Worldwide protest/actions concerning events in Gaza/Palestine/Israel

[teqniq]

This is well worth a watch:

 

[Gramsci]

Poster for demo in Spain. Using part of Picasso painting Guernica

‘We always felt sympathy’: What’s behind Spain’s backing of Palestine?

Spain, which has long supported Palestine in the ongoing conflict, has upset Israel with its consistent condemnation.

www.aljazeera.com

On Friday, a survivor of the 1937 Guernica massacre and a Palestinian protester will sound an alarm in the Spanish marketplace bombed by a Nazi legion, to pay tribute to the victims of Israel’s bloody campaign in Gaza.

Hundreds of people in the Spanish town, which became an international symbol of the horrors of war thanks to Pablo Picasso’s masterpiece, will form a human mosaic, dressed in the red, black, white and green of the Palestinian flag

Rest of article flounders in looking for complicated reasons why Spanish support Palestinians and why centre left PSOE have been outspoken and critical of bombing of Gaza

Like it's such an exception to most of rest of Europe that it needs explaining.

Which says something of the dire disjunct between a lot of people and their governments.

Good poster I thought.

 

[hitmouse]

Overview of what the strike call looks like internationally:

Shops shutter across Muslim-majority world as part of global 'strike for Gaza'

Worldwide action demanding a ceasefire sees citizens across countries refrain from shopping and going to school

www.middleeasteye.net

 

[phildwyer]

The Western MSM ties itself up in knots to avoid referring to Israel as a colonial regime. Al-Jazeera takes the opposite direction, insisting on the historical continuity with the anti-colonial revolutions of the mid-C20th:

"When France responded to the killing of 102 settlers by carpet-bombing villages and killing tens of thousands of people, it was hoping to achieve much more than avenging the deaths of its citizens and eliminating “terrorists”. It was using extreme violence to eliminate all native resistance. It wanted to break their will to resist. Today, Israel is following a similar trajectory....."

Israel should learn from French mistakes in Algeria

And President Biden from President Kennedy’s principled support for an occupied people’s struggle for liberation.

www.aljazeera.com

 

[teqniq]

Protesters calling for cease-fire in Gaza shut down SB 110 Freeway in downtown LA

Protesters calling for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip walked onto the 110 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles and forced the closure of all southbound lanes.

abc7.com

 

[hitmouse]

Canada:

Anti-War Workers Blockade Factory Making Israeli Drone Engines for Its Siege on Gaza

World Beyond War blocked the entrance of a Pratt & Whitney plant in Canada this morning.

www.vice.com

Anti-war protesters composed of workers and union members blockaded the entrance to a Canadian factory that produces engines for Israel’s drones on Tuesday.
The protestors blocked the entrance of the Pratt & Whitney plant in Mississauga, near Toronto and held signs with messages such as “Canada: Stop Arming Israel” and “Workers Against War.”
“No cars are coming in!” One of the protest’s organizers, a group called World Beyond War, said on Twitter. “P&W supplies engines for Israel’s war planes and drones. We say: #CanadaStopArmingIsrael #CeaseFireNOW #FreePalestine!”

Other Canadian groups involved in the protest included Labour for Palestine and Labour Against the Arms Trade. The latter group was initially set up to protest a deal between Canadian manufacturer GLDS and Saudi Arabia to provide light-armored vehicles.

World Beyond War is an activist organization that seeks to abolish war itself. According to its press release, it organized “more than 200 workers and union members from across the Greater Toronto Area” to block the entrance of the Pratt & Whitney plant.
Pratt & Whitney is a subsidiary of RTX (formerly Raytheon) that is known, primarily, as a manufacturer of jet engines. Its connections to both the U.S. and Israel are deep. For example, Israel’s own Heron TP drone—which the country has deployed continuously in Gaza for over 15 years, including during the latest conflict—uses a Pratt & Whitney engine.
Israel has conducted an extensive bombing campaign against Gaza following an October 7 attack by Hamas that killed 1,200 people. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, more than 17,000 Palestenians have died in the subsequent bombing.
The company also manufactures engines for U.S. warplanes and signed a 15 year contract with the Israeli Ministry of Defense in 2015 to supply the country with replacement engines for its F-15s and F-16s. Last year, it made headlines in Israel after it took over two competitor’s factories in Nahariya and Tefen with the plans of shutting them down and firing 900 employees.
“As a parent, how can I ignore that companies like Pratt and Whitney right here in my city are shamelessly supporting and profiting from the mass murder of Palestinian children?” Rachel Small, an organizer at World Beyond War, said in a press release about the protest. “If the Canadian government won’t stop the flow of weapons to Israel and stop companies like Pratt & Whitney Canada from exporting weapons used in Israeli war crimes, then those of us with a moral conscience are forced to take whatever actions we can to stop a genocide.”
“Labour unions across Canada have called for a ceasefire and many have called for an arms embargo on Israel. As trade unionists, we are putting these calls into action and encouraging union members across the country to do the same. We have the power to stop the flow of weapons to the Israeli war machine,” said Simon Black of Labour Against the Arms Trade.
According to the press release, World Beyond War demanded that Canada’s Parliament “call for an immediate ceasefire; impose an arms embargo on Israel; and end its support for Pratt & Whitney and other arms companies” contributing to Israel’s siege on Gaza.
Pratt & Whitney did not immediately return Motherboard’s request for comment. Small told Motherboard that World Beyond War hadn’t heard from the company either.
“We had substantial conversations with dozens of workers at the plant today while they were attempting to drive in and our pickets blocked them from doing so,” she said. “Many actually said they agreed with us and supported what we were doing. One worker shared that as a member of the Tamil community his family had also experienced genocide and that what we were doing was vital.”
In press releases, the defense contractor boasted that it had a relationship with Israel since 1947. Pratt & Whitney engines powered DC-3 Dakotas, an iconic weapon of the Israeli arsenal. A converted passenger plane, Israel has used Dakota (and Pratt & Whitney engines) in every war it has ever fought. In the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, a Dakota bombed the Syrian capital of Damascus.
“The Israeli Air Force and Israeli Ministry of Defense have enjoyed a decades-long relationship with Pratt & Whitney, over which time they have earned our confidence and trust,” Aharon Marmarosh, a former Israeli government official, said of the company in 2015. “Because of Pratt & Whitney's expertise and track record of high-performance on our prior material management program, we felt confident in working with them on a full 15-year FMP program.”

