The forces of apartheid demonstrate limitless capacity for barbarism!
Address by COSATU President to the Gaza Report-back Rally in Lenasia
Almost a year ago, Gaza was run down by the occupying forces of Israel in a barbaric show of might and in pursuit of their colonial expansionist ambitions. Schools, clinics, UN buildings, social services, water and electrical installations, cultural institutions and businesses literally crumbled under the weight of heavy bombs and artillery. Dangerous and banned warfare chemicals, like white phosphorus were used in an attempt to annihilate the entire population, in which case women and children were the worst victims. That was Israel at its best, doing what it knows best and what it has always done over the years to instil fear and terror amongst the occupied people.
Funded and supported by the US, Israel has no regard, whatsoever, for international law and continues to expand its colonial project to-date. Illegal settlements are all over Palestine and the inhumane treatment of the people of Gaza bears testimony to the savage occupation that some refuse to see, even when evidence is so naked.
Dear Comrades, we are not hear to tell more of the painful, yet real tales of Palestinian suffering. We are here to welcome back our heroes and internationalists who sacrificed their festive joys for the cause of other people. They set about an impossible mission to invade the lion’s den in a bold effort to demonstrate to the Gaza people that no matter how much their pain, the world community of progressive peoples shall never forsake them. You did that on all our behalf dear comrades and for that, we salute you!
As COSATU, we are proud of our contribution and are fully committed to work with all who share our views and commitment that the crisis in Palestine have gone beyond mere calls for Press statements and sympathies or even charity, to demanding concrete and practical action. The luxury of lamenting is for cowards and armchair activists. We all should be in the streets demanding justice and supporting all attempts to isolate apartheid Israel through the courageous efforts of the Global BDS Campaign. It remains the only peaceful method at the disposal of those in search for justice and a lasting solution to the crisis in that region.
We call upon all organisations, individuals and institutions to join our hands and support the efforts, as outlined in the historic Cairo Declaration, for effective co-ordination of all our efforts for maximum impact. In this regard, the many organisations in our country doing work in solidarity with Palestine are called upon to be part of the initiative towards a united front for solidarity with the people of Palestine, starting with all of us here in South Africa.
COSATU has, on several occasions, been asked by opportunists why is it interested in a matter so far away from our land. The answer is simple, solidarity knows no boundaries or even geography, its about living people and their plight.
Our destiny is tied to theirs, our liberation is tied to theirs, our humanity is tied to theirs. Therefore, no worthy human being would tolerate the suffering and pain of others, wherever they are, worst still, those of us who have fought heroic struggles against apartheid, colonialism and occupation immediately feel it however far. We received solidarity from people we have never seen and were far away from Africa, let alone our country. They heard and responded to our cries. They did not ask how far are we from them. They asked what can we do to assist and they assisted, hence we are free.
Finally, dear comrades, we salute the courageous efforts of the Palestine Solidarity movement for organising these bold initiatives and they have our full support. We shall not be intimidated by attempts to silence us or some of our comrades. We shall be inspired to speak out even more louder and anger for the threat to deny us our right to shout loud against savagery.
We are here to affirm the correctness of our legend, Nelson Mandela’s words, “……………………our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians”. On our part, we do not promise to do everything, but our most humble, yet effective contribution which we have no doubt shall make a decisive difference. Each one of us must do our part and together we shall conquer.
Amandla intifada!!
Showing posts with label sa delegation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sa delegation. Show all posts
Feb 2, 2010
Dec 31, 2009
PowerfuL statement For GAza from Streets OF Cairo
Close to a 1000 people took the streets of Cairo, to march against being denied enter into Gaza and participation in the Gaza Freedom March . Delegates from almost 43 different nations had converged in downtown Cairo across the Egyptian museum bringing peak time traffic to a standstill as the marched for almost 2 kilometers.
A delegation of some 700 Palestinian activists from around the globe gathered early this morning to embark on their protest action.There was a heavy police presence, with reinforcements close by, which suggested that the Egyptian intelligence had already been informed about the events.
The lotus hotel, where part of the American delegation where staying was barricaded not allowing them to leave. The South African delegation was advised to leave the hotel as the police were stopping people from leaving the building.
At 10am, the group broke free from where they were standing at the gates of the Egyptian Museum and ran into the center of the road in a symbolic protest.They were joined with other delegates all coming together from different angles. Chanting as they the marched through the street, they completely blocked traffic,and security officials had taken their positions around the protesters. Riot police had been violent, shoving protesters, grabbing their equipment and pushed protesters with steel barricades, closing off the entire area.
One protester was pulled off the street by the police, which started a sit-down in protest by other protesters. Chaos reigned when police turned violent and started pulling people off the street and shoving them onto the sidewalk.
