Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid
Independent Jewish Voices Action Calling for Boycott of Aroma Cafe in Toronto
Independent Jewish Voices calls for a boycott of Aroma Cafe. Aroma is an Israeli owned chain with outlets in Ma’aleh Adumim, one of the largest illegal Jewish-only settlements in the West Bank. (watch).
War criminals not welcome here! Demand an end to Canada’s support for Israeli apartheid!
Tzipi Livni was the Foreign Minister of Israel during Operation Cast Lead - Israel’s brutal military assault on Gaza in December 2008. The attacks killed over 1400 Palestinians, including 400 children. The UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, led by Richard Goldstone, accused Israel of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. Tzipi Livni played a key decision-making role in the attacks and has said that she is "proud of all her decisions regarding Operation Cast Lead". In December 2009, a British court issued an arrest warrant for Livni over war crimes allegedly committed in Gaza, which was withdrawn only after Livni cancelled her visit.
On October 6, 2010, Tzipi Livni will be in Toronto to help raise funds for the UJA. She should not be welcomed into Canada or anywhere else. Tzipi Livni should be arrested and tried in criminal courts for her role in Israel’s crimes against humanity.
Livni’s visit is yet another sign of Canada’s on-going support for Israeli apartheid. Now more than ever, people of conscience in this country must come together to demand an end to Canadian support for Israeli apartheid!
Join the movement for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israeli Apartheid! Join CAIA! Email us: endapartheid@riseup.net to learn more!
Over 250 Attend Gaza Flotilla Eyewitness Event!
On July 8, 2010, over 250 people came out to hear eyewitness reports from Farooq Burney and Kevin Neish, two Canadian survivors of the Israeli attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla.
To view their reports, please visit rabble.ca
Join Students Against Israeli Apartheid (UofT & York) in Resisting the G8/G20!
As many of you will know, the so-called "leaders" and bankers of the twenty richest countries, alongside the leaders of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), are meeting in Huntsville and Toronto on 25-27 June 2010 at the G8 and G20 Summits. Also invited to these summits are the heads of large corporations, known for peoples' exploitation and environmental degradation, both locally and globally. The only group shut out of these meetings and their agenda are people: ordinary people.
These "leaders" will be making decisions that intensify the exploitation of people and the environment. In response, communities throughout Toronto are uniting together to resist the G8/G20 and build momentum for a movement for Indigenous Sovereignty and Self-Determination, Environmental
and Climate Justice, Migrant Justice and an End to War and Occupation, Income Equity and Community Control over Resources, Gender Justice and Queer and disAbility rights.
Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA) will be joining this network of activists, community groups and allies because of the complicity of the G8/G20 in Israeli Apartheid. (more info).
Public forum on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla
Over the past week the world has erupted in outrage and repulsion over Israel's deadly and illegal takedown of an entire flotilla of boats carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. At least 9 unarmed internationals have been confirmed murdered, several more remain in hospital or unaccounted for, and hundreds were kidnapped and brutalized in Israeli prison. As eyewitness accounts from the released flotilla activists emerge, so too does the overwhelming evidence of brutalization and mass theft by the Israeli state. The biggest theft of all is the tons of aid that is now in Israel's grip, and is being blocked from delivery to the people of Gaza.
Speakers at this public forum will provide an account of the events, some legal analysis, and an explanation of some of the current state and UN level negotiations regarding an inquiry into Israel's actions and the fate of the stolen aid. They will also discuss the context of Israeli apartheid, focusing on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign that Palestinian civil society has chosen as its primary vehicle for the anti-apartheid movement. The BDS call for a global day of action on June 5 was answered by massive protests across the world (see media links below).
Please join us to hear the speakers and for this critical discussion of next steps in responding to the BDS call to break the siege on Gaza.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
7:00 - 9:00
Steelworker's Hall
25 Cecil St NEW LOCATION
All welcome!
This event is organized by CAIA and Students Against Israeli Apartheid
(SAIA - a working group of OPIRG-Toronto)
MEDIA LINKS:
Canadian media coverage of demonstrations globally:
http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20100605/gaza-blockade-protests/
Coverage and statement by Canadian flotilla activist, Kevin Neish:
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/100606/national/gaza_ships_neish
(more info).
