ICDW event: "The Economic Crisis in Palestine"

Join SPHR @ uOttawa for a very informative, interactive workshop as a part of ICDW at uOttawa: "The Economic Crisis in Palestine" will present information about the history and current situation in Israel/Palestine in addition to an intimate discussion about the effects, on the ground, of the economic crisis in Palestine.

This workshop will include a role-playing activity with simultaneous narration and a slide show so that participants can physically learn about the historical process of displacement of the Palestinian population from the 1920s until 2004. The workshop will discuss displacement and refugee populations, US-Israeli financial aid, the Apartheid wall, social, historical and political contexts to the current situation, and parallels in the colonization of Palestine and North America.

Following this workshop, there will be a presentation about the global economic crisis and its effects in Palestine. Issues such as foreign aid, border closures, and contrasts to Israel's economy will be discussed.

When: Friday, January 29, 4 pm.
Where: UCU 205

This is a special event not to be missed: please come and support ICDW and SPHR, and stand with Palestine at uOttawa. Knowledge is a tool - use it.

"Eyes in Gaza" with Dr. Mads FTW.

SPHR @ UofO would like to thank everyone who attended our event "Eyes in Gaza" with Dr. Mads Gilbert this past Monday night at the University of Ottawa. I believe it a safe assumption that everyone in the room was touched by Dr. Gilbert's presentation on both the situation in Gaza now and during the invasion, as well as what we can do to help the Palestinian people on a practical level.

Which brings up a good point - there are many ways in which we have the power to effect positive change in the everyday lives of the Palestinians. What is often advertised by the mainstream media as a "hopeless situation" is, in reality, anything but. It is our responsibility as global citizens to get informed and involved. Running the risk of sounding clichéd,"you can't stay neutral on a moving train."

Mads was highly appreciative of the warm reception on the first night of his tour. Look out for the English translation of his and his colleague Erik Fosse's new book "Eyes in Gaza," due out later this year. If his lecture was any indication, it should be a remarkable read.

Dr. Gilbert is touring across Canada and the United States in the coming weeks; help spread the word by telling friends and family in other cities to show up. I can guarantee that it will be the best decision you've made all day. For more information, click here.

From everyone at SPHR, thank-you again for helping make this event a success. Please stay tuned to this site for more information on SPHR-related activities in the coming months. And please, follow us on Facebook ("SPHR UofO") and Twitter ("sphruofo") for more news and information.

Best wishes,
SPHR @ uOttawa

VIGIL & PROTEST

PALESTINE SOLIDARITY GROUPS TO HOLD VIGIL IN RESPONSE TO ISRAELI RAIDS IN GAZA

Dear SPHR Members and Supporters,

In light of the ongoing violence and killing in the Gaza Strip that has left 112 people dead since Wednesday, many of whom are innocent civilians including women and children, Palestine Solidarity groups in the Ottawa area are holding a vigil as a show of support to the Palestinian people.

This vigil will be taking place every night starting on Tuesday, March 4^th, 2008 until Friday, March 7th, 2008 in front of the Unknown Soldier memorial on the corner of Wellington and Elgin Street @ 5PM. This vigil is open to the public and to the media.

In addition, a protest will be held on Saturday, March 8th 2008 @1pm. We will be meeting in front of the A Channel station and marching to Parliament Hill afterwards.

Please distribute to your lists.

In solidarity,

SOLIDARITY FOR PALESTINIAN HUMAN RIGHTS

MARCH 1 at 1pm - STOP ISRAEL'S WARS BOYCOTT CHAPTERS / INDIGO

NION and CanPalNet-Ottawa would like to call on all those passionate about peace and justice in Israel/Palestine to join us on Saturday March 1st to picket Chapters/Indigo for the support its majority shareholders give to the Israeli occupation (please see below for more details).

Let us join together in solidarity to oppose occupation and apartheid and take a stand for justice, peace and human rights!

To help us organize, please email to confirm your attendance.

STOP ISRAEL'S WARS BOYCOTT CHAPTERS / INDIGO

1PM, SATURDAY, March 1, 2008
At the Chapters at Rideau and Sussex

As the Israeli Occupation passes its 40th year with continuing brutality and the unflinching support of the Canadian government, it's integral for all Canadians who believe in justice and peace in the Middle East to take a stand. The boycott campaign against Chapters has picked up steam across Canada and has become a regular event in many cities. NION (Not in Our Name - Jews Opposed to Israel's Wars) hopes to make this a regular event in Ottawa as well – holding a two-hour boycott every other Saturday outside the Chapters/Indigo on Rideau.

