Bil'in Village: Apartheid Israelense será julgado!

Media Advisory: Israeli Apartheid on Trial

Lawsuit launched by Palestinian villagers from Bil'in begins today in Montreal as Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon embraces Israel’s far-right Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman

* Press Point: MONDAY JUNE 22nd, 12h30
Quebec superior court, 1 Notre Dame East
Montreal, Quebec, metro Place-d’Armes/Champs-de-Mars

Media contacts: 514 659 0106 (English) / 514 690 9603 (French), 0015145867669 (Arabic)

Speakers include:

Mohammed Khatib of the Popular Committee Against the Wall, Bil'in, Palestine (English / Arabic)

Emily Schaeffer, Israeli lawyer representing the village of Bil'in (English / Hebrew)

Abdullah Abou Rahme, Popular Committee Against the Wall, Bil’in, Palestine (English / Arabic)

A demonstration is taking place on Monday June 22^nd in Montreal to coincide with the opening proceedings of a lawsuit launched by the Palestinian village of Bil’in at the Quebec Superior Court.

As Lawrence Cannon Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister embraces right-wing Israeli politicianAvigdor Liberman in Ottawa today, a long-time champion of illegal Israeli settlements in Palestinians lands, the Conservative government in Ottawa is once again illustrating its blatant refusal to recognize Palestinian human rights and support for the extreme right-wing in Israel lead-by racist politicians like Liberman.

As Palestinians from Bil’in live with the continued occupation of their lands while being surrounded by Israel’s apartheid wall at home Mohammed Khatib, Abdullah Abou Rahme, Mohammed Abou Rahme representing Bil’in village along with Israeli lawyer Emily Schaeffer have traveled to Canada to represent Bil’in village’s popular struggle in the context of the historic lawsuit commencing today in Quebec.

“As Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister celebrates a criminal Israeli politician who supports the expansion of Israeli settlements on our lands we are seeking justice in the courts,” explains Abdullah Abou Rahme, of Bil’in’s popular committee against the wall, “Canada today is openly embracing an Israeli politician that strongly supported the bloodshed in Gaza this winter and who’s carrier has been built on colonizing our country Palestine.”

This historic lawsuit pits Bil’in up against Green Mount International and Green Park International Inc. two companies, registered in Quebec, accused of illegally constructing Israeli settlements on Bil’in lands.

“Israeli colonies in the West Bank and the nearly 500,000 illegal Israeli settlers today are at the heart of the ongoing Israeli military occupation of Palestine,” outlines Mostafa Henaway of Tadamon! Montreal, “today it is heinous that Canada is openly embracing Avigdor Liberman who actually advocates the continued construction of Israeli settlements which seriously undermine the possibility for the creation of a Palestinian state.”

The Popular Committee Against the Wall in Bil’in is reperesented in this case by lead Canadian lawyer Mark Arnold who is assisted by Israeli lawyer Emily Schaeffer.

On the other hand, Mohammed Katib and Emily Schaeffer have just completed an 11 city cross-Canada speaking tour, which hundreds of people from coast-to-coast attended in the run-up to this historic lawsuit begining today in Montreal.

Bil'in's case against the construction of settlements on its land is based on the provisions of the Geneva Convention and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which prohibit an occupying power from transferring its civilian population into territory that it has occupied as a result of war.

Bil’in, a Palestinian village in the West Bank, is an internationally celebrated symbol of Palestinian popular resistance to the Israeli occupation. Since 2005, villagers have led weekly protests against the ongoing construction of the Israeli apartheid wall and illegal Israeli settlements on its land. Both Israeli and international activists also participate regularly in the protests.

Information: Bil’in village: http://www.bilin-village.org – Tadamon! http://www.tadamon.ca

E-mail-lumalayan@yahoo.com

Fotos e protestos do povo Tâmil

Além dos protestos anteriores, na Inglaterra, com milhares de Tâmeis nas ruas de Londres e na Noruega, com a invasão da embaixada do Sri Lanka no país - como mostrei aqui, aqui e aqui - continuamos a ver novos protestos pelo mundo agora que a LTTE anunciou que vai depor as armas. Agora o caminho está livre para o exército do Sri Lanka fazer o que bem entender com o povo Tâmil, sem testemunhas ou oposição.

Centenas de tâmeis, segundo a polícia, se concentraram neste domingo nas vias da estação central de Frankfurt, oeste da Alemanha, para protestar contra o assassinato do povo tâmil no conflito do Sri Lanka, e forçaram a suspensão do tráfego ferroviário por cerca de duas horas.

"Guerra sem testemunhas no Sri Lanka. Detenham o massacre dos tâmeis" foi um dos lemas defendidos pelos manifestantes, que, através de megafones, gritavam: "Queremos a paz. Queremos um Estado próprio" e "Alemanha, ajude-nos".

Hoje, os Tigres de Libertação da Pátria Tâmil (LTTE) anunciaram a interrupção unilateral dos choques perante o derramamento de sangue no norte do Sri Lanka.

O grupo pegou em armas em 1983 em uma guerra aberta contra o exército do Sri Lanka para conseguir um Estado tâmil, em um conflito que já deixou mais de 70 mil mortos.

