We urge you tore-instate Bradley Manning as Grand Marshall for this year's Pride march. As anetwork of Jewish people committed to the end of all occupations and war and tohuman emancipation for all people - particularly those most impacted byoppression and repression - we commend Manning's actions.

As a network committedto the historic struggles of queer and transgender people, we also askthe Board to remember the lives and courage of the fierce transgender men andwomen, the queens and dykes, many of whom were also people of color, who hadthe courage to stand up against the repression and violence against their communitiesby the police.  This led up to theStonewall uprisings in 1969, a significant foundation for the LGBTTQ movementand what Pride itself is built on.

We reject theunfounded claim that Manning's actions endangered soldiers' lives. We remindthe Board that from 2003 to 2012, an estimated 180,000 Iraqis died as a resultof combat and an estimated 650,000 Iraqis died of war- and sanction-relatedcauses. More than 4,800 U.S. troops have died in Iraq since 2003. Certainlyamongst all of those killed in Iraq as a result of the aggression of the U.S.and its allies, many were queer.

The statementbelow is being endorsed by a number of organizations that are part of the solidaritymovement with Palestine in Catalonia, including the BDS coalition, the GazaFlotilla (now called Gaza's Ark), a number of NGOs active both here and there,and Junts/IJAN.

We the social movements organise to fight against a system that throws us on the dole, thatevicts a family every 15 minutes, that persecutes immigrants, that imposesworse working conditions on us, that exploits us. We want a dignified and just life for all, and against us the Stateorganises to repress us, and responds to our desire for change withintimidation and violence.

We condemn the growing repression and violence used against thesocial movements in Catalonia. We protest that this strategy violates democracyand aims to maintain the current injustices.

We condemn the fact that the repression we are experiencing in Cataloniais strongly interconnected with the global repression suffered by the socialmovements and specifically, with the Israeli military and securityinfrastructure. The army itself, and private security and military companiesthat maintain Palestine under occupation, have used the Palestinian people as amassive training and research ground that has enabled them to create companies,industries , products and services that our governments buy and use to controland repress the social movements. These products are sold with the "guarantee"of having been tested in real situations in the Occupied PalestinianTerritories.

Dear Prof. Stephen Hawking, 

The International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN) thanks you for taking the principled course of action: publicly refusing to participatein Israel's presidential conference, chaired by the notorious war criminal Shimon Peres. Our own recent history as Jews vividly presents to us the culpable role of those who merely stay silent in the face of state-organized racism and violence.

We further commend your decision to publicize the reasons for your withdrawal in a form that conveys your understanding that the primary obligation of people of conscience everywhere is to listen to Palestinians who suffer Israel's oppression and act in solidarity based on their analysis and demands. Your actions set an example for conscientious engagement as a scientist and as a public figure. We hope that your example will inform and in turn move more scientists, intellectuals, and artists to action. 

As with others who followed the same course, in the coming days many powerful people will subject you to a barrage of abuse. The primary purpose of this barrage is to frighten others who might want to emulate you but do not feel as confident in their ability to withstand the public attempts of character assassination. We therefore also write to you to encourage others. While those who appreciate what you did donot hold high office nor own newspapers and TV channels, we are the majority of humanity and we deeply appreciate you.

Sincerely,

We jointhe National Lawyers Guild in expressing support for the UN Special Rapporteur,Richard Falk, in his statement on the need for the U.S. to examine its foreignpolicy. 

Dr. Falk,in an editorial in Foreign Policy Journal titled "A Commentary on the Marathon Murders," appealedfor the U.S. to be self-critical and examine the effects of "irresponsible andunlawful warfare [as the] centerpiece of American foreign policy." He listssome of the more egregious actions of the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,including Abu Ghraib, drone attacks, torture, and rendition and says: "TheAmerican global domination project is bound to generate all kinds of resistancein the post-colonial world. In some respects, the United States has beenfortunate not to experience worse blowbacks..." Dr. Falk continues the essay withdiscussion of Barack Obama's abandonment of the Palestinians and anyinvolvement in bringing about a just peace. Obama's recent visit to Israel,says Falk, was a "love letter to the Israeli public" and "obsequious diplomacy"rather than a serious attempt at achieving justice. 

It was withgreat sadness that we received the news of the passing of President Hugo Chávezof Venezuela. As citizens of the world, wecontinue to draw hope and inspiration from the Bolivarian Revolution.It is a point of reference in the global resistance to the suffering imposed bygovernments, corporations and ruling classes - beginning with those of theUnited States and its massive military.

In theclosing days of 2012, three members of IJAN had the privilege of visiting theBolivarian Republic. They witnessed a peopleengaged in building a more just society and standing up to imperial domination. They saw the coming to fruition of a projectof building nearly one thousandapartments for victims of natural disasters.This was in sharp contrast to the US experience in the aftermath ofHurricanes Sandy and Katrina, when the government left the victims to fend forthemselves, and treated as criminals those  trying to escape the floods, even shooting  refugees dead.

This community forum was intended as a space for Arabs,Muslims, and their allies to express their concerns to city officials,including the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, about the harm which hasresulted from the Geller ads and to send the message that the community willnot tolerate Islamophobia and racism. The event was standing roomonly, and those in the audience included members of municipal institutions(e.g. the Municipal Transit Authority Board, San Francisco Board ofSupervisors, San Francisco Department of Public Health) and community members,groups and organizations, such as Students for Justice in Palestine, PeopleOrganized to Win Employment Rights (POWER) and the National Lawyers Guild. Speakersincluded Dr. Hatem Bazian, Zahra Billoo, Dr. Rabab Abdulhabi, and HusamEl-Qoulaq, as well as a MUNI bus driver who refused to drive his bus with thisad on it, Arab youth, and leaders of grassroots organizations. 

IJAN was asked to speak at the event and below is the text of our statement