On October 20, 2007 NION Ottawa and Canpalnet began pickets of Chapters every other week. The next action is planned for March 1, 2008. We call on all individuals and groups who oppose Israeli occupation to join us to picket outside Chapters/Indigo at Rideau.

We will meet at Chapters on Rideau from 1 to 3PM.

NOT IN OUR NAME

On July 9, 2005, a call endorsed by 170 Palestinian civil society organizations was announced. It appealed to the people of the world to impose boycotts, divestments and sanctions (BDS) against Israel until it recognizes the Palestinian people's inalienable right to self-determination and fully complies with the precepts of international law. We came together to form NION during the summer of 2006, in solidarity with the people of Lebanon and Palestine, and against Israel's wars. We stand in opposition to the complicity of the Canadian government with Israel's criminal actions.

WHY BOYCOTT CHAPTERS / INDIGO?

Starting in the summer of 2006, NION and the Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid in Toronto began a boycott campaign against Chapters-Indigo. The key reason for this boycott is that Heather Reisman and Gerry Schwartz, the majority shareholders of Chapters/Indigo, started and contribute over $3 million/year to the Heseg Foundation, a charity which supports 'lone soldiers' who come from others countries to fight Israel's wars. On the Heseg board are army and air force chiefs of staff, the former head of Israeli intelligence (Mossad), and Maj. General Doren Almog who has been accused of war crimes by Britain for his role in bombing civilians.

This concern for young mercenaries from around the world is in marked contrast to the lack of support that Heseg gives to the hundreds of Palestinian child prisoners languishing in Israeli military prisons.

For more information about the boycott campaign see:
1)"Why Do We Ask the Indigo CEO to Support Peace, Not War?" at http://www.nion.ca/downloads.htm
2) http://caiaweb.org/indigoboycott

OPPOSE ISRAEL'S WARS

As a group of Jews who are vehemently opposed to the atrocities being carried out in our name, we urge you to join us in standing in solidarity with our Palestinian brothers and sisters. We urge you to join NION Ottawa in opposing Chapters' support of the occupation through the Heseg Foundation.

To help us organize, please reply stating if you will be able to participate in this picket. Hope to see you all there!

Organized by Not In Our Name – Jewish Voices Against Israel's Wars
email: nion.ottawa@gmail.com
web: www.nion.ca

Supported by Canada Palestine Support Network - Ottawa (www.canpalnet-ottawa.org)

Protest Censorship! Who Speaks for McMaster? A Public Forum

Carpool leaving St. Catharines 10:30 am Feb. 28. 905-984-6515 Susan

Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2008

UNITED FOR STUDENT RIGHTS (U4SR) PRESENTS

A Public Forum

Rights & Responsibilities in Political Discussion on Campus:
Who Speaks for McMaster?

Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 12:00pm
Details to be determined

United for Student Rights (U4SR) is holding a Public Forum to discuss the recent shocking decision by McMaster Student Union (MSU) and administration to unequivocally ban on campus the usage of the phrase "Israeli Apartheid". This decision was first passed by the McMaster Provost office, which is second in authority only to that of the President's office.

It has been accepted by McMaster Human Rights & Equity Services (HRES) and, in turn, the MSU. This information was communicated to Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) and McMaster Muslims for Peace & Justice (MMPJ) early in February 2008 by the MSU and HRES. Due to this decision, these MSU approved clubs have not been able to get approval for various initiatives related to Israeli Apartheid. It is the MSU that is directly enforcing this decision, as it is the only campus body with jurisdiction over student clubs.

MSU President, Ryan Moran, explained that though the MSU is not bound by this decision, it has chosen to implement it none the less. U4SR is calling on the MSU to rescind this decision immediately as part of opening up the discussion for all to decide.

Statement of Human Rights & Equity Services: "The university has taken the position that literature which refers to "Israeli apartheid" and activities promoted under the banner, "Israeli Apartheid Week" are unacceptable. The university takes the position that this phrase is in violation of the university's efforts to ensure that all people will be treated with dignity and tolerance."