Durante as duas horas em que o tráfego ficou interrompido na estação de Frankfurt, a companhia ferroviária alemã Deutsche Bahn iniciou um programa de emergência para desviar os trens de longa distância e cortaram temporariamente as linhas urbanas.

Desde ontem milhares de Tâmeis protestam em Toronto, no Canadá, com momentos de confronto direto com a polícia e muita violência:

Thousands of Tamil's protestors have been marching through the downtown core again -- disrupting traffic.

The protest started outside the U.S. Consulate on University Ave. but tensions boiled over early Friday evening when 2,000 demonstrators told police they wanted to head to Yonge and Dundas Square.

Toronto police told them no, but protestors, who were standing behind barricades began scuffling with officers.

Crowds managed to break through a barrier and finally made their way down Dundas St. leading to a sit-in at Yonge-Dundas square that shutdown traffic in the area.

Eventually the protest moved back to the U.S. Consulate.

Demonstrators are still calling on Canada and other western countries to condemn Sri Lanka's military action against Tamil forces.

The federal Liberals had promised to raise their concerns in the House of Commons.

But in response to a question by Liberal MP Bob Rae, Conservative Peter Kent urged the Tamil's to give up their fight and to release civilians he accuses them of using as human shields.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka military has reportedly surrounded Tamil rebels and taken control of the island's entire coastline -- cutting off any escape for leaders of the Tamil forces.

Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa has been saying the war will end this weekend.

Mais fotos e updates o site do National Post de Toronto, Canadá, é uma boa pedida.

Aqui é possível encontrar algumas fotos e aqui mais fotos e uma linha do tempo dos protestos em Toronto.

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Reações:

University Avenue remains shut, but Tamil protesters are elsewhere

Posted: May 11, 2009, 1:00 PM by Rob Roberts

By Katherine Laidlaw and Emily Senger, National Post

A small contingent of Tamils continued their protest today at Queen's Park and outside the Sri Lankan consulate at Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue, and police have shut University Avenue again even though no protesters have gathered there.

After last night's blockade, where about 5,000 Tamil protesters faced off with police on the Gardiner Expressway, the small groups of Tamils continued demonstrating to draw attention to the civil war raging in their homeland of Sri Lanka.

Mayor David Miller expressed sympathy Monday with the protesters, but condemned their dangerous and disruptive tactics as “wrong.”

“The protest last night ending up the Gardiner Expressway was unacceptable,” he said. “The protesters were endangering themselves, they were endangering the public and they were endangering the Toronto Police.”

He stopped short of saying authorities need to take a tougher line with demonstrators, saying civil rights must be respected.

Protesters have stayed peaceful so far, according to Constable Tony Vella. He said the police service shut University ‘‘and is committed to working with those who wish to express their views in a peaceful and safe manner.’’ In front of the U.S. consulate, about 20 York Regional Police officers, many armed with billy clubs, stood in front of metal fencing this morning. One officer said Toronto police had asked for help this morning, although no protesters were there.

At Queen’s Park, about 120 people continued their protest by noon, chanting ‘‘no more genocide,’’ and ‘‘Sri Lanka stop killing.’’

Some wore signs reading, ‘‘Canada, let us speak!’’ Other waved the red and yellow Tamil Tiger flag.

By noon, about 20 United Steelworkers union members waving yellow flags walked up Queen’s Park Crescent and joined the protesters.

Ghormy Theva, a spokesperson for the protesters, said their numbers were expected to grow throughout the day, as people left work and made their way to the protest.

Ms. Theva said protesters had no formal plans to disrupt traffic on the Gardiner again.

‘‘What happened yesterday, it was spontaneous,’’ she said.

Senthan Nada, another protester, said people contacted family and friends after news of mass civilian deaths yesterday, aided by local community groups.

‘‘It was very spontaneous. The people gathered after hearing the very sad news,’’ he said. ‘‘People just came — they called their friends, they called their family.’’

Mr. Nada said he slept in his car after last night's action, and was back protesting at 6 a.m. at Queens Park.

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff confirmed this afternoon ‘‘Liberal Party officials intervened’’ to try to end the Gardiner blockade, saying the protest ‘‘put the safety of the protesters and innocent bystanders -- including women and small children -- at risk.’’

But Mr. Ignatieff said no Liberal MPs or staff participated, and he reiterated ‘‘our unequivocal condemnation of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.’’

Democracia Canadense...

"Deputado britânico é barrado no Canadá por apoiar Gaza"

Vergonhoso, lastimável! O governo canadense considera o Hamas um grupo terrorista, o que é simplesmente vexatório!

Proibir um parlamentar britânico de discursar pela sua causa, uma causa justa, o impedir de entrar no país, como se terrorista fosse, mancha o nome do Canadá e deveria encher seu povo de vergonha.

Democracia, pelo visto, é uma palavra que só funciona, no Canadá, quando há interesses que não a defesa do povo Palestino, massacrado.

Israel é uma nação genocida, será que o Canadá permite que defensores desta nação entrem no país?

Ou só perseguem os defensores dos Palestinos, vítimas de genocídio?