A resident has been killed by Israeli forces during a demonstration. Basem Abu Rahme, 29 years of age, was shot in the chest with a high-velocity tear gas projectile. He was evacuated to Ramallah hospital in critical condition, where he died of his injury. According to eyewitnesses, Basem was on a hill with several journalists to the side of other demonstrators. Soldiers opened fire from 40 meters, aiming directly with the tear-gas projectiles.

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‘Where is the call for Israel to embrace non-violence?’ by Ramzy Baroud.

Photo: Palestinian children in the Gaza amidst buildings destroyed in Israeli air strikes.

When one speaks of or advocates non-violence, does he promote such an idea because he believes that historically it has been a more effective means of liberation, or is it purely because he thinks that it is a more self-respecting means of struggle?

In recent history, many advocates of non-violence have been celebrated as modern day icons. From Ghandi to King, songs are written in their honor, their life stories fill the pages of our children’s history volumes as noble examples of which everyone must aspire to emulate. Holidays are instituted in their honor and around the world; streets and boulevards carry their namesake.

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Erin Cunningham, Inter Press Service, 16 April 2009

Photo: Gaza City from the Mediterranean Sea.

Hundreds of thousands of tons of aid intended for the Gaza Strip is piling up in cities across Egypt’s North Sinai region, despite recent calls from the United Nations to ease aid flow restrictions to the embattled territory in the wake of Israel’s 22-day assault.

Food, medicine, blankets, infant food and other supplies for Gaza’s 1.5 million people, coming from governments and non-governmental agencies around the world, are being stored in warehouses, parking lots, stadiums and on airport runways across Egypt’s North Sinai governorate.

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the Case for Boycotting Israel.

THURSDAY APRIL 16, 7pm
A-M050, Pavillion Hubert-Aquin (A), UQAM
400 rue Sainte-Catherine Est
Montreal, Quebec

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evening featuring celebrated musicians from Montreal united against Israeli apartheid

SUNDAY APRIL 12th
20h00 $5-10
La Sala Rossa
4848 St. Laurent
Montreal, Quebec

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open letter from Malcolm Guy Director / Producer.

Montréal, March, 2009 — Les Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois (RVCQ), the annual festival honouring Quebec cinema, has just wrapped its 2009 edition with the awards evening. Special congratulations to Richard Brouillette, who won the Prix Pierre et Yolande Perrault / Meilleur espoir documentaire for his film Encirclement : Neo-Liberalism Ensnares Democracy and also to our friends at Péripheria, who won the short film award for Three mothers by Daniel Schachter.

You may not be aware, but one award was cut from the Rendez-vous this year.

I was involved in pushing for the festival to drop the prize for Tolerance through cinema (le prix de la Fondation Ruth et Alex Dworkin pour la promotion de la Tolérance à travers le cinéma). Please find below an open letter signed by almost 60 members of the Quebec film community supporting the decision by the RVCQ to no longer present this controversial award. This letter was sent to the Rendez-vous on January 19, 2009.

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Open letter to les Grands Ballets canadiens de Montréal.

Dear Alain Dancyger, directeur général, Les Grands Ballets canadiens de Montréal

In 2008, Jean-Luc Godard, the celebrated French film maker, one of the founding members of the French New Wave in 1960s cinema, declined an invitation to be a participant in The Tel Aviv International Student Film Festival. Godard’s refusal to attend the festival was a recognition of the importance of the Anti-Apartheid boycott movement called for by many Palestinian, Israeli and Human Rights organizations world-wide.

This letter is an appeal to you by Tadamon!, a Montreal-based collective which works in solidarity with struggles for self-determination, equality and justice in the Middle East and is deeply involved in the international campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions against the Israeli government.

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featuring hip-hop, jazz and experimental music in opposition to Israeli apartheid.

SUNDAY MARCH 22nd
20h00 $5-10
La Sala Rossa
4848 St. Laurent
Montreal, Quebec

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closing event for Israeli Apartheid Week 2009 co-presented with Cinema Politica

MONDAY MARCH 9 19h30
Concordia University
1455 de maisonneuve, room H-110
free screening: donations welcome
metro Guy-Concordia
Montreal, Quebec.

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Open Letter to university community on Palestinian Rights and Canadian Universities

Photo: Fathima Cader. Palestinian solidarity protest in Toronto.

The last two years have seen increasing efforts to limit advocacy of Palestinian rights on Canadian universities, amounting to a pattern of the suppression of freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.

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