According to the statement of HRES, banning Israeli Apartheid organizing is a matter of dignity and tolerance. In the view of those who use the term, opposing Israeli Apartheid is a matter of dignity and tolerance for the peoples of the Middle East and world over who are fighting for justice and for human rights. Clearly, there is a contradiction of a political nature between these two views.

U4SR considers this decision unacceptable especially given that the recent decision of the Provost is in keeping with consistent efforts by the McMaster administration, MSU and even Hamilton Police to repress Palestinian solidarity work over the last six years. At every point, Palestinian solidarity views have been presented as anti-Semitic and a matter of hate crimes. The most recent decision by the Provost is a ramping up of longstanding attempts to criminalize the views of students who oppose Zionist violations of the human and national rights of Palestinians. Such efforts overlook the importance of political engagement and discussion on university campuses, while making political issues a matter of policy and decisions taken behind closed doors by various offices of the university. This history provides an important context for understanding that the banning of terms diverts from the violation of the political and human rights of students attempting to defend a just
peace for Palestine.
These are not simple matters to be decided arbitrarily and in private. They are related to profound questions of rights and responsibilities on campus and in society at large. It is unjust to require that the students most affected should submit to this decision or simply engage in an unequal private dialogue with the administration.

A Matter for All to Decide

It is important to note that the administration has an obligation to society to respect the basic legal and moral rights of the university community. Despite all its efforts to claim that the university can act like a private corporation, McMaster is a public institution that plays a central role in the development of youth and intellectual thought. In turn, Human Rights & Equity Services is mandated to defend and elaborate issues of human rights on campus, and this function has ramifications for all of society. Similarly, the MSU plays an important role in supporting and intervening in society, as the organized front of students. In sum, the functioning of all these parts of the McMaster University and their recent decision are a matter that concerns all students, faculty, and the general Hamilton and Canadian society.

For this reason, U4SR is holding a public forum so that everyone's views can be heard. We are inviting the administration and MSU to be part of this discussion and no longer use their positions of power to impose their views on the conscience of students. We are also calling on all students, faculty, staff and members of the Hamilton community to join the discussion. Organisers will ensure that everyone's participation and comments are respected.

We, as Canadian students, are taking up our responsibility to society. We are working to end the marginalization of the McMaster community and Canadian polity at large from the decision-making processes that affect their lives and the political orientation of our society. This struggle at one university campus is a converging point for all those who believe that Canadian society should decide political matters in a public and transparent way. Join us!
United for Student Rights is an ad-hoc committee of McMaster University and Hamilton community members that was formed to facilitate public involvement in this issue.
For information please contact:
unitedforstudentrights@gmail.com

Le Trio Jourbran

Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights would like to invite you, your family and loved ones to a special night featuring

A Voice From Nazareth
Le Trio Joubran

This concert will be held at Centrepointe Theatre on Friday, February 29 2008. Doors open at 6:30PM.

Tickets can be purchased from Centrepointe Theatre's Box Office.
Students: $25
Adults: $35

Le Trio Joubran are the worthy inheritors of a rich family tradition. For the Joubrans, music is a family affair. The trio's parents, Hatem Mbadda Joubran, stringed-instrument maker emeritus known throughout the Arab world, and Ibtisam Hanna Joubran, a singer, both come from families where music is transmitted from generation to generation. Be it the next logical step, or the magic of destiny, Samir pulls Wissam and then Adnan along in his footsteps. The Joubran Trio stands on the mutual understanding of three brothers who share a common and limitless love for the ud'. The trio's repertory, made up of original creations and magnificent improvisations, takes root in their knowledge of the imposing culture of traditional maqâms and their subtle interpretations.

For more information about the artists and to listen to extracts of their compilations, please visit www.letriojoubran.com

This event will be followed by a dabkeh performance.


In Solidarity,

Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights at Carleton University
c/o Carleton University Students' Association
401 Unicentre
Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6
sphrcarleton@gmail.com
www.carleton.sphr.org

Israeli ambassador condemns students for 'celebration of ignorance'

Photography by: Danah Abdulla for SPHR
Israeli ambassador condemns students for 'celebration of ignorance'

Katie DeRosa
The Ottawa Citizen

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

University of Ottawa students were expecting a lecture by Israeli Ambassador Alan Baker. What they didn't expect was to be lectured to, reports Katie DeRosa.


