[Indigsol] URGENT CALL FOR SOLIDARITY: PUBLIC DISCUSSION & SUPPORT RALLY AT CARLETON and U of O‏

[abla abdelhadi]

URGENT CALL FOR SOLIDARITY, PLEASE FORWARD TO YOUR CONTACTS AND JOIN US IN DEFENDING THE RIGHT TO ORGANIZE ON CAMPUS! 
 
 
[Le français suit...]


****PUBLIC DISCUSSION & SUPPORT RALLIES AT CARLETON UNIVERSITY AND THE UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA****




Defend the Right to Organize on Campus! Call on the Carleton University and University of Ottawa Administrations to uphold free expression and follow clear and transparent procedures.


On February 8th, Students Against Israeli Apartheid at Carleton University put up 100 posters for "Israeli Apartheid Week", a series of lectures and public events that will occur on campuses in over 40 cities around the world. On February 9, these posters were taken down and banned from campus under the order of Carleton's Equity Services. Their rationale was that the posters "could be seen to incite others to infringe rights protected in the Ontario Human Rights code" and are "insensitive to the norms of civil discourse in a free and democratic society".
On February 13th, Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) at the U of O got the approval of the U of O Administration to put up the Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) poster. With the posters stamped, SPHR was ready to put them up at the end of reading week. However, on Feb. 20th, the U of O Communications office sent the following message to SPHR U of O: 


“A poster from the campus group Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights has recently come to the attention of the Communications Office. All posters approved by the Communications Office must promote a campus culture where all members of the community can play a part in a declaration of human rights recognizing the inherent dignity and equal rights of all students. Consequently, we will not place this particular poster on our campus billboards.”


The poster was created by cartoonist Carlos Latuff and depicts a situation - a child being killed by aerial bombardment – that occurred over 430 times in Israel's latest attack on Gaza according to United Nations reports. The poster can be viewed at: http://www.apartheidweek.org/sites/apartheidweek.org/files/Israeli%20Apartheid%20Week%202009%20poster.jpg. 


Since it depicts a situation that has a factual basis and its intention is clearly to invite people to a lecture series, the notion that it is an incitement or a violation to norms of civil discourse is preposterous.


On Thursday February 26th, join OPIRG-Carleton and show your support for SAIA and SPHR. Come to a public discussion and TWO RALLIES (one after the other) to call the Administrations at Carleton and the U of O to account by asking them to clarify why and how these posters were banned. Show these administrations that civil discourse is dependent upon rights to free expression and organizing, especially around contentious issues.


Date: Thursday February 26th 2009


Time for Carleton: 11:30 - 1:00pm. The regular shuttle service leaves Carleton at 1:30pm after the Carleton rally will and arrive at the U of O at 1:50pm. People will gather at the shuttle drop-off location (across from Montpetit) to begin the rally at the U of O. The rally at the U of O will begin in front of the shuttle bus-stop at 2:00pm.




Meeting location at Carleton: C264 Loeb Building 
Meeting location at U of O: shuttle bus-stop (across from Monpetit)




Event Description: The rally at Carleton will be mostly silent. People are invited to symbolically cover their mouths. The rally at the University of Ottawa will not be silent. If you have letters (from groups, unions, organizations or individuals) you would like to deliver to the university administrations about the banning of the Israeli Apartheid poster please bring them with you. Both rallies will end at the presidents' offices.




Campus Maps: http://www2.carleton.ca/campus/ and http://www.uottawa.ca/maps/maincampus.html 


Carleton is accessible by public transit. The O-train as well as the number 4,7 and 117 all have stops at Carleton. The U of O is also highly accessible by public transit. Many main downtown routes stop at the U of O. To plan your trip or view transit maps please visit: http://octranspo.com


All are welcome (you don't need to be a university student). People are welcome to join both rallies or only one.


Spread the word, bring your friends and show your support for the right to organize on campus by calling the Carleton and U of O Administrations to account.








*************


Venez défendre le droit à la libre expression sur les campus de Carleton et de l'Université d'Ottawa. 






Le 8 février, le groupe Students Against Israeli Apartheid a posé 100 affiches pour promouvoir la Semaine contre l'apartheid israélien, une série d'évènements et de conférences qui se tiendra dans 40 villes à travers le monde. Le 9 février ces affiches ont toutes été retirées et interdites par les Carleton Equity Services. L'explication donnée est qu'elle pourrait inciter à la haine envers un groupe.


Le 13 février le groupe Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR), à l'Université d'Ottawa, a été autorisé par l'Administration à poser les mêmes affiches. L'étampe de l'Université a alors été aposé sur celles-ci. SPHR-UofO comptait donc poser les affiches à la fin de la semaine de relâche. Le 20 février toutefois, le Bureau des communications a informé SPHR que l'affiche en question ne serait plus permise sur le campus de l'U d'O. 


L'affiche a été créée par l'artiste Carlos Latuff et dépeint une situation spécifique : un enfant palestinien victime d'un bombardement aérien israelien, une situation survenue environ 430 fois durant la dernière offensive israelienne contre la bande de Gaza (d'après les chiffres des Nations Unies) 


L'affiche peut être vue ici:




http://www.apartheidweek.org/sites/apartheidweek.org/files/Israeli%20Apartheid%20Week%202009%20poster.jpg. 


Étant donné que l'affiche dépeint une situation factuelle et que le but de l'affiche est d'inviter des étudiants à une série d'événements et de conférences la notion que cette affiche pourrait mener à la haine envers un groupe est complètement ridicule.




Ce jeudi, joignez-vous à OPIRG-Carleton, SPHR et SAIA ainsi que plusieurs supporteurs pour dénoncer ces abus. DEUX MANIFESTATIONS auront lieu, l'une après l'autre (sur chacun des campus), pour demander que l'administration clarifie sa position. Il est important de revendiquer haut et fort le droit à la libre expression sur les campus universitaires, en particulier concernant des enjeux aussi contentieux. 






Date : Jeudi le 26 février 2009


Heure : 11h30 - 13h00 à Carleton. La manifestation se dirigera ensuite (par le service de navette) à l'U d'O. La manifestation à l'U d'O débutera à 14h00 près de l'arrêt de la navette.






Point de rencontre à Carleton : C264 Loeb Building
Point de rencontre à l'U d'O: arrêt de la navette (près de Montpetit)




La manifestation à Cerleton se déroulera en silence, pour symboliser la perte du droit d'expression. La manifestation à l'U de O ne se déroulera pas en silence. 


Si vous avez des lettres (de syndicats, de groupes, d'individus...) que vous voudriez faire parvenir à l'administration, nous vous invitons à venir les livrer avec nous lors de la manifestation.
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