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Nowhere isCanadian government repression, at every level, more evident than at therecently convened 2010 G-20 Summit,the fourth meeting of the G-20 heads of government, that took place in Toronto June26-27, 2010. An "Integrated Security Unit" that includedpolice officers from different regional departments, the Ontario ProvincialPolice, the RCMP, and sectors of the Canadian military, began working onsecurity in downtown Toronto,where the venue was located, three months ahead of the summit.

While G20leaders met behind a steel-fortified "security" wall, police brutality againstprotest participants, journalists, legal observers, medics, and randompassersby came in the form of indiscriminate arrests, beatings, pepper spray,rubber bullets, police charging into crowds on horseback, illegal searches andseizures, and extended arbitrary detentions. While in custody, people wereforced into steel-enforced cells with up to 40 people per cell; made to sleepon concrete floors with open bathrooms; denied food, water, toilet paper, andsanitary products; subjected to sexual harassment, threats, humiliation, andintimidation; and refused access to medical attention, phone calls, and legalcounsel.

A Canada-wide response is at hand as people fight to have the criminalcharges dropped and to continue the struggle against the G20’s anti-people andanti-environment policies. IJAN-Toronto has endorsed an event to be held inmid-August that will highlight how G20 organizers were targeted, accounts ofpolice brutality and repression, the political nature of the bail conditions,and ways to support people facing charges, many of which are serious and couldresult in long jail terms. The event, titled, "Resisting the Criminalization ofDissent," provides IJAN-Toronto an opportunity to support an initiative thatoffers a broad context for understanding the criminalization of dissentregarding criticism of Israel.

PFEX is a coalition ofdifferent groups, including IJAN-Toronto, who are part of the Palestinesolidarity movement that came together to struggle against the repression ofdissent of both Israeli apartheid and its attendant policies, and Canada’sunquestioning support of Israel. In response to the upcoming report from theCPCCA detailing its “investigation” of anti-Semitism in Canada, PFEX has produced acounter-report. The release date is later this fall. Another project is anupcoming fundraiser for the Canadian Arab Federation, to help offset courtcosts for its case against Immigration Minister, Jason Kenney. Kenney isresponsible for the cutting of CAF’s funding. For more information, please goto: http://www.freeexpressionpalestine.org

Theoutcome of a coordinated attack onQuAIA and allies didn’t pan out for the Zionists this year. Despite threateningPride Toronto’s funding and drafting several city council members to aid intheir attempt to keep QuAIA from the Pride marches, an overwhelming responsefrom the broader queer community forced PT to backtrack on both its banning ofthe words “Israeli apartheid” and its proposed vetting of all participatinggroups’ signs and slogans. The ban on those two little words lit a powder kegin a community that has been coming to a slow boil for years. Issues of racism,class, gender, sexism, and the corporatization of Pride mixed with questionsof free speech and censorship in meetings and events.

Last year, Canadian filmmakerJohn Greyson’s decision to pull his film from the Toronto International FilmFestival as a protest against TIFF’s decision to showcase Israeli films with aspotlight on Tel Aviv, set off a fire-storm of media frenzy and led toworld-wide celebrity support for the protest. It was a turning point for theCanadian cultural boycott of Israel,which has seen a surge of support over the past several months. Just recently,Greyson produced a video calling on Elton John to cancel his June 17 Tel Avivconcert and join the BDS movement for peace. Go to: http://vimeo.com/11584285
For another video on BDS by Greyson, please see: http://vimeo.com/12834884

The annual Toronto PalestineFilm Festival will be held from October 2-8. A non-profit organizationdedicated to bringing vibrant Palestinian cinema toToronto area audiences,TPFF’s mandate is to promote the richness of Palestinian Arab culture throughcinema, music, and other forms of visual arts. TPFF was conceived in 2008 to commemoratethe 60th anniversary of Al-Nakba. For more information, go to: http://www.tpff.ca.

 

 October 2010 will mark 10 years ofvigiling in front of the Israeli Consulate building in downtown Toronto. Theweekly vigils offer opportunities to connect with the public on priorityissues. Ongoing Israeli attacks on non-violent anti-Wall protesters, thecontinuing siege of Gaza, thedestruction of Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem, and the destruction of theBedouin village of al-Araqib in the northern Negevdesert on July 27, have recently been highlighted in our weekly handouts. Inaddition, we’ve added a weekly handout featuring companies to boycott. Ourintention is to build the BDS spotlight at the vigils and to launch aneducation campaign that will include Canada Parkand the JNF. The research has been done. It’s time to take it to the streets!