A speech at the University of Ottawa by the Israeli ambassador to Canada sparked a debate over the validity of a movement that accuses Israel of apartheid.

Alan Baker denounced Israel Apartheid Week as "crude propagandism, pure hypocrisy and cynical manipulation of the student body."

Israel Apartheid Week began yesterday, coinciding with Israel Week and the 60th anniversary of the state of Israel.

"I want to explain to you and through you, the student bodies in these campuses, what an absurdity is this whole expression," said Mr. Baker. "I think that it's a sort of celebration of ignorance, both of the meaning of apartheid and a complete and utter lack of awareness of the state of Israel and what it means."

Mr. Baker was speaking to a classroom of about 50 University of Ottawa students during a lecture titled, "Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East." He referred to a series of events and lectures organized at Carleton University and the University of Ottawa under the Israel Apartheid banner as "intellectually dishonest and the antithesis of what one would expect in a home of learning."

He called the title of the week a slur and something that should never be allowed on university campuses.

But, a professor at the university defended students' right to hear both sides of the issue.
"University is a place where people think," said Tyseer Aboulnasr, a professor of electrical engineering and a former dean of engineering at U of O. "So you provide to them the different point of views, the different perspectives and let them have an open and respectful debate and let the students think and make up their minds."

She said the fact that two opposing celebrations coincide on the same week is a great idea. "It just gives people the chance to hear both sides."

Ms. Aboulnasr said she was also disappointed the ambassador spent much of his speech pointing out the human rights abuses of other Arab countries instead of providing proof of Israel's practices.

But, Mr. Baker referenced the apartheid in South Africa, which saw extreme racial degradation and segregation and defended Israel as a Liberal democracy with laws incompatible with such actions.

"It's an abuse of Canadian values because it's a vulgar attempt to undermine and slang a democratic country through dishonest ways," he said. "It's a picture of a forceful group of outspoken extremists trying to impose their narrow political views on a group of students to the exclusion of genuine issues."

February 2008 Newsletter

SPHR University of Ottawa has released its first edition of Campus RESISTANCE Campus, SPHR UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA'S official newsletter. Inside, you will find articles, news and our events for the month of February and what to expect in March!

The compatibility is for Adobe 5.0, if you would like a better version please email us!

Download the PDF version (compatible with Adobe 5.0 and up) at the link below:

http://www.zshare.net/download/71737372720456/

Please sign on behalf of your organization and return to susanha103@yahoo.ca so we can forward a joint statement to the media.

Sign it. Save it as a file to your computer. Then attach it again. And email it back to susanha103@yahoo.ca

NEWS RELEASE:
Palestinian Canadians & Others Demand that the Siege on Gaza be Broken.
January 21, 2008

Gaza City was plunged into darkness Sunday after Israel blocked the shipment of fuel that powers its only electrical plant. 1.5 million Palestinians civilians who live in Gaza are already besieged and are suffering from severe food, medicine and life essentials shortages imposed on them by the inhumane Israeli aggression. Israel who occupies the Palestinian lands are committing a 21st century Holocaust against the Palestinians by starving and killing them hoping to force them into submission and into accepting the illegal occupation of Palestinian land and to forgo the right of return.

We the Palestinian Canadian community and our Canadian friends, signatories below, demand that the Canadian government, our politicians, our MPs:

1. Condemn the latest Israeli aggression against the Palestinians in Gaza,
2. Demand an immediate halt to all Israeli brutal use of military force against the Palestinians which is taking a serious humanitarian toll on civilians,
3. Lift the blockade on the Palestinian people and allow all living essentials, food, medicine and energy to enter the territories without any delay.
4. Allow an independent international tribunal to enter the Palestinian territories to investigate the Israeli war crimes in the Gaza Strip and
5. Call upon the international community and Canada in particular to act immediately to stop these crimes;
6. And call upon the international community and Canada in particular to renew the call to the High Contracting Parties of the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their responsibility under Article 1 of the Convention, to ensure that it is respected under all circumstances, and their responsibility under Article 146 to pursue persons suspected of perpetrating serious violations of the convention. We affirm that Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) violations are considered war crimes under Article 147 of the Convention and under its first protocol.
We ask that our Mayor, our MPs, MPPs and MNAs join the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and international human rights groups who have warned that the blockade will cause a health catastrophe, will drastically affect hospitals, sewage treatment and water facilities and to condemn Israel and force it to lift these inhumane measures which defy basic humanitarian standards.

