Category Archives: TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Rallies held worldwide as Israeli genocide in Gaza enters 100th day

FREE FLOW OF INFOMATION . .

An article from PressTV Iran with additions as indicated

Pro-Palestinian protesters took to the streets around the world on the “day of action,” calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as the Israeli aggression reached the 100-day mark.

The global day of action on Saturday saw demonstrations take place in various international capitals, including Washington DC, London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Johannesburg, Abuja, Tokyo, Islamabad, Jakarta, and Kuala Lumpur.


Photo of March in Washington : AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana as published by AP News

Thousands of protesters in one of the largest pro-Palestinian demonstrations to date in the US capital, Washington, called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and to stop US aid to Israel, as more than three months of Israeli offensive is killing 250 Palestinians per day.

Large crowds waved Palestinian flags and chanted “Ceasefire now,” and “Free Palestine,” while carrying banners and posters that read “End the War in Gaza.” Other signs said the Israeli government is practicing apartheid and charged US President Joe Biden with genocide.

Young protesters were wearing the traditional keffiyeh in solidarity with Palestinians.

(Organizers of the march in Washington said that 400,000 took part.)


Pro-Palestinian activists and supporters wave flags and carry placards during a National March for Palestine in central London on January 13, 2024. (Photo by AFP)

London, meanwhile, saw its seventh National March for Palestine since October 7 as demonstrators called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and demanded that the British government stop arming the Israeli regime.

(According to a mail received at CPNN from the London-based Stop the War Coalition, in London there were almost half a million protesters demanding an immediate ceasefire, led by the anti-war movement in the UK.)

Little Amal, a giant puppet of a Syrian child refugee, representing refugees and displaced people, joining a group of Palestinian children, attended the demonstration.

“While the British public largely supports a ceasefire in Gaza, the UK’s politicians have continued to fund and support the genocide,” Jeanine Hourani, a member of the Palestine Youth Movement attending the march in London said.
UK ‘complicit’ in Israel’s crimes

Palestine’s ambassador to the UK, Husam Zomlot, also joined the protesters calling for a ceasefire. He slammed the UK government for “complicity” with Israel.

“I stand before you with a broken heart but not a broken spirit,” Zomlot said addressing pro-Palestinian protesters in London as he described Palestine as a “nation of freedom fighters.”

He also congratulated South Africa for bringing a genocide case against Israel at the UN’s International Court of Justice.

The London march was one of several others being held in European cities including Paris, Rome, Milan and Dublin, where thousands also marched along the Irish people to protest Israel’s aggression against Palestinians.

Irish Protesters waved Palestinian flags, denouncing Israel’s genocidal crimes in Gaza, chanting “Free, Free Palestine” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” They held placards critical of the Irish, US governments and Israeli regime.

(As reported by Common Dreams , “In Dublin, organizers of a march that saw more than 100,000 march through city streets called it the largest rally for Palestinian rights in Irish history.”)

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Question related to this article:

Presenting the Palestinian side of the Middle East, Is it important for a culture of peace?

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Rome hosts new pro-Palestine rally, thousands join demonstration

In Rome, thousands of demonstrators descended on a boulevard near the famous Colosseum, with some carrying signs reading, “Stop Genocide.”

Pro-Palestinian protesters also lauded South Africa for bringing Israel’s brutal military onslaught against Gaza to the International Court of Justice.
Rome photo


Rome hosts a new rally in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Malaysia

At rallies in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, people gathered at the United States embassy to send a message to Israel’s staunch ally. People carried placards that read “Stop the genocide,” as well as “Bombing children is not self-defense.”

Last month, the Malaysian government announced it would no longer allow Israeli-owned ships to dock in Malaysian ports. It also said any vessel en route to Israel would not be allowed to unload cargo at any Malaysian port.

Thousands of people also gathered outside the US embassy in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, waving Indonesian and Palestinian flags and holding signs that read “Boycott Israel” and “Ceasefire Now.”


Thousands of members from the Muslim community gathered in front of the US Embassy in Jakarta to protest against ‘genocide’ in Palestine and express their support for the Palestinian people.

South Africa protests

Similar protests took place in Johannesburg, South Africa as demonstrators gathered outside the US consulate. The crowd accused the US of complicity in the bombardment of the Palestinian people due to its military support of Israel since the war started.

