Tadamon! Strategies of Resistance between BEIRUT & MONTREAL.

DIRECTIONS for MONTREAL SOLIDARITY WITH LEBANON after the 2006 Israeli Attack.

Tadamon! [Solidarity! in Arabic], is a Montreal-based collective of social justice organizers & media activists working to build relationships of solidarity between grassroots political movements for social and economic justice in Beirut & Montreal.

Building on Tadamon!’s 2006 summer delegation to Lebanon & its organizing efforts in Montreal against the Conservative government’s support for the Israeli military assault on Lebanon, Tadamon! has outlined new priorities for the coming months.

—-> TADAMON! SUMMER 2006 DELEGATION TO LEBANON:

In June 2006, prior to Israel’s attack, members of Tadamon! traveled to Lebanon. The delegation worked in Lebanon both before & after the Israeli attack, producing independent media reports concerning the current political, social and economic situation in the Middle East, which were featured in multiple media outlets in North America & the Middle East.

Tadamon! members also focused on networking with organizations in Lebanon involved in struggles for social and economic justice in the context of the neo-colonization of the Middle East under the pretext of a ‘War on Terror’. During the Israeli assault, the delegation worked alongside grassroots activists responding to the crisis.

* More information about Tadamon’s summer 2006 delegation

—-> TADAMON! – RESPONDING TO THE ISRAELI ASSAULT IN MONTREAL.

Lebanon came under attack on July 12th, 2006 when Israel launched a major military assault. Israel bombed Lebanon at the same time as it carried out a military campaign in the Gaza Strip of Palestine; both assaults took place under the pretext of freeing Israeli soldiers held by Lebanese and Palestinian resistance fighters.

In Canada, the government fully supported Israel’s criminal actions, which ultimately took the lives of over 1200 people in Lebanon, wounded many thousands more, displaced an estimated 900,000 people, and destroyed hundreds of residential buildings, leaving tens of thousands of people homeless.

Canada’s support for Israeli’s military campaign did not waver as the bombing continued in August, destroying the national infrastructure, including runways of Beirut’s international airport, all major highways, key power plants, telecommunications towers, television stations, all major sea ports, small businesses, warehouses and factories. The bombing caused a vast oil spill and left behind hundreds of thousands of unexploded bomblets which continue to kill and maim throughout the south.

Tadamon! focused on contributing to two vital areas of emergency political work: campaigning in solidarity with the Lebanese and Palestinian peoples against the Canadian government’s support for Israel’s military aggression; and supporting the Sanayeh Relief Centre in Beirut, a project of the Samidoun coalition, in its frontline relief efforts & grassroots media work.

—-> TADAMON! – BUILDING SOLIDARITY WITH LEBANON IN MONTREAL.

In the aftermath of the assault, Tadamon! has defined three political priorities to guide its organizing efforts in the Quebec and Canadian contexts in the coming months.

1. Supporting grassroots reconstruction in Lebanon:

Tadamon! will continue its efforts to build connections with grassroots social justice initiatives in Lebanon by supporting front-line relief and reconstruction work which starts from the needs of the poor – including migrant workers and refugees – in opposition to neo-liberal reconstruction projects aimed at consolidating the wealth, power and external allegiances of those who are already socially and economically privileged, according to their strategic and economic interests.

2. Campaigning Against Israeli Apartheid:

Tadamon! will support grassroots initiatives aimed at isolating Israel internationally to mount a long-term challenge to Israel’s ability to carry out war crimes with impunity and its role as the main vehicle for imperialist policies in the region. This includes supporting the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign launched in Canada by the Toronto-based Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid in response to a call issued by over 170 organizations in Palestine and in the Palestinian Diaspora, and which has already been taken up in Lebanon by a coalition of organizations.

3. Challenging Hezbollah’s listing as a ‘Terrorist’ Group in Canada:

Canada is one of only three countries world-wide to designate Hezbollah as a ‘terrorist’ organization. The other two are Israel and the United States. Tadamon! will be working to contest the politically-motivated designation of Hezbollah as a ‘terrorist organization’ in order to:

• Create greater space to freely discuss and engage in struggles for justice in the Middle East without fear of persecution or labeling;
• Reduce the vulnerability of migrants subjected to racial profiling and unjust immigration ’security’ measures;
• Confront the demonization of all who resist US-driven policies for a “new Middle East”; and
• Challenge the Canadian government’s unconditional support for Israeli aggression.

—-> TADAMON! ONGOING PROJECTS:

Radio Show

In May 2006, Tadamon! launched a monthly, one-hour radio program, which broadcasts in Montreal the first Tuesday of each month between 5 & 6pm on CKUT 90.3 fm. The show is uploaded to the internet for re-broadcast on community and public broadcasters. Radio TADAMON! highlights grassroots struggles for social justice through interviews, documentaries, audio collage & reports that go unreported in the corporate and state-run media.

Website

Tadamon! maintains a website to highlight information and perspectives that are marginalized in the mainstream in Quebec and Canada. Tadamon!’s website maintains a log of Israel’s frequent violations of the UN-brokered ceasefire, which are largely ignored by major political parties & media institutions in North America. Tadamon!’s website will also highlight intiatives to demand reparations for the massive destruction of Lebanon and to hold Israel’s war criminals accountable for their crimes:

* Log of Major Israeli Violations of Ceasefire
* Log of cluster bomb incidents in Lebanon since the ceasefire
* Commentary by Montrealer Hassan el-Akhras, whose entire family was killed by Israel

—-> GET INVOLVED !

Tadamon! welcomes the involvement of anyone who agrees with our basis of unity and wants to work. To discuss getting involved, whether as part of the collective, in specific campaigns or projects, or as an occasional volunteer, please get in touch.

tadamon@resist.ca
tel. +1 514 690 8499
http://www.tadamon.ca