BACKGROUND:
Israel is responsible for creating an impossible balance of human suffering on both sides of the border. Basic foods such as rice, flour and cooking oil are in acute shortage; bakeries stopped operating because they had neither power nor flour. People are dying in hospitals and homes because dialysis machines are not working and medicine supplies are gone.

Although Israel supposedly pulled out of Gaza in 2005, Israel still controls most land, sea and air access to the territory. Israel must lift the blockade because of the humanitarian crisis developing in Gaza.

Gaza is a prison where 79 percent of households live in poverty, and children scavenge through dumpsters. It is also an Israeli target range, where schools, bridges and electric plants have been destroyed.
In the West Bank, Israel continues to expand its settlements and build its wall deep inside Palestinian territory, destroying dozens of Christian and Muslim Palestinian communities. Meanwhile, Palestinians are the first ever occupied population to be placed under international sanctions.

The international community including Canada must ensure that the Israelis meet their legal obligations, without discrimination against the Palestinians and to respect and recognize their right to live in freedom and dignity.

The Israeli military and economic siege of Gaza has led to a collapse in Palestinian living conditions and many people only survive by looking for scraps of food in rubbish dumps. The siege created mass despair, anger and a sense of hopelessness and abandonment.

Israel closed the entry and exit points into the Gaza Strip, home to 1.5 million Palestinians, this last week and has conducted frequent raids and bombings that have killed well over 35 people and wounded hundreds for the past week. The crisis in Palestine has been largely ignored by Canada. People are eating only one meal a day, bread with tomatoes or cheap vegetables, the crisis has worsened; some 80 per cent of people in Gaza could not meet their family's food needs. People are raiding garbage dumps.

Not only do Palestinians in Gaza get little to eat but what food they have is eaten cold because of the lack of electricity and money to pay for fuel. In one month alone 6 per cent of Gaza's agricultural land was destroyed by Israeli bulldozers. The total closure imposed by Israel, supplemented by deadly raids, has led to the collapse of the Palestinian economy. The 35,000 fishermen cannot fish because Israeli gunboats will fire on them if they go more than a few hundred yards from the shore.

The people of Gaza are paying a heavy price for being Palestinian; for merely inhabiting the land which every nation in the world has confirmed belongs to the Palestinian people. We believe that this Zionist escalation is the result of Bush's visit and a natural result of the cover supplied by Bush to the Israeli occupation authorities to go forward in their aggression against the Palestinian people, particularly in the Gaza Strip. 115 Palestinians have been killed by the IDF since the end of the Bush's Annapolis Peace Conference.

A Palestinian boy sits at his house, which was destroyed during an Israeli army raid on the Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip. This is the area where the Israeli army previously destroyed over 250 homes.

Fifth Estate video on Canada Park & petition against Bob Rae's appointment

The un-elected Bob Rae has recently been appointed as the Liberal Party Foreign Affairs Critic. Both he and his wife are pro-Israel Zionists. He is a member of the board of the racist Jewish National Fund which will only lease the lands stolen from Palestinians to non-Arabs; his wife is a member of the board of the racist lobby group Canadian Jewish Congress; and while he was NDP Premier of Ontario Bob Rae was involved in the creation of "Canada Park" - a "park" built on the remains of 3 Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank for Jewish Israeli beach goers (Palestinian Arabs are not even allowed to use the roads leading into the park).

To sign a Petition against Rae's appointment please visit:

http://www.petitiononline.com/sfpr/petition.html

Video is also available at: http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-2500957394773313398

November 2007 newsletter

Click on this link to download our November 2007 newsletter (billingual format). The file is approximately 4MB.

If you would like to receive our newsletter via email, send us an email at sphr.uofo@gmail.com

http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/598114_ozxhi/ewsletter_SDHPbulletin_nov07.pdf

a letter to the paper...