Vice is being funny for me but that's the article, archived version that should work ok is here.

 

[teqniq]

 

[teqniq]

 

[Benjamin F]

Demo outside Scottish Secretary ('Viceroy of Scotland'), Alister Jack's office in Dumfries yesterday (Thursday 14th December) morning. Link to Daily Record article

 

[hitmouse]

Call for international actions against Elbit on the 21st:

OUT OF PALESTINE.

They built the war machine. Together, we will dismantle it. 750 military bases. 50 million tonnes of C02. Trillions of dollars in profits. Today, we say: Shut it down.

act.progressive.international

 

[phildwyer]

Using the power of money to suppress free speech in the USA:

Campus Crackdowns Have Chilling Effect on Pro-Palestinian Speech

Universities are under tremendous pressure to stamp out antisemitism, but some say that is causing fear and curbing free expression.

www.nytimes.com

 

[hitmouse]

Annoyingly, I can't find a round-up of things that happened for the global day of action against Elbit anywhere other than bloody Swawkbox, so with apologies for linking to a rubbishy clickbaity site:

Happening now: global day of action to #shutElbitdown targets Israeli arms-maker

Coordinated direct action targets notorious firm A ‘Global Day of Action’ to shut down weapons manufacturing facilities owned by Israeli arms-maker Elbit Systems is taking place in ten …

skwawkbox.org

Some reports from specific actions in the US here:

Lacey, WA: Report Back from ‘Blockade the Genocide’ Action

Report back on blockade of Amazon distribution center for their role in support the ongoing genocide in Palestine. Originally posted to Puget Sound Anarchists. On Sunday, December 17th a group of around 50 people gathered to answer an anonymous call to “Blockade The Genocide." It was a group...

itsgoingdown.org

Global Day of Action Against Elbit Systems: A Report Back on Houston Actionists Blockade of BNY Mellon

Report back on action in Houston, Texas against Elbit Systems, a major weapons manufacturer for the state of Israel. Shortly after sunrise on Thursday, December 7th, protestors descended upon the BNY Mellon office in Houston to protest BNY’s active investment in the ongoing genocide of...

itsgoingdown.org

Seattle, WA: Report Back from “Shutdown Boeing”

Report back on recent action in solidarity with occupied Palestine in so-called Seattle. Originally posted to Puget Sound Anarchists. As the genocide in Gaza continues, it becomes clearer that the best show of solidarity those of us far away can give, is through targeting corporations that...

itsgoingdown.org

I quite liked this (possibly also one for the shoplifting thread):

“Feed the People, Eat the Rich!”: Group Wearing Jeff Bezos Masks Ransacks Whole Foods

On Friday, December 15th, "a “merry band of miscreants” entered a Whole Foods in NYC, lifted a bunch of groceries, and walked out in Jeff Bezos masks," reported independent journalist Talia Jane on Twitter/X. The journalist posted, "the action was in protest against corporate wealth alongside...

itsgoingdown.org

On Friday December 15th, a merry band of miscreants entered Whole Foods and liberated a variety of foods to return necessary resources to our communities. The People harvested and prepared these items, and this food belongs to the People. We are merely giving back what is already ours.

We assert that corporations like Amazon and Whole Foods do a tremendous amount of harm: hoarding wealth and resources, stealing labor, and destroying the land we live on. When we purchase food from Whole Foods, only a small fraction of what we spend is going back to those doing the labor to produce the food — the vast majority of it is funneled into Jeff Bezos’s coffers, where it is in turn reinvested in weapon manufacturing, war, and big oil.

Furthermore, Amazon’s contract for Project Nimbus with the IOF means that Bezos profits directly from the ongoing genocide in Palestine. Boycott. Divest. Shoplift.