The Egyptian police punched, kicked and pinched women as they tried to evacuate people off the street. After some resistance people all moved to the sidewalk where they where contained. Walking around the besieged square, one could see many hysterical peoples, tears and blood flowed and many sported injuries from the manhandling.Fellow journalist, Cii reporter, Azhar Vadi has video footage of the police kicking demonstrators.
The South African delegation was out in full force, with some of its members suffering minor injuries. Faeza Desai said that they had push the steel barriers over her and dragged her by her feet, when she had fallen they had dragged her by her. thy had also thrown her camera into the crowd, but she managed to find it. According to Desai, the only thing that saved her was "screaming Allahu Akbar".
A Canadian delegate of Palestinian descent was very distraught as she recounted the police pulling her hijab and her pants as they pulled her to the sidewalk. Tears ran down another Canadian delegate who was punched in the face caused her nose to bleed profusely.
A group of approximately 500 people where barricaded into a part of the square by riot police. In solidarity the different delegations chanted slogans, sang, danced and protested against the Egyptians governments refusal to allow safe passage in Gaza and the continued enclosure of the Gaza strip.
The protesters where kept in for the entire day, with protesters hanging banners an flags of their country from trees and poles showing their support to the course. Branches of leaves symbolizing the olive tree were waved in the air as the delegates chanted anti Israel slogans!Each country had a chance to address the group and share their messages to the international audience, the South African delegation led the protest in a chant of Amandla Intifada!
The riot police had tried to compress the crowd and constrict them closer together but the group had managed to keep them from advancing further onto the group. The square nicknamed Gaza Square was a symbolic siege that the Palestinians go through each day. The riot police increased in numbers, generals, the military and Egyptian intelligence where all present.
As the day got hotter, the crowd simmered down, with people sitting down in little groups singing songs of freedom and hope. Water and some food was allowed in, but generally people where not allowed back n after they had left. The lack of taps and facilities for water became a problem, and after some thought a contingency plan was found, a makeshift men and ladies were created. As the time of midday prayer drew in,protesters made tayyamum and perform salaah with items of clothing and boxes used as prayer mats.
With the sun getting lower,there was talks of people camping over and seeing in the new year at Gaza square,the calmness of the group soon made the police ansy, with intelligence infiltrating within the group. This caused a reaction of people protesting a little more fervently, rallying in the support of the cars passing in one of the main roads in Cairo.The march came to a dignified end with a speech by Scottish Delegate member, Mick Naipers.
Today's action,contrary to the concern of many, had created a wave in the media, with many media breaking the story.
Delegation's left the square and were followed by an Egyptian Intelligence member to ensure people do not start anther protest.
Currently the French are still camped outside their embassy to protest being denied access to Gaza.Few hunger strikers re observing dry fast until they are allowed into the occupied territory.
** pictures to follow **
hasina Gori
Live 4rm Cairo, Egypt
A delegation of some 700 Palestinian activists from around the globe gathered early this morning to embark on their protest action.There was a heavy police presence, with reinforcements close by, which suggested that the Egyptian intelligence had already been informed about the events.
The lotus hotel, where part of the American delegation where staying was barricaded not allowing them to leave. The South African delegation was advised to leave the hotel as the police were stopping people from leaving the building.
At 10am, the group broke free from where they were standing at the gates of the Egyptian Museum and ran into the center of the road in a symbolic protest.They were joined with other delegates all coming together from different angles. Chanting as they the marched through the street, they completely blocked traffic,and security officials had taken their positions around the protesters. Riot police had been violent, shoving protesters, grabbing their equipment and pushed protesters with steel barricades, closing off the entire area.
One protester was pulled off the street by the police, which started a sit-down in protest by other protesters. Chaos reigned when police turned violent and started pulling people off the street and shoving them onto the sidewalk.
The Egyptian police punched, kicked and pinched women as they tried to evacuate people off the street. After some resistance people all moved to the sidewalk where they where contained. Walking around the besieged square, one could see many hysterical peoples, tears and blood flowed and many sported injuries from the manhandling.Fellow journalist, Cii reporter, Azhar Vadi has video footage of the police kicking demonstrators.
The South African delegation was out in full force, with some of its members suffering minor injuries. Faeza Desai said that they had push the steel barriers over her and dragged her by her feet, when she had fallen they had dragged her by her. thy had also thrown her camera into the crowd, but she managed to find it. According to Desai, the only thing that saved her was "screaming Allahu Akbar".
A Canadian delegate of Palestinian descent was very distraught as she recounted the police pulling her hijab and her pants as they pulled her to the sidewalk. Tears ran down another Canadian delegate who was punched in the face caused her nose to bleed profusely.