The protest has been reinforced by South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The court in The Hague began hearings on Thursday over a charge that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

South Africa, which filed the lawsuit at the UN court in December, asked judges Thursday to urgently declare that the Tel Aviv regime has breached its responsibilities under international law since October 7, when it launched hostilities in the besieged territory.

The relentless Israeli military aggression has so far killed at least 23,843 people in Palestine, more than 10,000 of whom are children, while 60,317 others have been wounded.

Other European protests

(In Switzerland , an estimated 15,000 held their first national protest in Basel in support of Gazans since several German-speaking cantons introduced a ban on such actions, calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the region.)

(Protests also took place in Amsterdam, Oslo, Uppsala and Tunis according to the Palestine Chronicle.

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, global, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Music video: We are all Palestinian

. TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY . .

Received by email from Mistahi Corkill

Greetings,

Here is my new song and music video We are all Palestinian, linked below.

If you find it inspiring please feel free to share with others.

All the best!

Mistahi Corkill

Click here for the video: We are all Palestinian


Frame from the video

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Question related to this article:

Presenting the Palestinian side of the Middle East, Is it important for a culture of peace?

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Frame from the video


Frame from the video

Mideast, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Nikolai Firjubin, Founder of UNOY Youth Peace Network

. TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

On December 11, CPNN was informed that Nikolai Firjubin has passed away by the facebook post that follows from Celine Del Felice:

We are sad to share that one of UNOY’s founders, Nikolai Firjubin, passed away last Friday.

On his 50th birthday, Nikolai had a dream about a general assembly hall filled with young people discussing the major challenges facing humanity. Nikolai gathered together a group of young people with a shared vision and commitment to build a world in which peace, justice, solidarity, human dignity and respect for nature prevail. In September 1989, UNOY was founded.

We are honoured to carry on Nikolai’s vision: a growing, global network of peace powered by youth.

Nikolai, thank you for your dream and belief that young people can “save the world and preserve peace on Earth”

UNOY made important contributions to the culture of peace, including advocacy campaigns in 2005 and again in 2006 at the United Nations during the International Decade for a Culture of Peace.

Here are excerpts from Firjubin’s account of the source of the idea for UNOY back in 1989:

The dream that became UNOY It was a beautiful early morning, that Saturday in July, in Geneva on the eve of my 50th anniversary. A few days before, in flagrant but very joyful violation of the ‘Rules of the Soviet Citizens working abroad’ I became a member of The Ski Club International. That was my first ever personal secret rebellion against the Communist Party and the KGB; an act of free will and for the first time in my life, I felt really free and full of joy… I boarded the train to Martigny, not suspecting that this simple act would radically change my life and make me a happy and an accomplished human being. . . . At the Alpine Club in Champex, I finally celebrated my 50th birthday at a noisy party attended by my very nice and kind fellow trekkers…

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Question related to this article:
 
Youth initiatives for a culture of peace, How can we ensure they get the attention and funding they deserve?

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The night was very short, and I slept not more than two, maybe three hours. I asked permission from the Leader to spend the day in Champex as we had to climb another mountain before returning back to Geneva. He kindly allowed me to stay for the reason of my birthday. I was very happy as I wanted to reflect on the dream which I had during that short night. In my dream I saw a large hall filled with young people with different ethnic backgrounds and having different skin colors. They were gathered together for some serious purpose. They were listening to an old man, who vaguely looked like a self portrait of Dr. Svetoslav Roerich. I was very surprised that I even remembered my dream – for the first time in my life. The old man said something like: “We brought you here to help save the world and preserve Peace on earth….”

Before taking the bus back to Martigny station, I spent a few hours on a bench of a small island in the middle of Lake Champex, in an attempt to understand the meaning of this dream, until I suddenly got a vision of a United Nations of Juniors (UNOJ) which appeared in my mind.

The week thereafter, I was looking for the address of Dr. Svetoslav Roerich in India. Quite unexpectedly, I was invited for a 5 o’clock tea by my colleague from Moscow who came for a private visit to Geneva. He helped me to contact Dr. Roerich. Soon after, I wrote a letter to Dr. Roerich about my dream and asked for an appointment in Bangalore to talk about it. In his reply he supported my UNOJ vision and agreed to meet me in India.

