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Demonstrators at the first World Conference Against Racism held in Durban, South Africa in 2001.

 

The United Against Racism Coalition, an allied call to end the US boycott of the World Conference Against Racism and for genuine justice for Palestine, issued an open letter to the Obama Administration urging United States participation in the upcoming United Nations Durban Review of the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (WCAR), to be held in Geneva, Switzerland April 20 – 24.

The United Against Racism coalition consists of a broad range of individuals and organizations concerned with the application of civil and human rights protections for immigrants and the communities of Arab, Indigenous, Jewish, African, and Latin descent within the US. The open letter calls on President Obama to apply his campaign themes of hope, change and renewed international diplomacy to this global forum to address issues of racial injustice domestically and internationally.

This letter reflects a growing coalition of grassroots Palestinian, immigrant and indigenous rights, and racial and economic justice organizations who are committed to building a united struggle against racism at home and abroad.

Please add your individual signatures and organizational endorsements to this letter by clicking here: http://www.unitedagainstracism.net/

We can then also include you and your organization as this effort continues to build.

Yours,

United Against Racism Coalition, adhoc coordinating committee:

Cindy Wiesner, national organizer, Grassroots Global Justice
Darryl Johnson, staff, American Friends Service Committee
Gabriel Camacho, staff, American Friends Service Committee
Jaime Veve, organizer, NYC Transit Workers Union
Kali Akuno, national organizer, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement
Mariana Viturro, co-director, St. Peter’s Housing Committee
Merrie Najimy, staff American-Arab anti-Discrimination Committee
Monadel Herzallah, national organizer, USPCN
Monamie Maulik, staff, Desis Rising Up & Moving
Nadeen Elshorafa, member, Arab Resource and Organizing Center
Noura Erakat, national coordinating committee member, USPCN
Rabab Ibrahim Abdulhadi-AMED, professor, San Francisco State University
Sara Kershnar, international organizer, IJAN
Tammy Luu Bang, organizer, Labor Community Strategy Center

Only days after the Canadian ArabFederation (CAF) criticized the Canadian government for its one-sided supportof Israel’s violentincursion in Gaza,the Harper government cut off all federal English-as-a-second language (ESL)funding to CAF. Harper’s spiteful move against CAF was not an isolatedincident. George Galloway, the world-renowned anti-war orator and solidarityactivist, was banned from speaking in Canada,while George Bush and Bill Clinton, noted war criminals, were permitted to earnhuge fees to speak in Toronto and Calgary. At the same time,students and faculty at many Canadian campuses who have identified the policiesand practices of the State of Israel as apartheid, are being targeted forharassment, surveillance, and intimidation.

La mort de Bassem Abu Rahma, tué par l’arméeisraélienne le vendredi précédent la conférence, lors de la manifestationpacifique hebdomadaire du village, a plané sur toute la conférence. Ce jeunehomme de 30 ans était en quelque sorte l’âme de la jeunesse du village etparticipait chaque vendredi à la manifestation en insistant auprès de ses camaradessur son caractère non-violent. Ce grand gaillard que le village appelaitfamilièrement « El Phil » (l’éléphant) était très écouté et caillouxet lance-pierres restaient souvent dans les poches. L’émotion était vive etnous, ainsi que tous les participants, l’avons profondément ressentie.

 

L’ouverture de la conférence, mercredi 22 avril, s’estfaite en rendant hommage à Bassem.

On May 4, the IslamicRepublic News Agency (IRNA) published an article that materially misquoted andmisrepresented the positions of the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network(IJAN). (Berlin, May 4-Iran must lead global anti-Zionist campaign: French Jewishactivist).

The article implied that IJAN expects Iran to be "the vanguard of the confrontation [againstZionism and Israel]."The article also failed to report criticism of Iran’sengagement that our speaker clearly expressed, creating the false impressionthat IJAN awaits and accepts Iran’sleadership in the struggle against Zionism. To correct the misconception aboutIJAN that the article in question promoted, we wish to make the followingclarifications.

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PEOPLE UNITED AGAINST RACISM

Civil Society Forum 2009 for the DurbanReview Conference
17-19 April 2009, Geneva, Switzerland

 Geneva 2009 Declaration Against Racism
FROM THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE GENEVACIVIL SOCIETY FORUM 2009

A Time to Speak Out

We participants of the Civil Society Forum for the Durban Review Conference2009 held in Geneva 17 to 19 April strongly welcome the holding of the DurbanReview Conference and reaffirm our full and dedicated support for the DurbanDeclaration and Plan of Action (DDPA) adopted by the 2001 World ConferenceAgainst Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance.

We commit ourselves to renew our efforts and intensifyour work for the implementation of the 2001 landmark programme which constitutea solid foundation in the struggle of humankind against racism and racialdiscrimination.

We express our deep concern over the decision by somepowerful countries to boycott this important conference which falls short oftheir Charter obligations to combat racism and promote human rights for all.

We are appalled by the many obstacles that have beenput in the way of preparing and holding of the Durban Review Conference as aresult of lack of political will resulting in the erosion of support for theDurban Declaration and Programme of Action among some member states which alsohas been reflected in the lack of United Nations support and encouragement forCivil Society preparations for the Review Conference.

Demonstrations

In solidarity with thegrassroots movements demonstrating at the World Conference AgainstRacism to demand accountability for the role of governments in racism,we are organizing a global day of action.

On April 18th, join with others across the globe in taking another step toward a united front against racism!

Join with the families of 10,000 Palestinian political prisoners being held in Israeli prisons and detention centers.

