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Friday, August 4, 2006

I have added several things to the events calendar for August, pro and anti-Israel. Let me particularly draw your attention to two "enemy" events as some people have asked about these things.

First is the rally organized by the International Action Center scheduled for TOMORROW and starting at 11am in front of the Israeli Consulate.

  • Stand with the Palestinian and Lebanese Resistance!
  • End the Occupation of IRAQ, PALESTINE and LEBANON
  • Support the Palestinian People's Right to Return
  • U.S./Israeli Troops Out Now
  • No More Fighting and Dying for Oil Profits
  • STOP U.S. Aid to Israel

Do I really need to tell you that this one should be chock full of good photo ops? Sharpen those memory sticks and make sure your mini-DV camera's battery is on full charge.

The partial list of endorsers:

Local Endorsers (partial list): Palestinian American Congress, Boston Chapter; International Action Center; Chuck Turner, Boston City Council, District 7*; Tony Van der Meer, Co-Chair Boston Rosa Parks Human Rights Day Comm.; Clemencia Lee, Co-Founder, Cultural Cafe*; Dorotea Manuela, Co-Chair Boston Rosa Parks Human Rights Day Comm.; The Most Rev. Filipe Teixeira, OFSJC, Diocese of St. Francis of Assisi, CCA*; New England Human Rights Organizationfor Haiti; Martin Luther King, Jr. Bolivarian Circle; Women’s Fightback Network; Steve Gillis, VP USW L.8751*, Boston School Bus Drivers; Ed Childs, Chief Steward Unite/HERE L. 26*; Boston Anti-Zionist Action; Mystic River Green-Rainbow Action

Jewish groups should note the presence of members of the Boston Rosa Parks Human Rights Day Committee -- an event that turned into an embarrassment when City Councillor Chuck Turner took his turn at the podium to go on an anti-Israel tirade, and who's members are now using the cachet they derive from their committee membership to bash Israel and the Jews.

The local Green-Rainbow Party is, of course, mulling an endorsement:

I talked with Lisa on the phone who said she had no concerns about endorsing the rally & march tomorrow. Grace, are you blocking our endorsement? Chuck Turner has endorsed, and he may be there. MRGRA has endorsed and will have a few people there with fliers and probably the MRGRA banner. Tony Van Der Meer and some other prominent Black activists have endorsed. The Palestinian American Congress has endorsed and I believe will have a speaker there. The demand to stand with the resistance is important because the American media has been falsely claiming that "Israel" is acting in self-defense when actually what is going on is unprovoked and unjustified acts of aggression by "Israel". The lies need to be challenged. Also our key value of non-violence requires us to support defense....

Ah, now that is some straight-thinking right there.

Of course, Andover High School's Ron Francis is all over it:

...We need to support the right to resist as a matter of principle whether or not we have gotten good press or bad press.

All I have seen in terms of "bad press" are the occasional rantings of zionists and even if there were a groundswell of bad publicity about supporting resistance, we should still do it.

There was a time in this country when it was "bad press" to oppose slavery. If our movement is to mean anything we have to support the resistance of the people that our own tax dollars are murdering en masse, first and foremost before we say anything else about any other issue, period.

Like I've said before, being Green isn't just about birdies and clean water any more.

BTW, the worst of these events, like the one above, are often held on Friday evening or Saturday mornings...hmmm...I wonder why...

Finally, and almost as an aside, there's this other event sponsored by Amnesty International in Davis Square, Somerville on the 7th.

6 Comments

I'm a Davis resident who will probably go to the local event, now that you've pointed it out. I see nothing "anti-Israel" about it. The announcement comes pretty close to my own feelings about the current mess.

Have fun. I find AI to be terminally anti-Israel, and any call for an immediate cease-fire, to be effectively a blow for Hizballah.

Just curious, where did you find the event announcement? I try to keep in touch with all things Davis Square, but hadn't heard about it until I read it here.

Secret blogger sources. :)

Be careful out there. I'm now viewing your blog daily from Los Angeles, and appreciate your seriousness and passion. If you come across any similar protests here in L.A., please announce them, so that I can be there to represent the side of the Israelis/Sane/civilized.

I'm guessing that the "Grace" in that message quoted is Grace Ross, the gubernatorial candidate. Good for her for disagreeing with this. I've known her as an anti-poverty activist over the years, and she's quite principled. Sounds like she's trying to hold back the wingnuts in her party. Hope she succeeds.

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