On the 2nd December, I left Geneva for Bangalore and on December 4th, I met Svetoslav Roerich for the first time in his office in Bangalore. That day, I talked with him for several hours about the dream. Hence, this was the beginning of the beginning of the UNOY. (During the first UNOY meeting in Handel, the Netherlands in May 1989, the youth participants renamed UNOJ ‘United Nations Of Youth’ (UNOY ).

No account of the origin of UNOY could be complete without reference to Maria Kooijman, who co-founded the organization with Firjiubin:

It was April 1989. At that time, I worked for Universal Education and its magazine Educare, promoting holistic and inclusive approaches and methods in education and child rearing. I was approached by Nikolai Firjubin (at that time a UN civil servant/ diplomat) who shared his dream and requested me to assist in organising the 1st International Working Group for the UNOY. The whole staff of Universal Education also became involved. In 6 weeks time, all was arranged and set for the participants to arrive in Handel, the Netherlands at De Weyst, a conference centre based on Ghandian principles. The event became a great success. It was a revealing and overpowering experience to see how youth from around the world bonded together as true friends and took the concept of UNOY utterly serious and as a great challenge.

global, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Guernica stands in solidarity with Gaza

. TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY . .

An article from the Peoples Dispatch (published under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license)

On Friday, December 8, thousands of people from the Basque city of Guernica hit the city center in a stunning display of solidarity with the people of Gaza who are facing Israel’s genocidal attacks. The thousands who assembled at the Pasialeku Market Place in Guernica formed a human mosaic depicting the Palestinian flag and part of Pablo Picasso’s famed anti-war painting, Guernica.


Frame from a video of the event. credit: Gotzon Aranburu / @GotzonAr via Spectee.

In the event organized by the Guernica-Palestine Citizens’ Initiative, citizens, trade unionists, artists, anti-fascist groups, anti-war groups, and activists from left-wing parties, including the United Left (IU), condemned the Israeli bombardment of Palestinian people. The city’s anti-aircraft siren sounded  for a minute, drawing parallels between Guernica’s enduring pain from the bombing it faced during the Spanish Civil War and the ongoing airstrikes faced by the people of  Gaza.

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Question related to this article:

Presenting the Palestinian side of the Middle East, Is it important for a culture of peace?

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Guernica is a historically significant city in the Basque region of Spain that was bombarded on April 26, 1937, during the Spanish Civil War by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italian air forces in support of their ally, the Spanish military general Francisco Franco. The infamous bombing of the city, which was a stronghold of the Republican forces, was one of the events that paved the way for the Fanco’s capture of northern Spain.

Hundreds of civilians were killed in the bombing which evoked widespread outrage across the world. Renowned artist Pablo Picasso’s landmark painting  ‘Guernica’ was in response to the brutal bombing. It is regarded as an exemplary anti-war painting in modern history.

In its statement on the Palestine solidarity event, the Guernica-Palestine Citizens’ Initiative insisted that the world and history must not accept a new Guernica and that “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people. The international community [must] share the suffering of the Palestinian people and stop the massacre.”

On December 10, on the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Basque Federation of the United Left (IU) stated  “What is happening in Gaza is a genocide contrary to ideals envisaged by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

As of December 12, over 18,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli bombardment in Gaza, and around 50,000 people have been wounded. More than 7,500 people are reportedly missing and more than 1.9 million people have been displaced by the relentless airstrikes.

(Thank you to Fatima Zédira for calling our attention to this event.)

Europe, Mideast, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY,

Peacebuilding during a time of war? Bottom-up Peacebuilding between Israelis and Palestinians

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article from Peace News

While the world focuses on the human tragedy of the current conflict between Israel and Hamas, there are hundreds of organizations and thousands of individuals actively working to build peace. Peace News spoke to some of these peacebuilders to understand their experience during this war.


Dialogue Meetings: The meetings are led by two PCFF members, an Israeli and a Palestinian, who tell their personal stories of bereavement and explain their choice to engage in dialogue instead of revenge

Yuval Rahami is the Israeli co-general director of the Parent’s Circle Families Forum. He lost his father in the 1967 Six Day War. Bassam Aramin is the former Palestinian co-director of the organization. He lost his 10-year old daughter in 2007 when she was shot and killed by an Israeli border guard. Despite these unimaginable losses, both work together with hundreds of families, both Israeli and Palestinian, who have lost loved ones to the conflict. Using their shared loss and desire for peace, they form connections on a human level. They believe that reconciliation and nonviolence are necessary for a future political solution, and that this is the only way forward.