After attending a lecture hosted by the Jewish Students Association (JSA) in which Dr. Ephraim Zuroff spoke about “hunting” down Nazi war criminals, I found one aspect of the event, among others, particularly disturbing. At the event on November 8th, the JSA had hung the flag of the World Zionist Organization, who not only sponsored the event, but they were also promoting an annual retreat to Miami called the “Young Zionist Leadership Conference.” At this conference, not only will you be in the presence of “renowned Zionist Leaders,” but you will be “celebrating Israel’s 60th [anniversary of its creation]” and you will be able to “strengthen your personal connection to Zionism.”

The problem with promoting Zionism on campus is simple and crucial to understand; the principle behind Zionism is the creation of a religiously homogenous Jewish State on the land of Palestine. Theodore Herzl, who founded the World Zionist organization in 1897 and who is accredited with planting the seeds of Zionism, envisioned a Jewish State starting in the late 1800’s on the land of Palestine, which Jews believe to be their biblical homeland. The problem with Zionism is that in practice, in order to achieve its goals, the native Palestinian population was expelled and to this day has not been allowed to return to their homes for which many of them still hold the legal deeds. The ethnic cleansing of Palestine was a direct result of the concept of creating an exclusive State, and the practices of “cleansing” the lands of Arabs, including Arab citizens of Israel, is still underway to this day. See Ilan Pappe’s “The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine” to understand what I mean.

Zionism is a political ideology that led to the expulsion of around 750 000, representing three quarters, of the native Palestinian population from 1947-1949 and to the exacerbation of the ongoing conflict in Palestine and Israel. Why should a club on our campus have to right to be sponsored by an organization that, in theory and in practice, promotes ethnic cleansing? I found it disturbingly ironic that a talk about the Nazi Holocaust was sponsored by an organization that supports ethnic cleansing and the ongoing oppression of an entire people. I openly condemn the actions of the JSA for promoting this organization, and I hope they will publicly begin to make the distinction between being Jewish and being a Zionist.

Sincerely,

Jessica Carpinone, media relations for Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights, University of Ottawa.

Remembering the horrors that took place at Sabra and Shatilla

This week marks the 25th anniversary of one of the grimmest moments in the
history of the Palestinian diaspora.  On September 16th, 1982, militants
from the radical Phalange faction entered the Palestinian refugee camps of
Sabra and Shatilla - under the watchful eye of their powerful ally, Ariel
Sharon and his Israeli forces, who had surrounded the camps with tanks and
soldiers, allowing none in or out without their knowing.  Earlier that week,
the notorious Phalange leader Bashir Gemayel was assassinated; the
approximately 150-strong Phalange militia force believed the perpetrators of
the attack to be in the refugee camps.

September 15th, the day after the death of Gemayel, the Israeli Defense
Forces executed military operations allowing for the safe entry of the
militants.  The following morning, Israeli snipers fired into the camp as
rockets bombarded the inhabitants.  By about 5pm, the militants entered the
camp to "mop up" the Palestinian camps.  The 40 hours saw the Phalange armed
force injure, rape, murder and brutalize what was mainly unarmed civilians -
including a large number of women and children.  Further refugees were later
rounded up with the assistance of the Israeli army and were later
"disappeared."  The total number of dead is estimated between 800 (the
insensitively conservative Israeli estimate) and 3000.

We are now 25 years after the commission of such horrible crimes against
humanity.  Immediately after the massacres a parliamentary commission found
the Sharon to be "personally responsible" for the massacres and, due to
mounting pressure, he resigned from his position as Minister of Defense.  No
further legal action has interrupted Sharon's otherwise illustrious
political and military career, nor the careers of other responsible
parties.

Despite the grimness of the revelations concerning the massacres, there has
been little media outcry in the Western media.  On the 25th anniversary,
there was major newspaper story dedicated to the victims; no is being asked
"where were you when you found out?"  However, such a cold-blooded failure
of humanity must never be forgotten.  And this week we pay tribute to those
innocents who lost their lives in such a barbaric fashion.

