For a World Without Walls: Stories of Resistance to Border Violence
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Thursday 9 Novembre 2017 at 6:30pm
Association Récréative Milton-Parc
3580 Jeanne Mance
(Métro Place des Arts, or bus #80)
Facebook Event
Following the call of organizations in Palestine and Mexico, Tadamon is joining the Global Day of Action for a World without Walls.
Almost 70 walls across all continents are enforcing state control. They rip through people’s lives and lands – denying their basic freedom of movement, and expanding state violence, causing thousands of deaths every year. Walls fortify borders, separate the rich from the poor, and the powerful from the oppressed. They are monuments of expulsion, of exclusion and of exploitation. November 9th marks fifteen years since construction began on Israel’s apartheid wall, which aims to annex up to 60% of the West Bank and encircle Palestinians on 13% of their territory.
This global day of action takes place one year after Donald Trump’s election in the United States. In January 2017, he announced the construction of a wall along the US/Mexico border. If completed, it will span more than 1,900 kilometres, dividing the Tohono O’odham people’s ancestral lands and creating greater obstacles for migrants to cross. The connections with Israel are deep, through the involvement of Israeli military and security corporations (Elbit, Elta, Magal) in the construction of the wall.
Jamal Juma’, Palestinian coordinator of Stop the Wall, calls for “common struggles against walls and for justice, freedom, and equality. As the Trump administration fortifies the racist border wall, touting Israel’s apartheid wall as a model, we know we have a common ground with Latin@, indigenous, and immigrant movements in the US and Mexico. We will work to join our efforts to tear down the Walls and to hold those responsible accountable for human rights abuses perpetrated along those walls.”
In Canada, a de-facto wall is enforced through the existence of the Safe Third Country agreement, which bars migrants from making a refugee claim if they travel from the United States through a regular border post, and forces them to undertake dangerous crossings. Recent months have seen a significant increase in irregular crossings by migrants in the United States – many of whom have risked their lives due to frostbite and exposure. An estimated 500,000 people remain undocumented in Canada – often forced to work in exploitative conditions, unable to access health and other essential services, and faced with the daily fear of detention and deportation.
From Turtle Island to Palestine, people have never stopped resisting walls and their struggles demand our ongoing support. One way to do so is through exerting pressure on companies such as G4S or HP, which profit from the building of walls and the militarization of borders, exemplified by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement campaign.
For this global day of action for a World without Walls, join us for a panel highlighting ongoing resistance to border violence.
This event is part of QPIRG-McGill’s Culture Shock series. More information is available here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/741829396011692/
Accessibility Information:
The venue is wheelchair accessible, with step-free access, automatic doors, and an accessible washroom.
Childcare will be provided.
Whisper translation (English, French and Spanish) will also be available.
Snacks and limited bus tickets will be provided.
For more information:
Tadamon! Montreal
Website: www.tadamon.ca
E-mail: info@tadamon.ca