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Question related to this article:

How can a culture of peace be established in the Middle East?

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Both emphasized what they believed was the most important project of the Parent’s Circle – education. The program facilitates programs in schools where students are given the chance to meet their supposed “enemy” and can see that the “enemy” is a human like them, and that forgiveness and reconciliation are possible. Rahamim described the experience of the students as deeply impactful, mentioning stories of soldiers at checkpoints in the West Bank who recognize the Palestinians who came to speak to their classes.
 
Aramin is also a member of Combatants for Peace. The organization was founded by former combatants on both sides and promotes nonviolence to break the cycle of violence. Combatants for Peace has been featured in the award-winning documentary Disturbing the Peace.
 
The work of both organizations has become harder during the 2023 Israel-Hamas war, which has claimed over 1,400 Israeli and 8,500 Palestinian lives. The Parents Circle’s education work in schools was already stopped by the new Israeli government even before the war, and, with the West Bank on lockdown, it is difficult for Palestinian peacebuilders to meet in person. Members of both organizations continue to meet virtually, and have not given up on their belief in a peaceful future despite these challenges. 

Avi Meyerstein, the Founder and President of the Alliance for Middle East Peace, a coalition of over 170 peacebuilding groups, highlighted a number of touching stories of peacebuilders during the current war. One such example is Vivian Silver, who is currently a hostage in Gaza. Silver is a core member of Women Wage Peace, who would drive Palestinians from Gaza to Israeli hospitals for treatment, and yet is now a victim of the hatred she has spent her life trying to combat. Another is Dr. Izzeldin Abduelaish, a Palestinian doctor whose daughter and niece were killed by an Israeli tank. Like Rahamim and Aramin, Dr. Abuelaish has lost so much, and yet chooses to continue fighting for peace. He wrote a recent op-ed in the Jerusalem Post in support of peace and an end to the cycle of war and violence.

While the prospect for peace at the moment appears bleak, as Aramin pointed out, there is a German ambassador in Tel Aviv and an Israeli ambassador in Berlin, something which seemed unimaginable after the Holocaust. There is always hope for peace, and the work of these groups and others like them shows that Israelis and Palestinians can reconcile through nonviolence. 

Mideast, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Mercosur without Racism: Brazil will propose a campaign at a meeting of ministers from the bloc

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article from the Government of Brazil

The Ministry of Culture (MinC), in the exercise of Pro Tempore presidency of Mercosul Cultural, will propose the campaign “Mercosul without Racism, with Diversity and Inclusion”, to create common strategies to combat prejudice in the countries that make up the economic bloc. The action will be presented on November 9th, in Belém, Pará, during the meeting of Mercosur Ministers of Culture. The meeting will begin at 9:30 am, in the Oval Room of the Government Palace of the State of Pará. 

The expectation is that, with approval of the campaign by the participants, the bloc’s ministers and authorities will sign the joint declaration of adherence to the agenda, expressing the commitment of all Mercosur member countries to adopt actions that guarantee the promotion of ethnic-racial equality in their territories, in an intersectoral and continuous manner.
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Led by Minister Margareth Menezes, the meeting will be attended by the Minister of Culture of Argentina, Tristán Bauer, the Minister of Culture and Heritage of Ecuador, Maria Elena Machuca, the Executive Secretary of the National Secretariat of Culture of Paraguay, Adriana Ortiz, the Vice Minister of Heritage, Memories and Cultural Governance of Colombia, Adriana Molano and the director of the Office of International Cooperation of Peru, Wilyam Abelardo Lúcar Aliaga. The Minister of Cultures, Decolonization and Depatriarchalization of Bolivia, Sabina Orellana Cruz, the National Director of Culture of Uruguay, Mariana Wainstein, and the representative of the Chilean Embassy in Brazil, Alejandro Guzmán, will be present by video.