Gaza Freedom Flotilla Global Day of Action: Saturday, June 5
On Saturday, June 5, human rights and communityorganizations will mobilize to join an emergency Global BDS Day of Action called by the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC). In Toronto, join us to protest the fatal attacks by apartheid Israel on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to the occupied and besieged Gaza Strip.
R A L L Y & M A R C H
Date: Saturday, June 5
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Location: Israeli Consulate, 180 Bloor Street West
June 5 also marks the 43rd anniversary of the Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Our action aims to draw the world’s attention to Israel’s continuing illegal occupation, its refusal to abide by international law, and its massacre of innocent humanitarian workers.
Please join us, and stand with Palestine!
Tell your friends and family. Bring Palestinian flags.
Organized by:
Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid
Palestine House Community Centre
Canadian Arab Federation
Toronto Coalition to Stop the War
Canadian Peace Alliance
Find us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/dBPiGY
To endorse, please email endapartheid@riseup.net. (more info).
Gaza Freedom Flotilla Attacked - Emergency Picket
Israel has used military force on the peaceful flotilla taking humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip. Israel has murdered several unarmed civilians (at least 15 confirmed so far). Again we see the Israeli apartheid state acting with full impunity outside the boundaries of international law while the the Harper government welcomes Prime Minister Netanyahu with open arms.
We will be out today to tell Israel and all its supporters it can not get away with its crimes against humanity without worldwide protest.
Date: Today May 31
Time: 5-7 pm
Location: Israeli Consulate (180 Bloor St. West)
Bring noise makers! Bring flags! Tell your family and friends.
For more information please contact endapartheid@riseup.net (more info).
WAR CRIMINALS NOT WELCOME HERE!
Protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Toronto.
Mark 62 years of Nakba. Stand with Palestine.
RALLY
Sunday, May 30
Assemble at 9:00 a.m. | Rally begins at 9:30 a.m.
Northeast corner of Strachan Avenue and Princes Boulevard (MAP)
Opposite Princes' Gate, at the Canadian National Exhibition, on the east side of Strachan
TTC: Take the subway to Union Station; then take the 509 Harbourfront street car going into the CNE; get off just before Princes' Gate. Please note: the TTC begins running at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday.
Parking for cars and buses is available nearby. (more info).
CAIA Day of Action May 26, 2010: Dalton McGuinty, Stop Doing Business with Israeli Apartheid!
The Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid (CAIA) is calling on our allies to join us in telling Premier Dalton McGuinty that Ontario should not be doing business with Israeli Apartheid. Participate in our May 26th Day of Action: Write, sign and deliver!
Step 1 Write a letter to Dalton McGuinty SAMPLE LETTER,
Tell McGuinty to "Stop Doing Business with Israeli Apartheid”.
Step 2: Gather more letters by May 26th - be creative!
• Give/send copies to your friends, neighbours, co-workers to sign and send
• Copies of the open letter and leaflet workplaces, community centres, a welfare office, public events, grocery stores
Step 3: Mail or Deliver your letter to your Member of Provincial Parliament on/by May 26
a. JOIN CAIA FOR A MASS LETTER DELIVERY AT QUEEN'S PARK (Toronto) - Meet us in front of the legislature at Noon on May 26th!
b. MAIL IT! It's free to send letters to your MPP. Find your MPP’s Address
c. DELIVER IT! Plan a delegation (small or large!) to hand deliver the letters to your Member of Provincial Parliament.
Step 4: Let us know about your action! E-mail us at endapartheid@riseup.net
(more info about the day of action).
CAIA Marks Global BDS Day of Action – Flash Mobs at Chapters Indigo and MEC!
Last year, in the wake of Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza, the BDS National Committee declared March 30th the Global BDS Day of Action. This day of action coincides with Palestinian Land Day, which symbolizes Palestinian resistance to Israel’s ongoing land expropriation, colonization, occupation and apartheid. On March 30th, BDS activists around the world engaged in demonstrations and creative actions to mark the day of action. In Toronto, CAIA focused on two Canadian BDS targets – Chapters Indigo and Mountain Equipment Coop. (more info).