A group of approximately 500 people where barricaded into a part of the square by riot police. In solidarity the different delegations chanted slogans, sang, danced and protested against the Egyptians governments refusal to allow safe passage in Gaza and the continued enclosure of the Gaza strip.
The protesters where kept in for the entire day, with protesters hanging banners an flags of their country from trees and poles showing their support to the course. Branches of leaves symbolizing the olive tree were waved in the air as the delegates chanted anti Israel slogans!Each country had a chance to address the group and share their messages to the international audience, the South African delegation led the protest in a chant of Amandla Intifada!
The riot police had tried to compress the crowd and constrict them closer together but the group had managed to keep them from advancing further onto the group. The square nicknamed Gaza Square was a symbolic siege that the Palestinians go through each day. The riot police increased in numbers, generals, the military and Egyptian intelligence where all present.
As the day got hotter, the crowd simmered down, with people sitting down in little groups singing songs of freedom and hope. Water and some food was allowed in, but generally people where not allowed back n after they had left. The lack of taps and facilities for water became a problem, and after some thought a contingency plan was found, a makeshift men and ladies were created. As the time of midday prayer drew in,protesters made tayyamum and perform salaah with items of clothing and boxes used as prayer mats.
With the sun getting lower,there was talks of people camping over and seeing in the new year at Gaza square,the calmness of the group soon made the police ansy, with intelligence infiltrating within the group. This caused a reaction of people protesting a little more fervently, rallying in the support of the cars passing in one of the main roads in Cairo.The march came to a dignified end with a speech by Scottish Delegate member, Mick Naipers.
Today's action,contrary to the concern of many, had created a wave in the media, with many media breaking the story.
Delegation's left the square and were followed by an Egyptian Intelligence member to ensure people do not start anther protest.
Currently the French are still camped outside their embassy to protest being denied access to Gaza.Few hunger strikers re observing dry fast until they are allowed into the occupied territory.
** pictures to follow **
hasina Gori
Live 4rm Cairo, Egypt
Dec 30, 2009
Chants as Netanyahu meets Mubarak
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Cairo for a 90-minute meeting on Tuesday with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak for talks that focused on breaking the deadlock in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. He was greeted by a sour atmosphere in The Egyptian capital.
The chants of “Down with Isreal”, “Stop the War”, “Free Gaza”, and “Down with Netanyahu” could be heard ringing outside the Syndicate of Journalist building in Cairo from late this afternoon. Egyptian nationals and foreign delegates from 43 nations converged on the stairways of the building to protest Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Egyptian government had deployed their riot police to create a human barricade to contain the growing crowd. The load vocal group consisted of local Egyptians including housewives and journalist and international delegations from Austria, Italy, South Africa, Switzerland and many more.
Chatted with an Egyptian journalist Ahmed Ragb, who had come to lend support to the protest, Ahmed was one of the journalists who had been detained on Monday, at the French Embassy in Cairo, for recording footage of the protest. He says that Egyptian police had detained him for a few hours, letting him go after minor harassment.
According to Ragb, this was the first time that riot police had not being physical at a protest. Egyptian police usually have long baton that they use on demonstrators. He recounted an incident of his arm being broken last year while protesting on the 27th of December against the Israel offensive.
The chants of “Down with Isreal”, “Stop the War”, “Free Gaza”, and “Down with Netanyahu” could be heard ringing outside the Syndicate of Journalist building in Cairo from late this afternoon. Egyptian nationals and foreign delegates from 43 nations converged on the stairways of the building to protest Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Egyptian government had deployed their riot police to create a human barricade to contain the growing crowd. The load vocal group consisted of local Egyptians including housewives and journalist and international delegations from Austria, Italy, South Africa, Switzerland and many more.
Chatted with an Egyptian journalist Ahmed Ragb, who had come to lend support to the protest, Ahmed was one of the journalists who had been detained on Monday, at the French Embassy in Cairo, for recording footage of the protest. He says that Egyptian police had detained him for a few hours, letting him go after minor harassment.
According to Ragb, this was the first time that riot police had not being physical at a protest. Egyptian police usually have long baton that they use on demonstrators. He recounted an incident of his arm being broken last year while protesting on the 27th of December against the Israel offensive.
Dec 24, 2009
20 from SA to join Gaza March - voc fm 13:12
A delegation of almost 20 South Africans will, later this month, join more than 1,000 activists from around the world and about 20,000 people from Gaza in the first international Gaza Freedom March, which will protest at Israel's Erez border crossing. South African delegates, including former Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils, a five-person COSATU delegation, solidarity activists and journalists, will meet up in Egypt with solidarity holocaust survivors, activists, academics, and politicians from 42 countries.