Join with families of political prisoners and immigrants held in detention in the United States and Guantanamo.

Joinwith the international community gathering in Geneva for the WorldConference Against Racism to demand international accountability forracism, anti-immigrant policies and colonization.

Organize a rally, demonstration or educational event insupport of local struggles for racial and economic justice, immigrantand indigenous rights, and in solidarity with the people ofAfghanistan, Iraq, Haiti and Palestine struggling against occupation.

For more information, contact organize@unitedagainstracism.net or ijan@ijsn.net.

For full call-to-action and background information: www.unitedagainstracism.net.

 

We are appalledby the concerted effort, led by Israeli officials, Zionist organizations andapologists, to derail the Durban Review Conference. We condemn the use of the memoryof the Nazi genocide, as Jewish organizations did during the Durban Reviewweek, in the defense of Israel’ssystematic domination and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. We areshocked by the cynical pretense of defending human rights, for example in Darfurand Rwanda, by organizations and groups that are only interested in silencing Palestiniandemands for accountability and redress and have no serious commitment to humanrights. The brazen exploitation of genocides and racialized violence inAfrica for the purpose of protecting and extending colonial domination in Palestine is itself aninstance of colonial racism. It is only tolerated due to the strength of racisminside the institutions of global governance.

Racismis one of the legacies of colonialism and a fundamental injustice insocietiesall over the world. The World Conference Against Racism in Durban 2001took abelated small step toward recognizing the impact of colonialism andracism on Africa and initiating a global discussion about the crimeof slavery and the need for restitution; it also addressed manyother instances of racism that must be addressed. It is beyond obvious to us thata conference about racism, and especially a conference that seeks to addressthe legacy of colonial oppression, must discuss Israel,since Israelis a settler-colonial state that systematically oppresses and deniesbasic human rights to millions of Palestinians. Israel’s attempt to derail thisimportant conference in order to avoid being examined and called to account isan affront against all the victims of racism all over the world, including the sixmillion Jews who perished in the Nazi genocide.

Presentations by and discussion with Eric Hazan and Marc Ellis

April 19 is the date commemorating the uprising of the Warsaw ghetto in 1943;on April 20, the World Conference Against Racism begins. In conjunctionwith these two events, we are organizing this public discussion inorder to encourage, with the help of our panelists, a reflection on theexploitation of those Jews who were murdered in the Nazi genocide inservice of the continued colonization of Palestine. This discussionwill include reflections on our responsibilities towards this memory aswell as to Palestinian resistance to the ethnic cleansing that isjustified in the name of this memory.

 

Visit: http://israelreview.bdsmovement.net

United Against Racism, Dignity & Justice for All – is the slogan of theUnited Nations’ Durban Review Conference to be held in Geneva between 20and 24 April 2009.

United Against Apartheid, Colonialism and Occupation, Dignity & Justicefor the Palestinian People – is the slogan of those who believe thatinternational law can and should become relevant for the people andgovernments in the Middle East.

 

 

The Israel Review Conference

The Israel Review Conference will take place in Geneva on 18 – 19 April,two days before the United Nations’ Durban Review Conference will examine the progress made inimplementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA)adopted by the World Conference Against Racism (2001) and strengthen its recommendations.

The Israel Review Conference will bring together internationally renowned experts and actors for social and political justice who will:

• examine how the UN anti-racism instruments apply to Israel’s policies and practices regarding the Palestinian people; and,
• develop practical recommendations on how to make Israel accountable to international law and protect the rights of the Palestinian people.

The second day of the conference will be reserved for self-organizedworkshops and planning meetings of the global Campaign for Boycott,Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel until it complies withinternational law.

IJANwill be organizing a panel on the Jewish National Fund campaign withHabitat International Coalition, the Scottish Palestine SolidarityCommittee and the Palestinian BNC as well as a panel with UnitedAgainst Racism on building joint struggle across grassroots movementsand Palestine liberation in the United States.

The Israel Review Conference is open to the public. It will be held atthe Hotel Le Grenil, Avenue Sainte-Clotilde 7, 1205 Geneva.

For more information, updates, and a detailed program of the conference, please visit:
http://israelreview.bdsmovement.net

The Israel-Review Conference is sponsored by the Palestinian Boycott,Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC) in cooperation with the:

• European Coordinating Committee on Palestine (ECCP)
• International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN)
• International Coordinating Network on Palestine (ICNP)

To contact the organizers, please write to: info@bdsmovement.net

To register online, visit: http://israelreview.bdsmovement.net/node/29

Note: The Israel Review Conference is open to the general public. Thepurpose of this registration is to help the organizers in planning forthe conference.

To contact the organizers, please write to: outreach@bdsmovement.net

United Nations General Assembly President MiguelD’Escoto Brockmann likened Israel’s policies toward thePalestinians to South Africa’s treatment of blacks under apartheid. Healso called on his collegues to use the term ‘apartheid’ without fear andurged that:

      Today, perhaps we in the United Nations should consider following the lead of a new generation of civil society, who are calling for a similar non-violent campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions to pressure Israel to end its violations. 

This is aground breaking statement by a U.N. official. It raises hopes of a U.N.engagement with apartheid tat goes beyond rethoric and begins to putreal pressure for the dismantling of apartheid. Not surprisingly,Brockmann has been immediately accused of antisemitism.

>> Please sign and circulate this petition in supportof UNGA President Brockmann’s callfor boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel!

>> We also urge all individuals and organizations to write in support of Brockmann and to denounce the accusations of antisemitism.  Letters may be sent directly to clarks@un.org.  IJAN’s letter of support is posted and available for download below.