During the 54th Meeting of Ministers of Culture of Mercosur, which took place in June this year, in Buenos Aires, minister Margareth Menezes received the Pro Tempore Presidency of Mercosur Cultural. At the time, the head of the Ministry of Culture had already announced that one of the main actions of Brazil’s mandate would be Mercosur without Racism.

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(Click here for the original Portuguese version of this article)

Question(s) related to this article:

Are we making progress against racism?

Latin America, has it taken the lead in the struggle for a culture of peace?

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Officially, the Campaign is an invitation to the governments of Mercosur member countries, as well as organizations and society. “A Democratic State is only possible by guaranteeing equal rights, social equality, ethnic-racial equality and freedom for all people. At this meeting, we will reaffirm our commitment to adopting social development policies for discriminated and vulnerable populations in the countries. These guarantees are fundamental to improving the region’s economic development conditions”, highlights the minister.

The Secretary of Citizenship and Cultural Diversity in the Ministry of Culture, Márcia Rollemberg, reinforces the need for Mercosur countries to adopt measures that will guarantee the population’s equal rights. She states that the Mercosur Without Racism Campaign aims to recognize the contribution of indigenous and Afro-descendant populations to the social formation and cultural identity of member countries.

“Racism encourages the maintenance of a social structure of great inequalities in access and opportunities, in which skin color and other bodily characteristics establish boundaries and limitations in access to social and cultural rights”, he highlights. “The goal is for countries to value and promote diversity, anti-racist education and good living, strengthening the culture of peace and interculturality in our region”, concludes secretary Márcia Rollemberg.

Mercosur Cultural works in an expanded manner, with the participation of member states Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela (despite the suspension of the latter since August 2017), as well as associated states such as Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Bolivia also participates as an associated state and is in the accession process. This collaboration has strengthened public cultural policies in the region, providing a valuable exchange of information and experiences from successful cultural programs and projects.

Declaration

The Declaration, which will be presented by Brazil, highlights the importance of adopting and enhancing specific cultural policies for the black population, indigenous peoples and traditional peoples and communities, in confronting inequalities and combating racism. The measures adopted will strengthen cooperation at national, regional and international levels to ensure the full exercise of the economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights of people who are discriminated against.

The text points out that racism consists of a derogatory and discriminatory attitude based on the race, color, descent, national or ethnic origin of a person or group. The consequence is racial inequality as a structural problem to be faced throughout the region. It also argues that racial discrimination encourages the maintenance of a social structure based on inequalities in access and opportunities, and affects both economic inequalities and influences social, cultural and political dynamics. 

HUMAN RIGHTS, Latin America, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

More Demonstrations for Palestine

. . HUMAN RIGHTS . .

It’s been a week now since we published photos of demonstrations in support of Palestine involving millions of people around the world. Since the Israeli genocide continues, so, too, the demonstrations continue. Here are some videos and photos.

Video: Pro-Palestinian Protesters fill London bridge on October 28


Video: Despite attacks by Israeli security forces, Protesters in Hebron on the West Bank waved Hamas and Fatah flags and changed for Qassam Brigades.

Thousands gathered at a rally in San Francisco, California to protest against Israeli attacks on Gaza and call the US to stop aiding Israel. [Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu]

Yemenis performed prayers and demonstrated in support of Gaza, Oct. 27, 2023. | Photo: X/ @QastalNewsEn

October 27: A large night demonstration is currently being held on Avenue Habib Bourguiba, in Tunis.

October 28: People wave Turkish and Palestinian flags as the Turkish president speaks during a rally in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, in Istanbul. [Handout/Turkish Presidency Press office via AFP]

Video: October 26, Chileans have been gathering in their thousands in the capital Santiago to raise money for Palestinians under siege in Gaza.

October 28: Thousands of demonstrators protested in Paris on Saturday in a banned march in “support of the Palestinian people”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 28: PAS’s pro-Palestine rally draws large crowd. About 5,000 attended the gathering outside the US embassy earlier today.

Australia: October 28, Thousands gathered outside the Victorian State Library in a show of solidarity with the two million civilians trapped in Gaza. NCA NewsWire / David Crosling Credit: News Corp Australia

Video: A huge crowd of protesters demonstrate on Avenida Paulista in Sao Paulo, Brazil this Sunday morning (October 29) in defense of Palestine.