--
In Solidarity,
Thomas Shields
SPHR-Carleton
sphrcarleton@gmail.com
http://www.carleton.sphr.org 

Film Festival September 24-25-26

WHAT? Film Festival
MONDAY: Occupation 101
TUESDAY: Private
WEDNESDAY: Paradise Now
WHEN? Monday, September 24, Tuesday, September 25 and Wednesday, September 26 at 7:30pm
WHERE? Alumni Auditorium, 85 University Private, Jock Turcot Uni Centre
ADMISSION IS FREE

Naji Al-Ali: Understanding Conflict through Art exhibit

Join SPHR on Tuesday, September 4 at 7pm at Saw Gallery on 67 Nicholas Street in downtown Ottawa. 20 years after his death Naji Al-Ali's cartoons "Handala" still impacts the world.
Entrance is free. For more information email sphr.uofo@gmail.com

ACTION REQUIRED - Liberal party denying pro-Palestinian candidate the right to run

Ed Corrigan an outspoken advocate for justice for Palestine and long time
Liberal has been rejected by the Liberal "Green Light Committee" as a
candidate for the riding of London Fanshaw. You will find below some
interesting background information on past efforts to expel or marginalize
people with pro-Palestinian views from the Liberal party. Ed was only given a vague explanation of the reason for not allowing him to run as a candidate, e.g, has made statements and holds views not in line with the policies of the Liberal Party.

If you feel comfortable with the information provided in this e-mail, please
take a few minutes to write an quick letter to Dion and the Liberal party.

Example:

Dear Mr. Dion:
It has come to my attention that the Liberal Party has denied Mr.Ed Corrigan the right to run for candidacy in the riding of London-Fanshaw. It is alleged that the reason for the denial of his candidacy is that he is an outspoken proponent for Palestinian rights and a just solution to the middle east conflict based on International Law. If the Liberal Party's position is contrary to this, then you will not be receiving my vote at the next election.


Dion.S@parl.gc.ca
Telephone: (613) 996-5789
Fax: (613) 996-6562
If e-mailing, please also copy:

marissen@burrardcommunications.com

ngirard@liberal.ca

mpoulin@liberal.ca

judi.longfield@lpco.ca


A PATTERN OF DENIAL?

I have distributed strong letters of support that I have received from
the Canadian Islamic Congress and the Canadian Arab Federation. I have
also recently received letters of support from the President of the
Canadian Arab Society, the President of the Canadian Palestinian
Association of London and letters of support from both Arab papers in
London. There are now about 30 letters of support have gone to Stephan
Dion and to the other senior members of the Liberal Party. Several M.P's
and former M.P's have made inquiries on my behalf. Thanks to those who
have written already . Many more letters of support are needed. Please
take a few moments and write a short letter to help ensure that the
Liberal Party remains open to those who support the Palestinians and who
dare to criticize Israel. Original letters are needed not form letters.
Please send me a copy to me and also copy the local London Liberal
Candidates so they are aware of your concern. There address are found below.

Thank you for assistance. We need a lot or emails and letters . Numbers count. The recent campaign to stop the amnesty being granted to the illegal immigrants in
the USA is an example where numbers and a strong activist campaign was successful. In the end it is up to you but there are important issues at
stake that are much bigger than Ed Corrigan and that are critical to
Canadian Palestinian, Arab and Muslim community and undoubtedly will
have an important impact on Canadian foreign policy and Liberal Party
policy on the Middle East.

No doubt all the Canadian political parties are watching how the
Canadian Arab and Muslim community and their friends respond to the
repeated attempt to keep pro-Palestinian activists out of the Federal
Liberal nomination process. There are a number of recent examples of
this campaign against pro-Palestinian activists. In 2005 Carolyn Parrish
the M.P. for Mississauga Erindale was targeted for defeat but after a
brutal contest narrowly won the nomination by only 47 votes. Parrish
then went on and won the riding by a wide margin. Elias Hazineh, then
President of Palestine House and one of the key architect's of Parrish's
victory, was later rejected as a Liberal Candidate after Carolyn Parrish
was kicked out of the Liberal caucus and then decided to run for a
position on Mississauga City Council and not run as an independent.
Carolyn was easily elected to Mississauga City Council.

