[antiwar-van] On the 16th Anniversary, Voice of Palestine (Vancouver, Canada) Lanches its Website

[hanna kawas]

http://www.voiceofpalestine.ca

Voice of Palestine [102.7 FM]

"Good evening and welcome to the first edition of the Voice of Palestine..."
[History]

It was with these words that the VOP collective first went on the air in
September, 1987. The collective consisted of concerned Palestinian and
Canadian individuals who felt that the mainstream media totally ignored the
Palestinian issue, and therefore an alternative source of news and
information had to be created. Following that first broadcast in 1987, we
were immediately attacked by local and national pro-Israeli forces. Pressure
was put on the station, the CRTC, local media and many others in an attempt
to muzzle the show. A front page headline in the Vancouver Province
(pre-Canwest Global) blared "Outrage" while the inside article stated "PLO
war takes to B.C.’s airwaves". (Amazingly, we were the ones accused of
inflammatory rhetoric - check our archived images for further documents and
correspondence).

However, the collective with the backing of Coop radio, persevered and
refused to be chased off the air. The process was dragged out for years,
with hearings in front of the CRTC, and various other tactics employed, but
eventually the credibility and legitimacy of the show was upheld. This was
only after the issue had taken on national dimensions and been a test case
for Palestinian support work in Canada. The fact that the first Palestinian
intifada occurred during that time frame and showed public opinion around
the world the true face of Israeli occupation certainly contributed to a
more sympathetic environment.

Since that time, Voice of Palestine has continued to be on the airwaves,
every Tuesday night for the last 16 years. The show expanded from a
half-hour to one hour time slot, and also added various sections, such as
Focus on Zionism, Eyewitness Palestine, and more recently, Media Literacy.
Over the years, interviews have been conducted with such notable figures
as - Marwan Bargouthi, Hannan Ashrawi, musician Mustafa al-Kurd who played
live in our studios, and the late Israel Shahak. The show has built up a
sizeable listenership, here in B.C. and in Washington State, and has
supporters across the country. Many of the founding members still work on
the show, and hope to keep it alive and broadcasting as long as such a
counter-balance is needed in the Canadian media.


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