People gather during a protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Baghdad, Iraq, October 28. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani

Video: October 27, Thousands of Jordanians marched in support of the Gaza Strip and demanded the cancellation of the peace agreement with Israel.

Demonstrators on Elielinaukio square by Helsinki’s Central Railway Station on 28 October. Image: Mikko Stig / Lehtikuva

Sri Lanka, October 26: A protest was staged in front of Fort Railway station today expressing solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, who have been under siege by the Israeli forces

Video: October 28, Protests in support of Palestine were held in Japan

Protesters wave Palestinian flags and hold signs as they take part in a demonstration in support of the Palestinian people, in Madrid on October 29, 2023 (JAVIER SORIANO / AFP)

Hundreds of protesters gathered in the Polish capital Warsaw’s Old Town Square on Sunday, October 29, in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian people and to strongly denounce Israel’s attacks on Gaza

People march over the Brooklyn Bridge as Pro-Palestinian protesters attend “Flood Brooklyn for Gaza” demonstration, as the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas continues, in New York, US, October 28. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs

Video Oct 28, 2023: A demonstration was held in Brussels, the capital of Belgium, in support of Palestinians.

Video: October 28, Stockholm saw one of the largest protests in modern history today, as thousands came out to support the people of Gaza.

The Bahraini Society Against Normalization with Zionist Enemy organized, in front of its headquarters on Friday, October 27, 2023, a vigil in solidarity and support for the Palestinian people under “A cry of anger” slogan.

Video: October 28, Now in Tel Aviv first protest against the war

Question related to this article:

Presenting the Palestinian side of the Middle East, Is it important for a culture of peace?

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Thousands of supporters of a religious party Jamat-e-Islami take part in a rally against the Israeli airstrikes on Gaza and to show solidarity with Palestinian people, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Oct. 29, 2023.

October 27: More than 300 Muslims in Southern Thailand today participated in a Palestine solidarity gathering to support the Palestinians amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East that has claimed thousands of lives.

October 28: Indian Union Muslim League, a regional party in India’s Kerala state, organised a massive rally in Kozhikode (Calicut) city. Tens of thousands of people joined the rally with the message: ‘Save Palestine, save Humanity; end Israel’s attack on Gaza; free Palestine’. [Handout via Al Jazeera]

Video: October 27, Pro-Palestine supporters rally in Doha, Qatar, in solidarity with the Palestinian people, protesting Israeli genocides in Gaza.

Supporters of the Islamic Group in Lebanon and Hamas protest in solidarity with Palestini-ans in Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in front of the Al-Amin mosque in Beirut, Lebanon, on October 29, 2023. (Reuters)

Protesters shout slogans as they unfurl Palestinian flags during a rally supporting the Palestinian people, outside the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, Saturday, October 28, 2023. (AP)

October 28: Rally in support of Gaza fills downtown Toronto as Middle East violence continues

October 26: Hundreds of Iranians demonstrate in solidarity with Hamas and the Palestinians in Teheran

Video: Oct 28, A group gathered in front of the railway station in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and organised a demonstration in support of Palestine.

A view of a crowd gathered in Copenhagen on Saturday, October 28, to take part in a demonstration organized by Amnesty International Denmark, CARE Denmark and Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke. (Emil Nicolai Helms/Ritzau Scanpix/Reuters)

People take part in the national demonstration in Rome, Italy, on Saturday, October 28, in support of the Palestinian population and against the bombings in Gaza, as the conflict between Israel and the Hamas group continues, causing thousands of civilian casualties.

Video: October 29, Ordinary South Africans should not tire of making their voices heard against the human rights atrocities in the Middle East. That’s the message from the Palestine Solidarity Campaign that took to the streets in Cape Town.

October 28: Marchers gathering in Civic Square in Wellington, New Zealand. Photo: Re: News

October 29: Thousands take part in a protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and against normalisation with Israel, in Casablanca, Morocco. [Mosa’ab Elshamy/AP Photo]

Video: October 28, Thousands of people gathered in Dublin, the capital of Ireland, in a demonstration in support of Palestine.