Omar Alghabra, now the Liberal M.P. in Mississauga-Erindale, was
strongly opposed by the Liberal Party establishment and was not expected
to win the nomination race to replace Carilyn Parrish. He was at least
allowed to run. They had previously barred Elias Hazineh so the Party
could not appear to be blatantly anti-Arab and anti-Muslim and deny
Omar the right to run. They did their best to discourage him. Thanks to
the support he received from the Arab and Muslim community he won the
nomination contest and then easily won the riding. He was attacked by
Zionists and anti-Muslim elements during the general election. It is
perhaps the fact that Parrish and Omar Al-Ghabra won their nominations
that the supporters of Israel in the Liberal Party are now trying to
block pro-Palestinian and pro-Arab and Muslim supporters from even
running for nominations. The fact that there are 2,000 Arabs and Muslims
currently signed up in London-Fanshawe means that they are afraid that I
will win the nomination. If I had little or no chance to win they would
let me run and instead of blocking me they would just try to defeat me
in the nomination. It is clear that they are afraid of me and that I
would win.

Other candidates who have expressed pro-Palestinian views have been
discouraged from running as Liberal candidates in this election cycle.
Dr Farid Ayyad was strongly discouraged from running in the Mississauga
riding held by Muslim Wajid Khan who was elected as a Liberal but then
crossed the floor to join the Conservatives. Dr. Ayyad eventually
withdrew from the race. It was clear that he was not welcome in the
Liberal Party. He is a Dentist with a long history of community activism
and currently is the President of Palestine House in Mississauga. A
conservative candidate (first name I believe is Alan ) who was a lawyer
and non-Arab and non-Muslim but who had strong ties to the Arab and
Muslim community in Ottawa and who was sympathetic to the Palestinians
was rejected as a candidate by the Conservative Party before the 2006
election. The NDP at least has been open to letting Muslim and
Palestinians candidates run in seats where they are not likely to get
elected. Jim Kafieh a Christian Palestinian and past President of the
Canadian Arab Federation has ran twice for the provincial NDP. Monia
Mazigh, the wife of abductee Maher Arar, ran for the NDP in Ottawa in
2006 on a pro-human rights anti-security certificate platform.

I am most interested in hearing about similar attempts to block or
discourage Arab and Muslim candidates and those sympathetic to the
Palestinians and Arab and Muslim causes. Please send me information on
this subject and any articles published on this issue.Thanks for your
help on this special research project. The information for sending
emails is below.


Ed Corrigan

Please take a moment and write a letter supporting my candidacy or
supporting the view that the Liberal Party 'Green Light" me ASAP. If you
are associated with an organization and the organization agrees to
support me (as many have indicated that they will support me) please
write in the organizations name or list your title. If you cannot
officially use your title you can say organization listed only for
identification purposes. Please send a letter by mail or fax and also by
email to the Hon. Stéphane Dion Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.
with copies to the national Co-Chairs Mark Marissen and Nancy Girard and
to the President of the Liberal Party of Canada party Senator Marie
Poulin. A copy should also be sent to Judi Longfield the Executive
Director of the Liberal Party of Canada (Ontario). All the emails are
listed below. It is very important that we show that I have a strong
support base and that we do this very quickly. Please send a copy of
your letter to me by email or fax or by posted letter. The following
also should be copies on any emails. I thank you in advance for your
support. It is important that we act quickly and with large numbers.

Ed Corrigan
Declared Federal Liberal Candidate for London Fanshawe

National Campaign Co-Chair Mark Marissen marissen@burrardcommunications.com
National Campaign Co-Chair Nancy Girard at ngirard@liberal.ca
Senator Marie Poulin President of the Liberal Party of Canada at
mpoulin@liberal.ca
Judi Longfield the Executive Director of the Liberal Party of Canada
(Ontario) at judi.longfield@lpco.ca


The email address for the local London Liberal Candidates are:

Susan Barnes London West
Barnes.S@parl.gc.ca

Glen Pearson London-North-Centre
Pearson.G@parl.gc.ca

Susan van Bommell (Elgin-Middlesex-London)
s.vanbommel@greenfieldethanol.com

Hon. Stéphane Dion
Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6

Telephone: (613) 996-5789
Fax: (613) 996-6562
EMail:Dion.S@parl.gc.ca

Web Site:www.stephanedion.parl.gc.ca

International Campaing of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel

As part of the International Campaing of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel, CanpalNet invites everyone to join them while they distribute leaflets in front of Chapters on Rideau this Saturday June 23rd at 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
For more information, contact Canpalnet-Ottawa at admin@canpalnet-ottawa.org