Event: George Galloway in Edmonton

October 30, 2010

Free Palestine, Free Afghanistan, Free Speech
Featuring George Galloway
Thursday, November 25
7:00 pm (doors open 6:30 pm)
Room 1-430, Centennial Centre for Interdisciplinary Science (CCIS), U of A Campus
(View map)
Tickets available at the door, sliding scale $7 and up

Help us spread the word. Invite your friends to the Facebook event.

Former British MP George Galloway will appear in ten cities on a pan-Canadian speaking tour from November 16 to 27, 2010. Organized by local peace coalitions and Palestine solidarity campaigns across Canada, the tour is called “Free Palestine, Free Afghanistan, Free Speech.” Mr. Galloway will speak about the Canadian government’s attempts to ban him as well as the political situation in the Middle East and Central Asia.

On September 27, 2010, the Federal Court of Canada ruled that Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Jason Kenney had attempted to ban Galloway from Canada for purely political reasons: “It is clear that the efforts to keep Mr. Galloway out of the country had more to do with antipathy to his political views than with any real concern that he had engaged in terrorism or was a member of a terrorist organization” (paragraph 8). The ruling cleared the way for Galloway to return to Canada.

“I’m looking forward to speaking in person with the many Canadians who have defended their right to hear me, including those who disagree with me,” said Mr. Galloway from London, UK. “I’m also looking forward to challenging Jason Kenney to a public debate, who has yet to account for his role in trying to keep me out of Canada.”

Mr. Galloway’s tour includes the following cities: Montreal (Nov 17), Halifax (Nov 18), Toronto (Nov 20), Hamilton (Nov 21), Vancouver (Nov 22), Calgary (Nov 23), Yellowknife (Nov 24), Edmonton (Nov 25), Winnipeg (Nov 26) and Ottawa (Nov 27).

Organized locally by: Edmonton Coalition Against War And Racism (ECAWAR), Canada-Palestine Cultural Association (CANPAL), Palestine Solidarity Network (PSN), Canadians for Peace and Justice in the Middle East (CPJME)

National tour organized by: Canadian Peace Alliance, Canada Boat to Gaza, Canadian Arab Federation, Independent Jewish Voices, Defend Free Speech Campaign

National media sponsor: rabble.ca

Leave a Comment » | Canada, Edmonton, Events, Freedom of Speech, Gaza | Permalink
Posted by psnedmonton

Event: Budrus screening at GVFF 2010

October 28, 2010

The 2010 Global Visions Film Festival, which runs from November 11 – 14 in downtown Edmonton, includes a screening of the incredible film Budrus, about the struggle of the Palestinian village of Budrus against the construction of the Apartheid Wall on its land.

Visit the GVFF site for full information.

Budrus
Saturday, November 13 at 9:00 pm
Metro Cinema (Zeidler Hall, Citadel Theatre)
9828-101A Avenue

Individual tickets are $10 / $8 (students, seniors and GVFF members)
Festival passes are available. Full ticket information is available here.

This thought-provoking film is an eye opener in the telling of a story of the West Bank Palestinian town of Budrus. The town’s future was very much in doubt when the Israelis began to construct their “wall” that was ostensibly built to prevent suicide bombers from entering. The livelihoods of the people of Budrus were threatened when Israeli bulldozers tore up the olive trees on which they depended. A former member of the Fatah named Ayed Morrar banded together with some Israeli liberals and international activists to non-violently protest the wall and its destructive impact on their community. Eventually the Israeli government would back down, but only at the cost of having some Palestinians grudgingly accept the wall as part of their lives.

Leave a Comment » | Apartheid Wall, Edmonton, Events, Videos | Permalink
Posted by psnedmonton

Action: Demand the OECD Cancel Its Tourism Conference in Jerusalem

October 12, 2010

A message from Mohammed Khatib, Bil’in Popular Committee

These are hard but important days for us in Palestine. Just yesterday, my friend and coordinator of the Bil’in Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, Abdallah Abu Rahmah, was sentenced to a year in prison by an Israeli military court. His sole crime was being an instrumental part in our village’s campaign against the construction of the wall on our lands.

However, we mustn’t allow our sadness about Abdallah’s incarceration to stop our work. While Abdallah worked to highlight the expansion of settlements in the West Bank, Israel also constructs illegal infrastructure in East Jerusalem.

Between the 20th and 22nd of October, almost a week from today, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) plans to hold its bi-annual tourism conference in Jerusalem – a city whose indigenous Palestinian residents suffer from systemic discrimination and expulsion. There is not a moment to lose if we want to change this decision.

Despite Israel’s persistent violations of human rights and disregard for International law, the OECD – whose member countries include the majority of the world richest countries – granted Israel membership on May 27th of this year.

Tourism plays an important role in Israel’s colonization of occupied East Jerusalem. The state and right-wing settler organizations cooperate in expelling Palestinians residents from East Jerusalem neighborhoods such as Silwan and Sheikh Jarrah for the creation of colonies and Biblical theme parks for tourists.

Join us in calling on the OECD to cancel its tourism conference in Jerusalem. Please follow this link to send an email to Angel Gurría, the Secretary General of the OECD, and demand that his organization respect international law by canceling the planned OECD tourism conference in Jerusalem.

Help us highlight this injustice and voice your concern.

In solidarity,
Mohammed Khatib
Bil’in

1 Comment | Action, Apartheid Wall | Permalink
Posted by psnedmonton

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