October 29: People march towards the Israeli embassy shouting ‘stop bombing’ during a pro-Palestine protest in Athens, Greece. [Louisa Gouliamaki/Reuters]

Islamic followers and supporters of the Palestinian cause march in front of Seoul Central Masjid, the first mosque in South Korea, in the capital on Oct. 27, 2023, to express their objection to a ground assault in the Gaza Strip by Israeli forces. (Yonhap)

People rally in support of Palestinians in Geneva, Switzerland. [Martial Trezzini/EPA]

The Church of Norway and several organisations held a rally in front of the Norwegian Parliament, demanding an immediate stop to the killing of civilians in Gaza, in Oslo, Norway. [Frederik/NTB Ringnes via Reuters]

Participants walk during a demonstration in solidarity with people in Gaza, in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin, Germany. [Clemens Bilan/EPA]

Thousands in Caracas, Venezuela demonstrated in support of the Palestinian people, rejecting the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip on Friday, October 27.

Europe, Mideast, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY, , ,

Two-Thirds of American Voters Want US to Back Cease-Fire in Gaza

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION . .

An article by Jake Johnson on October 20, 2023 in Common Dreams (licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)

Most members of the U.S. Congress have thus far refused to support a cease-fire in Gaza as Israel's siege and airstrikes inflict horrific damage on the occupied territory.

But according to a Data for Progress survey released Friday, the tiny fraction of Congress that has backed a cease-fire is more in line with the views of U.S. voters than the overwhelming majority of lawmakers in the House and Senate—and President Joe Biden.


Click on image to enlarge

The poll shows that 66% of likely voters agree that "the U.S. should call for a cease-fire and deescalation of violence in Gaza" and "leverage its close diplomatic relationship with Israel to prevent further violence and civilian deaths."

IfNotNow, a Jewish-American group that has helped organize major demonstrations in support of a cease-fire this week, said in response to the survey that "it's past time for our political leaders to listen to their constituents and put a stop to this violence.

On Monday, a group of 13 House progressives led by Reps. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) introduced a resolution urging the Biden administration to support a cease-fire in order to "save Israeli and Palestinian lives."

Several additional Democrats, including Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), have signed onto the resolution since its introduction, bringing the total number of backers to 18.

But support for a cease-fire remains marginal in Congress, something that activists and a growing number of Capitol Hill staffers are working to change. More than 400 Muslim, Jewish, and allied congressional staffers have signed an open letter calling on their bosses to "join calls for an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Hamas."

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Question related to this article:

Presenting the Palestinian side of the Middle East, Is it important for a culture of peace?

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On Thursday, more than 260 former staffers from Sen. Elizabeth Warren's (D-Mass.) 2020 presidential campaign released an open letter imploring the senator to "demand an immediate cease-fire in Palestine and the return of Israeli hostages, and take concrete steps to end Israeli occupation."

"In its attacks against Palestinians in Gaza, Israel has demonstrated a brazen disregard for human life—with some officials going as far as to make their genocidal intent public—and has broken international law repeatedly," the letter reads. "Major humanitarian organizations such as Doctors Without Borders and human rights organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch agree: the two million people in Gaza—half of whom are children—are experiencing collective punishment, and all people of conscience must call loudly and vociferously for a ceasefire."

"Our government enabling this violence and these blatant war crimes is a failure."

As of this writing, just one U.S. senator has publicly expressed support for a cease-fire and some, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), have dismissed the idea outright. Schumer pledged Friday to "move expeditiously" to approve Biden's request for $14 billion in additional military aid for Israel.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the Senate's leading progressive, has accused Israel of violating international law and urged the country's military to exercise "restraint" in Gaza. In a statement on Tuesday, Sanders said that "the bombs and missiles from both sides must end, massive humanitarian aid must be rushed to Gaza, and the hostages must be returned to their families."

Sanders also joined his Senate colleagues on Thursday in unanimously approving a resolution that affirms the chamber's readiness to "assist Israel with emergency resupply or other security, diplomatic, and intelligence support needs, both during the immediate crisis and in the near future, including by accelerating delivery of defense articles and systems."

The resolution does not mention the catastrophic impact that Israel's assault has had on civilians in Gaza, where Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 4,000 people in just two weeks. The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor said Thursday that "over a quarter of the area of Gaza City and northern Gaza has been affected by the destruction" and "20% of the houses there are no longer fit for habitation."

