It is after considerable contemplation that I have lately arrived at the decision that I must withdraw from the two performances scheduled in Israel on the 30th of June and the 1st of July.
One lives in hope that music is more than mere noise, filling up idle time, whether intending to elate or lament.
Photo Valerian Mazataud Palestinian facing Israeli repression at weekly protest in Bil’in.
He is wheelchair-bound, but every Friday Rami Burnat can be found in the front lines of those clashing with Israeli soldiers at the outskirts of Bilin, a small Palestinian village in the hills around Ramallah.
For five years now, weekly demonstrations have turned Bilin into a prototype of peaceful protest. The rallies usually run the same course. At around 11:30 a.m. the protesters gather in front of the small mosque. The atmosphere is cheerful: Colourful flags beat in the wind; activists chant rhythmic slogans in Arabic. A circle of young men is dancing to an Arab song blaring out of a cellphone connected to a speaker. Other youngsters try to pick up the female volunteers from Israel and the rest of the world, who flock to Bilin every Friday to demonstrate their solidarity with its plight. Eventually, the demonstration gets going and sets off to the fence at the outskirts of the village.
Press release, Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee, 10 May 2010
Palestinian civil society represented by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC), a wide coalition of the largest Palestinian mass organizations and trade unions, issued a strong condemnation of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) decision today to welcome Israel as a member of the organization at its ministerial meeting to take place on 27-28 May. A BNC spokesperson commented: “By accepting Israel, OECD member countries show a blatant complicity with Israeli war crimes, destroying the very foundations of international law. Rewarding Israel entrenches its impunity and dashes any realistic hope for achieving a just peace in the region.”
May 2010 Open letter to Margaret Atwood from Tadamon! collective and Art Threat
Today, as systematic human rights violations continue to be committed by the Israeli government against the Palestinian people, we are appealing to you on behalf of the Montreal-based collective Tadamon! and Art Threat concerning your planned visit to Tel Aviv.
We have learned that you have been offered the Dan David Prize from the Tel Aviv University for your outstanding literary work. First, we want to openly recognize your work, renowned not only for literary excellence but also for the humanistic message it portrays. Beyond literature your sincere advocacy for social justice, from the struggle for women’s liberation to environmental protection, has made you an international role model who people respect and admire.
I am writing to you on the eve of Canada Post issuing a joint stamp with Israel.
A recent article in Canada Stamp Detail said “Canada Post will issue the stamp “to celebrate Canada’s strong bilateral relationship with Israel – a friendship that spans six decades and is marked by shared values, common interests and strong political, economic, cultural and social ties.”
While CUPW is glad to see Canada Post taking on new and innovative ways to sell stamps, we are somewhat concerned that Canada Post is launching a stamp with Israel on the basis of “shared values”.
Photo: Claudia Espinosa. Musicienne Rebecca Foon à Artistes Anti Apartheid.
En octobre 2009, une soixantaine d’artistes européens, principalement des Français mais aussi l’Anglais Gilad Atzmon ou le Suisse Michel Bühler, réclamaient la levée du blocus de Gaza. Fin février 2010, ce sont 500 artistes de la seule ville de Montréal au Québec qui ont signé un appel pour appuyer la «campagne internationale de boycott, désinvestissement et sanctions» menée au Canada par la Coalition contre l’Apartheid israélien (basée à Toronto).
Pour mesurer cet élan, nous avons contacté l’un des initiateurs québécois de cet appel, Stefan Christoff, pianiste, photographe et militant associatif à Montréal. Stefan Christoff explique que, dans cette ville, «les communautés artistiques et militantes ont toujours été proches l’une de l’autre. De nombreux artistes sont issus des quartiers pauvres de Montréal, où de jeunes étudiants cohabitent avec les classes défavorisées, ouvrières ou immigrées. Dans ces quartiers, les lieux de rencontre sont des lieux de débats, mais aussi des lieux de création artistique où se tissent des liens qui durent».
A Vote for Israel’s Accession to the OECD is a Vote in Support of Israel’s War Crimes and Other Grave Violations of International Law and Human Rights
Palestinian civil society urges the peoples and governments of OECD member states to defer Israel’s OECD accession until it respects international law and the human rights of the Palestinian people and shows commitment to the fundamental values shared by OECD members.
Hundreds of Montreal artists have united in solidarity with Palestine, launching a public declaration this February signed by 500 artists from the city. Artists in Montreal from diverse disciplines, from dancers to poets, musicians to filmmakers, have issued the first major statement by artists in a major North American city backing the global boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign in opposition to policies of apartheid practiced by the Israeli state against the Palestinian people.
Photo Israeli military demolishes Palestinian Labbada house in Nablus, West Bank.
The sixth annual Israeli Apartheid Week is back again in Montreal, and will be featuring events on three campuses in the city from March 4 to 11.
Every year for the last six years, many cities (43 cities participated last year) around the world join together to coordinate this week, which focuses on the growing campaign of boycotts, divestments and sanctions against the state of Israel. And this year, like every year in the past, pro-Israel apologists respond with campaigns which range from outright offensive to bizarre and puzzling.
A call from Montreal artists to support the international campaign for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions against Israeli apartheid…
Today, a broad spectrum of Montreal artists are standing in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for freedom and supporting the growing international campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against the Israeli state. Last winter, the Israeli state launched a violent military assault on the Palestinian people of the Gaza Strip, leaving over 1400 Palestinians dead, including over 300 children. Despite the official end of military operations, the blockade continues to this day, with devastating consequences for Gaza’s residents.
Over 60 years from the beginning of the ongoing Palestinian Nakba (catastrophe) in 1948, in which hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced from historic Palestine through Israel’s creation, Montreal artists are united in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for freedom and justice.