 

[teqniq]

Fair play, and as someone replying to the thread has observed the protestors are all young but once ushered out the chants of '4 more years' are by and large by much older people:

Post updated as they have added this protest to it, also... young people:

 

[hitmouse]

Gaza Solidarity Actions Continue from Durham to Seattle

Exploring how Gaza solidarity actions have evolved over the past three months, we report on the blockade of I-5 north in Seattle.

crimethinc.com

 

[teqniq]

Incredibly powerful speech:

 

[tony.c]

Solidarity action in Melbourne today.

 

[tony.c]

Melbourne today.

 

[hitmouse]

BAE disrupted in Michigan:

Protestors Shut Down BAE Systems Testing Center in Sterling Heights, Disrupting Profits to the War Machine

Report from recent demonstration and action outside of BAE Systems in so-called Sterling Heights, Michigan. From Sterling Heights to Palestine, occupation is a crime. Early on Wednesday morning, January 17th, 45 anti-imperialist, pro–Palestine activists blockaded the only two entrances to BAE...

itsgoingdown.org

 

[Favelado]

If everyone could follow the online teaching project I sometimes volunteer for in Palestine it would be very much appreciated by the organisers. Language teaching, drama, and storytelling to children. Some of the children involved have died in recent months. Have a look if you would like to get involved. It's a beautiful project.

The Hands Up Project

A charity trust which, through its network of volunteers, connects children around the world with young people in Palestine. By means of online interaction, drama and storytelling activities, it enables the use of creativity and self-expression to promote mutual understanding, personal growth, and t

www.handsupproject.org

 

[hitmouse]

Interesting read from US platformist/especifismist types:

Deep Organizing Against Genocide: Palestine and Rooted Social Movements

In this article several members of Black Rose / Rosa Negra offer reflections on their efforts to bring the fight for Palestinian liberation into their long term organizing efforts. Throughout, an emphasis is made on the distinction between temporary mobilization and an orientation toward...

blackrosefed.org

 

[Serge Forward]

Interesting read from US platformist/especifismist types:

Deep Organizing Against Genocide: Palestine and Rooted Social Movements

In this article several members of Black Rose / Rosa Negra offer reflections on their efforts to bring the fight for Palestinian liberation into their long term organizing efforts. Throughout, an emphasis is made on the distinction between temporary mobilization and an orientation toward...

blackrosefed.org

Good to see BR/RN back on its feet.

 

[nino_savatte]

This is well worth a watch:

The "Jewish community" in this case and in many others, is the "Zionist community". I'm fed up with these cunts claiming to speak for all Jews, when clearly, they don't. It's like the ethno-nationalist, Nation Of Islam, claiming to speak for all Black people.

 

[hitmouse]

Protesters Blockade Weapons Manufacturer in Plymouth MN in Solidarity with Palestine - UNICORN RIOT

Plymouth, MN – An early morning protest in support of Palestinians at Northrop Grumman in Plymouth was initiated around 4 a.m. on February 8, 2024. Dozens of people blockaded the driveway. Two people locked down to barrels, police issued dispersal orders and made four arrests early on. Later...

unicornriot.ninja

 

[TopCat]

Labour MPs facing wave of independent challengers over stance on Gaza

Well-funded candidates are being chosen to stand against the party’s MPs who have failed to back an immediate ceasefire

www.theguardian.com

 

[teqniq]

Video commentary is in English. Woman organising ongoing protest outside of secretary Blinken's home. Worth a watch:

 

[hitmouse]

Indian trade unions:

India’s Water Transport Workers' Union Says Won’t Help Ships Carrying Arms Bound for Israel

The union of 3,500 workers said, “our Union members have collectively decided to refuse handling all types of weaponised cargoes. Loading and unloading these weapons helps provide organizations with the ability to kill innocent people.”

thewire.in

US trade unions:

200+ Unions Launch Network to Push for Gaza Cease-Fire

"The support for a cease-fire is overwhelming," said one union leader. "We can't stand by in the face of this suffering. We cannot bomb our way to peace."

www.commondreams.org

 

[teqniq]

 

[teqniq]

Fair play to the man:

 

[Gramsci]

Fair play to the man:

Five Broken Cameras (2011) ⭐ 7.9 | Documentary, War

1h 34m | 15

m.imdb.com

Older documentary on similar subject. Available on BFI player


Review of the new documentary

‘No Other Land’ Review: A Frank, Devastating Protest Against Israel’s West Bank Occupation

In 'No Other Land,' Palestinian activist Basel Adra teams with Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham to chronicle the despair of the displaced.

www.google.com

Taking land for use by military is one of those "legal" ways state of Israel gradually takes land off Palestinians.

This incremental ethnic cleansing has been going on since 1948

For Palestinians it's been a fact of life for them.

Israel state was founded on basis of ethnic cleansing and has continued it to this day.

 

[nino_savatte]

Typically, and in line with most other mainstream print media sources, the Washington Post doesn't mention why Aaron Bushnell self-immolated outside the Israeli embassy in its headline (not enough space, presumably). That's only made clear in the first paragraph, which is more than some of the other sources I've read. Anyway, Bushnell has died of his injuries. May he RIP.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/02/26/israeli-embassy-airman-fire-death-gaza/