In a statement to The Hill on Friday, Bush said that she is "disturbed by our government's willingness to immediately cave to calls for unconditional support and write a blank check for the Israeli military while blatantly ignoring the violence and dehumanization of Palestinian civilians"

"Our government enabling this violence and these blatant war crimes is a failure," said Bush.

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Montpellier: Euro-Africa Biennial and Water Days

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

Extracts from the web sites of Entreprendre-Montpelier – Biennale and Entreprendre-Montpelier – Water Days

In 2021, Montpellier hosted an innovative event promoting a desire to reinvent the links between the African continent and the French territory: the New Africa-France Summit. A Summit highlighting the links between civil societies, in which the participants were not heads of state or ministers, but artists, entrepreneurs, athletes, or even researchers and African academics and French.

Today, we must urgently innovate and together forge the conditions for a sustainable future for all. As you know, our metropolis is still in the running to become European Capital of Culture in 2028, as such, I wanted this first edition of the Euro-Africa Montpellier Biennale to be the highlight of our candidacy. For a week, we will bring together a wide range of actors from our two continents to discuss together the subjects that connect us. Whether by addressing the theme of water, a crucial subject for our territories and so central to our MedVallée strategy, or the importance of changing views on the African continent, Montpellier creates, through this Biennale, a framework conducive to innovation and the collective implementation of concrete solutions.

Michaël Delafosse Mayor of Montpellier
President of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole


Click on image to enlarge

The Euro-Africa Biennale will have two parts:

A general public cultural component

The program includes events of national and international influence to promote existing and future cooperation between Montpellier and the African continent (general public festival, screening evenings, concerts, dances in the halls and emblematic places of the city as well as ‘in the open air”, artist residencies in places of art, culture and knowledge in the city) We hope to transform the public’s outlook on the reality of current African cultures, particularly in the field of Cultural and Creative Industries (ICC).

An exposition of African fabric will be displayed at the Halle Tropisme and in the city’s spaces, as an extension of the Africa Past Forward Forum which will be held at the Gaîté Lyrique in Paris on October 6 and 7, 2023.

A development and innovation component

The “Euro-Africa Montpellier Water Days” will take the form of a multi-stakeholder congress around issues linked to water resource management and cooperation between territories, scientists and civil society.

Another highlight will be the “Young African Entrepreneurs Campus” which will open its doors for its second edition in Montpellier from October 1 to 11. This offers a support program to innovative African entrepreneurs operating in the fields of technology and innovation, global health, cultural and creative industries and sport in Africa.

(This article is continued in the column on the right.)

(Click here for the original article in French.)

Question related to this article:

How can culture of peace be developed at the municipal level?

Solidarity across national borders, What are some good examples?

(This article is continued from the column on the left.)

And three axes:

Axis 1: The water that connects us,

Axis 2: Future plans for other modes of cooperation,

Axis 3: Transforming the views of European citizens on the reality of the African continent.

Water Days

Water is a major issue within the framework of the MedVallée strategy, the water which connects us is at the heart of the issues of health, environmental preservation and agriculture which constitutes the basis of the strategy and image of the triptych “Heal, Protect, Nourish”. Responding to the challenges of these days, the scarcity of precipitation, over-demanding resources and lack of infrastructure, we want to createa dialogue between state and private stakeholders, scientific or from the field, to solve the geopolitical and economic problems posed by the lack of water in a context of global warming, increasing urban demography and supply inequalities.

October 9 to 10: 2 days of discussions to explore reality and find solutions between stakeholders involved in the following themes:

° Climate change and hydrological risk
° Urbanization of Mediterranean and African megacities
° Access to water
° Sanitation and health
° Urban and peri-urban agriculture
° Governance
° Water and gender
° A look back at the United Nations Water Conference (March 2023)

To address these themes, the planned round tables and workshops will bring together:

° Scientists: 40 Mediterranean, African and European scientists.

° Mediterranean, European and African private sector companies: 30 company representatives.

° Institutionals and decision-makers: 40 representatives of local, regional, national, Mediterranean, African or European governance
.
° International organizations: 40 representatives from various international organizations and associations
.
° UNESCO Representatives and Chairs: 20 people are invited to participate in the round tables.

(Thank you to Emanuelle Defossez, the reporter for this article.)

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