Israeli Apartheid Week 2010: March 1-7th
First launched in Toronto in 2005, IAW has grown to become one of the most important global events in the Palestine solidarity calendar. Last year, more than 35 cities around the world participated in the week's activities, which took place in the wake of Israel's brutal assault against the people of Gaza. In Toronto, IAW 2009 featured a full week of events kicked off by Palestinian activist and writer Omar Barghouti.
IAW 2010 takes place following a year of incredible successes for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement on the global level. Lectures, films, and actions will highlight some of these successes along with the many injustices that continue to make BDS so crucial in the battle to end Israeli Apartheid.
(Toronto Schedule).
CAIA Condemns Canadian Government for Defunding Pro-Palestinian Organizations
The Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid (CAIA) condemns in the strongest terms the recent actions of the Canadian government to defund and slander various pro-Palestinian organizations. In what looks like a full-fledged war that the Harper Government has declared on everything and everyone related to Palestine, the Harper Government continues to cut funding and restrict the limits of legitimate speech about human rights especially when it come to Palestinian human rights. (more info).
SAIA Carleton Launches Divestment Campaign
For the past several months, Students Against Israeli Apartheid – Carleton (SAIA), a student group at Carleton University in Ottawa that is committed to supporting the Palestinian struggle for freedom, has been conducting research on Carleton’s investments in Israeli apartheid. The Carleton Pension Fund currently lacks any ethical guidelines, with its only mandate being the maximization of profit. SAIA has discovered that the Pension Fund, which provides retirement income for Carleton staff and faculty, currently has some $2,762,535 invested in five companies that are complicit in the oppression of the Palestinian people. In light of these findings, SAIA has launched a campaign calling on Carleton to immediately divest from the offending corporations: Motorola, BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman, L-3 Communications, and Tesco supermarkets, as well as to adopt a socially responsible investment policy for all of its investments. (more info).
Join the Gaza Freedom March in Toronto – December 27, 2009
Join the Gaza Freedom March in Toronto ▬ DEC / 27 / 2009 ▬
On December 31st, 2009 the largest-ever international delegation will hold a massive non-violent demonstration aimed at breaking the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza, marching from Gaza into Israel.
Standing in solidarity with them, and expressing a desire to end the occupation on the anniversary of the Gaza Massacre there will be a demonstration in downtown Toronto.
Toronto's own Gaza Freedom March will be held at the Israeli Consulate (180 Bloor Street W.) on SUNDAY DECEMBER 27th 2009, in solidarity with those who will be attending the march in Gaza. This is for those who are not able to attend the march in Gaza - so PLEASE INVITE all your friends so that we can have AS many people as possible in this solidarity march that is going to take place ACROSS THE GLOBE!
There will be a rally at the Israeli Consulate at 1PM and hope to march down Yonge Street towards Dundas Square, commanding the attention of all passersby, while passing out information about why we are marching.
For volunteer opportunities, please join the volunteer group:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=216660125745
Help BREAK THE SIEGE on Gaza - Join the march, invite your friends, and get ready to make a massive impact on a GLOBAL SCALE!!!
(more info).
THE SEVENTH WEEK AGAINST THE APARTHEID WALL – November 9-16, 2009
The Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign, its popular committees and member organizations have called on activists to launch a week of global mobilization against the walls of apartheid in the West Bank and Gaza from November 9 to 16 2009.
Toronto Events: (for full event information visit www.caiaweb.org/event)
Wed. Nov. 11th:Students Against Israeli Apartheid - York – The Iron Wall: Movie screening and panel discussion – Wed. November 11th, 4:30pm, Graduate Students Association, Room 430 Student Centre
Students Against Israeli Apartheid - UT (SAIA-UT): Film Screening - Palestine Blues: Movie Screening and discussion - Wed. November 11th,7-9pm, Sidney Smith Room, 2117,100 St. George St.
Thur. Nov. 12th: Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights - Ryerson (SPHR): Film Screening - The Iron Wall – Thur November 12th, 7-9pm, 245 Church St. Room ENG 103
Fri Nov. 13th - 7:30pm - Public Forum "The Campus and Palestine Solidarity Organizing" - Ted Rogers School of Business, Room 2-166, 55 Dundas St. W, Ryerson University
(more info).