Youth Against Normalization: 08/11/11

Aug 11, 2011

#BDS in Action: Peace Works ’11

"With the bittersweet passing of the 2011 Peace Works conference, Solidarity in Action, we continue to celebrate the growth and success of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement. Born July 9, 2005 out of Palestinian civil society’s call for worldwide solidarity, BDS has since wedged its way into mainstream success as people from all sects of society stand up for human rights. This year’s conference welcomed organizers from across the nation to share their stories of struggle and success, and inspire attendees to join the movement by providing social, economic and political methods of action."

#BDS: #US Group Wants Park Slope Food Coop to Consider Boycott of Israeli Products

"A group aligned with the B.D.S. movement wants Brooklyn's Park Slope Food Coop to consider a move toward a boycott of Israeli products.

Opposing opinions on issues around Israel and Palestine have long been exchanged in the coop's in-store newspaper, the Linewaiters' Gazette. But on July 26, the group Park Slope Food Coop Members for Israeli Boycott, Divestment, & Sanctions proposed that the coop's board vote on whether or not to hold a referendum to poll the coop's 15,000 plus members on the issue."

#BDS: The Black Liberation Movement and Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions: Lessons and Applications for the Palestinian Liberation Movement

"The Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions or BDS movement, launched in 2005 to uproot the zionist settler-colonial project and dismantle the Israeli apartheid state following the various setbacks to the Palestinian liberation movement stemming from the Oslo accords, is rapidly growing into a powerful international political force. As the movement continues to grow and expand it is bound to encounter more obstacles and roadblocks. One way to defeat these limitations is to study and learn how other peoples' movements that have employed BDS strategies and tactics on an extensive level organized themselves to overcome or maneuver around the roadblocks on their path. One such movement is the Black Liberation Movement (BLM) in North America. The BLM has employed BDS strategies and tactics extensively for the greater part of the last 200 plus years in its unfinished question for liberation. What follows is a brief summary of the BLM's experience and a short exploration of some of the lessons learned from this extensive experience."

#BDS: Australia’s repression of BDS movement coordinated with #Israel

"In the largest show of support for the Palestinian-initiated boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign so far in Australia, more than 350 persons marched on 29 July in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle — and in opposition to an attempt by Victorian Police to criminalize Palestine solidarity activism in Melbourne.

A month earlier, on 1 July, a similar, peaceful BDS action involving 120 persons was brutally attacked by the Victorian Police. Nineteen individuals were arrested."

#BDS: #Australia threatens further crackdown on boycott activists

"Things are heating up in Australia. The turmoil over boycott arrests previously covered here has escalated. A group called Defend the boycott Israel 19 has issued a press release today announcing Pro-Palestine activists arrested in dawn raids calling this "the most severe crack-down on civil liberties in decades". Protesters were arrested on the pretense of "breaching bail conditions", and it is said that they will be held until September 5th.

This is just days after the Victoria government issued an unprecedented request bycalling in the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission to investigate citizens who have joined the BDS campaign."

#BDS: American "Hands of Peace": Normalization of Israeli Oppression

"It has come to our knowledge that Hands of Peace, a non-profit “dialogue-based,” American organization identifying itself as “an interfaith organization developing peace-building and leadership skills in Israeli, Palestinian and American teens through the power of dialogue and personal relationships” has started recruiting teenagers from The Gaza Strip. This is supposed to be an experience which seeks to “foster long-term peaceful coexistence among Jewish-Israelis, Arab Citizens of Israel, and Palestinians by bringing together teenagers from the Middle East with American teenagers in an interfaith setting.”¹ (Emphasis added).

The Palestinian Students' Campaign for the Academic boycott of Israel and Palestinian Youth Against Israeli Apartheid consider this an act of normalization that violates the boycott guidelines issued by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI)2. HOP seems to ignore the fact that the reason why Palestinians and Israelis cannot get together is because the former are colonized and the latter are settler colonists. It also ignores the fact that Israel is an apartheid state, as former American president Jimmy Carter and anti-Apartheid activist and Nobel Laureate Desmund Tutu called it; a state that discriminates not only against the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, but also against the 1.2 million Palestinians living in it as third class citizens. "

#BDS: #Dublin – #Riverdance: Don’t Dance for Apartheid #Israel demo

"Riverdance is scheduled to perform a series of shows in Israel in September (see here). To protest this the IPSC are organising another demo outside Riverdance’s ongoing run at the Gaiety Theatre (South King St, off Grafton St – map here) at 6.30pm on Thursday 18th August. This will be the final action in our series of ongoing protests before Riverdance heads to perform for Israeli Apartheid – so please make the effort to come along!

The protest forms part of the international Cultural Boycott of Israel campaign which has seen many stars such as Roger Waters, Elvis Costello, Carlos Santana, Christy Moore and Damien Dempsey refuse to perform in Israel. The Palestinian call for a cultural boycott of Israel – until it ends the occupation of Palestine and abides fully by its obligations under international law – has also been endorsed by over 200 Irish performing and creative artists as well as countless others internationally."

#BDS: #Veolia, major target of Palestinian BDS campaign, in financial crisis

French multinational Veolia to cut back global operations after €67.2 million losses
BDS campaign has cost Veolia large contracts across Europe over its illegal Israel project
Losses comes on heals of Agrexco’s financial woes, another main BDS target

Only days after losing out on another lucrative contract in London, French waste and water company Veolia on Thursday announced it would scale back its operations in several countries after a surprising first-half net loss of €67.2 million."

#BDS: Culturescapes #Israel: A Showcase for Apartheid in #Switzerland?

"An Open Letter to the organizers and partners of the Festival Culturescapes (September−November 2011) and to all the artists and cultural stakeholders in Switzerland.

This open letter of the BDS Campaign Switzerland, which supports the Palestinian call for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel until it complies with international law and respects the human rights of the Palestinian people, is addressed to the organizers of the Festival Culturescapes Israel, as well as to the institutional partners of the Culturescapes Foundation throughout Switzerland."

Youth Against Normalization

Pages