The march has been organized to protest the two-and-half year hermetic siege that has been imposed on Gaza by Israel. The blockade has resulted in large-scale suffering for the Palestinian population, with food, fuel, and medical supplies being prevented from entering the territory. The march will also commemorate the first anniversary of the devastating attacks on Gaza by the Israeli Occupation Forces, in which 1,400 people were killed, 4,000 houses destroyed, and UN buildings, hospitals, universities, schools and mosques were bombed.
"And now, one year after those attacks, the Israeli government still refuses to allow reconstruction material into Gaza. Thus people whose homes were destroyed in December 2008 are forced to live through another winter without shelter because their homes cannot be rebuilt. While governments and inter-governmental organizations remain silent about the misery caused by the siege, it has remained the concern of the world's citizens, who cannot ignore the violation of basic human rights and the enduring deprivation and suffering caused by the siege," the Palestine Solidarity Committee said in a statement issued Friday.
Hardened attitudes
Eminent America author Norman G Finkelstein, author of the bestseller The Holocaust Industry and his latest offering, Beyond Chutzpah, told VOC in August that the international Gaza Freedom March was an important way to speak out against Israeli atrocities. He said Israelis have become very "hardened and inured to the atrocities they commit against the Palestinians".
"The Palestinians will never ever melt the heart of the Israelis. Just as the Jews could never make the heart of the Nazi's melt. What I do think is possible however, is that if the Palestinians practice non violence and the whole world watched as Israel fired on them, they can win over the support of international public opinion
However, Finkelstein said, the success of this tactic depended largely on the support for Palestinians outside Israel. "It depends on us, those outside Israel, to keep pointing the finger and camera at what Israel is doing to the Palestinians. That is why on January 1 2010 we are organising the Gaza Freedom March and we are trying to bring thousands of people from around the world to march with the Palestinians to break the siege of Gaza.
"Because we know," he continued, "realistically speaking, if the Palestinians on their own tried to march non-violently. Israel would shoot. Israel would kill them. But if there are thousands of people from around the world - from the United States, the UK and South Africa and elsewhere - if they are at the front of the march, in my opinion, Israel won't shoot."
The march will take place on the 1st January 2010, and protesters will march from Gaza City to the Erez Crossing, where they will confront Israeli soldiers and demand the opening of the border and the lifting of the siege. VOC
The march has been organized to protest the two-and-half year hermetic siege that has been imposed on Gaza by Israel. The blockade has resulted in large-scale suffering for the Palestinian population, with food, fuel, and medical supplies being prevented from entering the territory. The march will also commemorate the first anniversary of the devastating attacks on Gaza by the Israeli Occupation Forces, in which 1,400 people were killed, 4,000 houses destroyed, and UN buildings, hospitals, universities, schools and mosques were bombed.
"And now, one year after those attacks, the Israeli government still refuses to allow reconstruction material into Gaza. Thus people whose homes were destroyed in December 2008 are forced to live through another winter without shelter because their homes cannot be rebuilt. While governments and inter-governmental organizations remain silent about the misery caused by the siege, it has remained the concern of the world's citizens, who cannot ignore the violation of basic human rights and the enduring deprivation and suffering caused by the siege," the Palestine Solidarity Committee said in a statement issued Friday.
Hardened attitudes
Eminent America author Norman G Finkelstein, author of the bestseller The Holocaust Industry and his latest offering, Beyond Chutzpah, told VOC in August that the international Gaza Freedom March was an important way to speak out against Israeli atrocities. He said Israelis have become very "hardened and inured to the atrocities they commit against the Palestinians".
"The Palestinians will never ever melt the heart of the Israelis. Just as the Jews could never make the heart of the Nazi's melt. What I do think is possible however, is that if the Palestinians practice non violence and the whole world watched as Israel fired on them, they can win over the support of international public opinion
However, Finkelstein said, the success of this tactic depended largely on the support for Palestinians outside Israel. "It depends on us, those outside Israel, to keep pointing the finger and camera at what Israel is doing to the Palestinians. That is why on January 1 2010 we are organising the Gaza Freedom March and we are trying to bring thousands of people from around the world to march with the Palestinians to break the siege of Gaza.
"Because we know," he continued, "realistically speaking, if the Palestinians on their own tried to march non-violently. Israel would shoot. Israel would kill them. But if there are thousands of people from around the world - from the United States, the UK and South Africa and elsewhere - if they are at the front of the march, in my opinion, Israel won't shoot."
The march will take place on the 1st January 2010, and protesters will march from Gaza City to the Erez Crossing, where they will confront Israeli soldiers and demand the opening of the border and the lifting of the siege. VOC
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