BAYAN and Anakbayan, joined the action.
Photo: Bud Korotzer/Desertpeace
“The fight to free Ahed has brought every supporter of Palestine together in a way I’ve never seen. In Palestine itself, under Zionist occupation and siege, everyone routinely sets aside their differences to stand together for the prisoners. Ahed has pushed all of us here to do at least that much. For the first time any of us can remember, every organization that supports Palestine is standing together, in one place, for a common purpose,” said Joe Catron, Samidoun’s US coordinator.
The event followed on previous large NYC protests for Ahed and her fellow Palestinian prisoners and was part of days of action that saw Ahed’s birthday celebrated in dozens of cities spanning the globe.
Photo: Bud Korotzer/Desertpeace
Just as the protest drew a wide crowd from social justice movements, there were an array of repressive and police agencies surrounding the action, including transit police, the NYPD and even US Army soldiers stationed inside Penn Station. Far-right protesters affiliated with the racist, violent Jewish Defense League stood behind the large group of police, taunting the protesters and holding signs that said “Jail Ahed.”
Photo: Bud Korotzer/Desertpeace
The event included celebration as well; demonstrators sang “Happy Birthday” to Ahed in both English and Arabic after chanting for Palestine with calls that echoed throughout the busy station.
Al-Awda NY: The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
American Muslims for Palestine – NJ Chapter
Anakbayan NJ
ANSWER Coalition
Bayan USA Northeast
Black4Palestine
CODEPINK: Women For Peace
Committee to Stop FBI Repression — NYC
Existence Is Resistance
Free Mumia Abu Jamal Coalition
Free the Tamimi Women
Gabriela NY
International Action Center
International League of Peoples’ Struggle
International Socialist Organization
The Jericho Movement
Jersey City Peace Movement
Jewish Voices for Peace – NYC
Jews for Palestinian Right of Return
Labor for Palestine
National Lawyers Guild Palestine Subcommittee
New York Progressive Action Network
NY4Palestine
NYC Shut It Down: The Grand Central Crew #BlackLivesMatter
NYC Anarchist Black Cross
NYC Solidarity with Palestine
NYC Students for Justice in Palestine
Pakistan USA Freedom Forum
Palestinian American Community Center, NJ USA
Palestinian Youth Movement
Peoples Power Assemblies
RAIA — Researching the American Israeli Alliance
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network
Socialist Action
Socialist Alternative, NYC
Staten Island Progressive Action Network
Students for Justice in Palestine, New School
Students for Justice in Palestine at College of Staten Island
United National Antiwar Coalition
Veterans For Peace, 034 NYC, 021 NJ
Workers World Party
Youth Against Settlements
Photo: Joe CatronPhoto: Joe CatronPhoto: Joe CatronPhoto: Joe CatronPhoto: Joe CatronPhoto: Rafael JustoPhoto: Rafael JustoPhoto: Ellen DavidsonPhoto: Ellen DavidsonPhoto: Ellen DavidsonPhoto: Ellen DavidsonPhoto: Ellen DavidsonPhoto: Bud Korotzer/DesertpeacePhoto: Bud Korotzer/DesertpeacePhoto: Bud Korotzer/DesertpeacePhoto: Bud Korotzer/DesertpeacePhoto: Bud Korotzer/DesertpeacePhoto: Bud Korotzer/DesertpeacePhoto: Bud Korotzer/DesertpeacePhoto: Bud Korotzer/DesertpeacePhoto: Bud Korotzer/Desertpeace
Organizers with the Comite Palestina Libre – Uruguay created a collective mural calling for freedom for Ahed Tamimi and her fellow Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails on 19 January 2018. The mural, which features Ahed amid Palestinian flags, attacking fighter jets and the skyline of Jerusalem, also highlights the call for a free Palestine from the river to the sea with its capital in Jerusalem.
The mural was created as a homage in particular to Palestinian child prisoners; Ahed is one of approximately 350 Palestinian prisoners currently jailed in Israeli prisons. In 2017, 1467 Palestinian children were seized by Israeli occupation forces.
The event also included a performance by Titeres-Girasol, whose puppeteering show was an expression of solidarity with all imprisoned strugglers.
The action comes amid global actions and demonstrations in solidarity with Ahed, who turned 17 behind bars on 31 January. Ahed and her family have long been leaders and organizers in the grassroots indigenous land defense movement in the Palestinian village of Nabi Saleh. The village of 600 has faced repeated threats and land confiscation by the illegal settlement of Halamish, including the theft of the village’s spring.
Ahed was seized in a pre-dawn raid by occupation forces on 19 December, days after a video of her slapping an occupation soldier on her family’s land was widely circulated on Facebook. Both Ahed and her mother, Nariman Tamimi, are currently imprisoned; though they are both held in HaSharon prison, they are separated from one another and have been denied contact. The video was taken shortly after Ahed’s 15-year-old cousin, Mohammed Tamimi, was shot in the head by a rubber-coated metal bullet fired by another occupation soldier in the same unit.
Organizing is continuing in Uruguay and around the world to build solidarity with Ahed and her fellow Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, and activists with the Comite Palestina Libre will announce further activities in the coming days.
AFPS and BDS France 63 invite all to an action calling for freedom for Palestinian political prisoners. Long-term imprisonment is a structural component of colonialism and Israeli apartheid in order to suppress a people demanding justice. Since 1967, more than 850,000 Palestinians have been imprisoned. In April 2017, there were 6,300 prisoners in Israeli jails.
Miko Peled will discuss US-Israeli Collusion in Eroding Civil Liberties: The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five.
On Sunday the 4th of February 2018 at 11AmM noon , Human Rights Defenders Organization in cooperation with the children, and residents of Tel Rumeida and Shahadeh street have organized a solidarity and show of support for all the children imprisoned in the Prisons of the Israeli Occupation . In support for children currently incarcerated such as Shadi Farah who is the youngest Palestinian prisoner and has been held since December 30th 2015 and was sentenced to 2 years but is still imprisoned a extra year., Ahed Tamimi who also is currently imprisoned and Israeli Occupation have promised to do their best to keep her in prison for many years, the 13 year old child From Aroub refugee camp in northers Hebron where 350 children are being held in prison.
Miko Peled will be joined by Noor Elashi to discusses the case of the Holy Land Foundation Five, presenting a terrifying picture of governmental over-reach in post-9/11 America.
Join us for a rally followed by speeches, petition signing, and information about moving forward in the pro-Palestine, BDS movement of South Florida!
We are delighted that Hassan Diab is back in Canada! As you know, it has been a very long ordeal for him and his family. We are deeply thankful to all the supporters who signed petitions, donated money, wrote to politicians, participated in vigils, attended our events, and helped in so many other ways.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Pittsburgh, PA, US
Los Angeles, CA, US
Copenhagen, Denmark
Chicago, IL, US
Marking Ahed’s birthday on 31 January, Jewish high school students 