Conference on a JustPeace for Palestine

Sept. 22-23, 2010

India International Center, Auditorium,

New Delhi, India

 

Concluding Session: Speaking for Palestine

September 23, 5-8 pm, Constitution Club, SpeakersHall

Chair: Seema Mustafa,

Speakers: Prakash Karat, Mani Shankar Aiyar, A BBardhan, DP Tripathi, Sitaram Yechury, D Raja, Rashed Khan Menon, ManzurulAhsan Khan, Amena Ahmed, Mustafa Burghouthi, Jamal Zahalka, Jamal Juma’

 

September 22

Registration

9.00-10.00 am

 Tea

Inaugural Session: Palestine: Breaking the Siege

Chair: Salman Haider

Welcome: Seema Mustafa

10.30 am-1.00 pm

Speakers: Mustafa Barghouti, Jamal Zahalka, FatherMiguel d’ Escoto Brockmann, Aijaz Ahmed, Ilan Pappe, Richard Falk

 Lunch

Occupation: Nakba and After

2.00-3.30 pm

Chair: Neera Chandhoke

Speakers: Jamal Juma‘, Lisa Taraki, MustafaBarghouti

 Tea

The Empire and West Asia

3.45-5.30 pm

Chair: Mushir-ul Hasan

Speakers: AchinVanaik, Ilan Pappe, Jamal Zahalka, MordecaiBriemberg, Nalan Dal

September 23

 

The Asian Response

9.30-11.30 am

Chair: Upendra Baxi

Speakers: Prabir Purkayastha & Ginu Zacharia, WaldenBello, Azril Mohamad Amin, K.P. Olli, Abdul Razak

 Tea

International Solidarity and Boycott Campaign

11.45 am-1.00 pm

Chair: Richard Falk

Speakers: Lisa Taraki, Jamal Juma‘, MordecaiBriemberg, Thomas Sommer-Houdeville.

 

Action Plan: Ending the Apartheid

1.00-2.00 pm

Chair: Kamal Chenoy

Presentation: Lisa Taraki and Pallab Sengupta

 Lunch

Organized by: Palestinian BDS National Committee,Committee for Solidarity with Palestine, All India Peace and SolidarityOrganization, India Chapter for Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel

Supported by: Action Aid India, Focus on the GlobalSouth, Center for Policy Analysis, Delhi Science Forum, COVA, International Jewishanti-Zionist Network and others.

 

Launch Plans

The Charter is being translated into Hindi and Urdu andthere are public meetings being organized in Mumbai and Delhi for later in October.

About Us

While the growing relationship between Israel and Indiais a stark example of Israeland the United State’sdesire for new allies in the global South, Indiahas its own anti-colonial history of struggle and a rich legacy of solidaritywith Third World liberation movements. India’s support to Palestine is part of this legacy and it waswoven into the very fabric & foundation of the Indian national liberationmovement itself.

The Global War on Terror has been relentlessin its propaganda and the subsequent demonization of Muslims and this is truefor the Islamophobia that exists within the Indian elite as well. Even though the Indian Brahmanicalcaste-class elite are in a close strategic partnership with Israel, thereis a growing people’s movement that will challenge and ultimately defeatthis alliance.

Our work in Indiais part of defeating this alliance and bringing together the struggles againstIslamophobia and caste prejudice in India and Israeli Apartheid. Ourlead organizers in Indiainclude anti-Zionist Jewish and Muslim activists.

Regional Building

The India IJAN is preparing for a popular tribunalthat will hold to account the Indian investments and government partnershipswith Israel, document theimpact of a consistently rotating and significant post-service Israeli soldierpresence in India, and exposethe similarities between India’scaste system, Israeli racism against Mizrahi Jews, and the Israeli Apartheidagainst Palestinians.

IJAN India is becoming more active. The activisttaking the lead on IJAN in India is part of the organizing committee of a conference, "A Just Peace forPalestine – A Conference on WestAsia ." In cooperation with the Palestinian BoycottDivestments Sanctions National Committee (BNC), a group of Indian activists andintellectuals initiated a conference on the issue of Palestine ,in NewDelhi , on September22^nd-23^rd. The conference seeks to mobilize all those involved in people’s movementsfor a just and equitable world across India and the region to collectivelystrategize and build a solidarity campaign for the liberation of Palestinianlands from Israeli occupation, self-determination and equality for all Palestiniansand the right of return of Palestinian refugees.

Indiaand the region has historically played a key role in garnering internationalsupport for Palestine, the South African anti-apartheid struggle and otheranti-colonial struggles. We believe that countries representing the non-alignedmovement, with its proud de-colonisation history, should once again play a keyrole in the struggle for justice and againstIsrael ‘s occupation,colonization, and apartheid policies.

TheConference aims to mobilize activistsin people’s movements around Palestinian rights, develop an effective strategy forsolidarity with Palestine , connect to policy makers and activists inthe region, to inform the peopleabout the current situation in Palestine , and tobuild and strengthen campaignstargeting companies and institutions that are complicit inIsrael ‘s occupation,colonization and apartheid policies.

Belowis the conference program.