musical celebrations for Palestine. photo Bird flying in Palestinian sky.
In the wake of successful/ongoing divestment campaigns at Hampshire College, UC Berkeley, Carleton University, and the University of Johannesburg, a group of students, faculty and community members in Montreal have started to organize a campaign to sever the links between the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, and Concordia and McGill university. Several months ago, this group published a report entitled “Structures of Oppression” that outlines the ‘strong bilateral student exchange programs, joint research projects, and collaborative scholarships’ that Concordia/McGill share with Technion in Haifa.
In May 2011 South African academic and activist Salim Vally gave a lecture at McGill University in Montreal entitled ‘Reading Edward Said in South Africa‘, the presentation focused on the growing Palestine solidarity movement in South Africa and specifically the recent move at the University of Johannesburg to sever links with Ben Gurion university. Salim highlighted the recent step toward the international boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign in South Africa within a history of struggle in South Africa for liberation and in opposition to apartheid. Photographer Ion Etxebarria captured the event in photographs at McGill University.
A speaking tour with trade union representatives from South Africa & Palestine
May 22 – June 2, 2011
featuring representatives from
The Palestinian Federation of Unions of University Professors & Employees (PFUUPE)
The South African Union of Municipal Workers (SAMWU)
Cross-Canada tour stops include: Montreal + Ottawa + Toronto + Hamilton + London + Windsor + Regina + Vancouver. see below for more detailed information on events in different cities
Download report by the UQÀM Coalition pour la justice on Palestine PDF format
On March 30th, Palestinian Land Day, Emanuel Navon presented at UQAM. Resident of a West Bank settlement (Efrat), part-time professor in Tel Aviv, Navon is also associate researcher at Ariel University, the target of a major boycott initiated by Israeli academics due to the fact that the institution was built in an illegal Israeli settlement, deemed illegal under the Geneva Conventions.
Emmanuel Navon also works as a consultant for the Israeli military and is a registered candidate for the right-wing Israeli political party, Likud. Additionally Navon is a lobbyist for the Israeli government, currently lead-by Likud, which announced Navon’s talk on the Montreal Israeli consulate website.
The annual Israeli Apartheid Week ran from March 8 to 15th in Montreal, and organizers are happy to announce that once again it was a huge success! Hundreds of people attended a wide range of events at McGill, Concordia, UQAM, and other cultural venues around the city. Some of the highlights included the keynote lecture at McGill from author Ali Abunimah, and the closing panel at Concordia entitled “Decolonization Begins At Home” featuring three powerful aboriginal activists. Many students left the events eager to find out more about getting involved in Palestine solidarity work.
Photo: Omar. IamBlackGirl & Meryem Saci perform for Palestine in Montreal.
Photography via Omar from the fifteenth edition of Artists Against Apartheid in Montreal within Israeli Apartheid Week 2011, featuring groundbreaking Montreal poets, hip-hop artists, musicians and artists. An inspiring concert series occurring in Montreal within the context of the growing international solidarity movement with Palestine and for a campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against the Israeli government.
commemorate Palestinian Land Day & Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions global action
Freedom for Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Oman, Algeria & occupied Palestine!
BDS Quebec, a coalition of several trade unions, community organizations, and solidarity groups, is calling people in Quebec to commemorate Palestinian land day in joining a global day of action for Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign in support of the Palestinian peoples right to self-determination, freedom and dignity.
Palestinian Land Day commemorates March 30th, 1976 when Israeli military forces shot and killed six young Palestinian citizens of Israel. These brave youth were among thousands protesting the Israeli government’s expropriation of Palestinian land to build new Jewish-only colonies and expand existing ones. Today, Land Day symbolizes Palestinian resistance to Israel’s ongoing land expropriation, colonization, occupation and apartheid.
Photo: Mickey Boston. IamBlackGirl, Waahli & Meryem Saci via Nomadic Massive.
Montreal’s ongoing Artists Against Apartheid concert series in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for liberation continued for Israeli Apartheid Week 2011 on Sunday, March 13th at O Patro Vys in the Plateau district of Montreal.
Celebrated poets, musicians & hip-hop artists performed to a capacity crowd in Montreal gathering for an concert series taking place as part of the global boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign targeting the Israeli state due to the systematic human rights abuses against the Palestinian people.
