[tadamon-l] Tadamon! Strategies of Resistance between BEIRUT & MONTREAL.

[Tadamon!]

Tadamon! Strategies of Resistance between BEIRUT & MONTREAL.

Direction for Montreal Solidarity with
Lebanon After the 2006 Israeli Attack.

Tadamon! [Solidarity! in Arabic], is a Montreal-based collective of social 
justice organizers & media activists working to build relationships of 
solidarity between grassroots political movements for social and economic 
justice in Beirut & Montreal.

Building on Tadamon!'s 2006 summer delegation to Lebanon & its organizing 
efforts in Montreal against the Conservative government's support for the 
Israeli military assault on Lebanon, Tadamon! has outlined new priorities 
for the coming months.

----> Tadamon! - Summer 2006 Delegation to Lebanon:

In June 2006, prior to Israel's attack, members of Tadamon! traveled to 
Lebanon. The delegation worked in Lebanon both before & after the Israeli 
attack, producing independent media reports concerning the current 
political, social and economic situation in the Middle East, which were 
featured in multiple media outlets in North America & the Middle East.

Tadamon! members also focused on networking with organizations in Lebanon 
involved in struggles for social and economic justice in the context of 
the neo-colonization of the Middle East under the pretext of a "War on 
Terror". During the Israeli assault, the delegation worked alongside 
grassroots activists responding to the crisis.

* For Information about Tadamon's summer 2006 Delegation Visit:
http://tadamon.resist.ca/index.php/?page_id=11


----> Tadamon! - Responding to the Israeli Assault in Montreal.

Lebanon came under attack on July 12th, 2006 when Israel launched a major 
military assault. Israel bombed Lebanon at the same time as it carried out 
a military campaign in the Gaza Strip of Palestine; both assaults took 
place under the pretext of freeing Israeli soldiers held by Lebanese and 
Palestinian resistance fighters.

In Canada, the government fully supported Israel's criminal actions, which 
ultimately took the lives of over 1300 people in Lebanon, wounded many 
thousands more, displaced an estimated 900,000 people, and destroyed 
hundreds of residential buildings, leaving tens of thousands of people 
homeless.

Canada's support for Israeli's military campaign did not waver as the 
bombing continued in August, destroying the national infrastructure, 
including runways of Beirut's international airport, all major highways, 
key power plants, telecommunications towers, television stations, all 
major sea ports, small businesses, warehouses and factories. The bombing 
caused a vast oil spill and left behind hundreds of thousands of 
unexploded bomblets which continue to kill and maim throughout the south.

Tadamon! focused on contributing to two vital areas of emergency political 
work: campaigning in solidarity with the Lebanese and Palestinian peoples 
against the Canadian government's support for Israel's military 
aggression; and supporting the Sanayeh Relief Centre in Beirut, a project 
of the Samidoun coalition, in its frontline relief efforts & grassroots 
media work.


----> Tadamon! - Building Solidarity with Lebanon in Montreal.

In the aftermath of the assault, Tadamon! has defined three political 
priorities to guide its organizing efforts in the Quebec and Canadian 
contexts in the coming months.

[1] Supporting grassroots reconstruction in Lebanon:

Tadamon! will continue its efforts to build connections with grassroots 
social justice initiatives in Lebanon by supporting front-line relief and 
reconstruction work which starts from the needs of the poor - including 
migrant workers and refugees - in opposition to neo-liberal reconstruction 
projects aimed at consolidating the wealth, power and external allegiances 
of those who are already socially and economically privileged, according 
to their strategic and economic interests.

[2] Campaigning Against Israeli Apartheid:

Tadamon! will support grassroots initiatives aimed at isolating Israel 
internationally to mount a long-term challenge to Israel's ability to 
carry out war crimes with impunity and its role as the main vehicle for 
imperialist policies in the region. This includes supporting the boycott, 
divestment and sanctions [BDS] campaign launched in Canada by the 
Toronto-based Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid in response to a call 
issued by over 170 organizations in Palestine and in the Palestinian 
Diaspora, and which has already been taken up in Lebanon by a coalition of 
organizations.

[3] Challenging Hezbollah's listing as a "Terrorist" Group in Canada:

Canada is one of only three countries world-wide to designate Hezbollah as 
a "terrorist" organization. The other two are Israel and the United 
States. Tadamon! will be working to contest the politically-motivated 
designation of Hezbollah as a "terrorist organization" in order to:

* Create greater space to freely discuss and engage in struggles for 
justice in the Middle East without fear of persecution or labeling;

* Reduce the vulnerability of migrants subjected to racial profiling and 
unjust immigration "security" measures;

* Confront the demonization of all who resist US-driven policies for a 
"new Middle East"; and

* Challenge the Canadian government's unconditional support for 
Israeli aggression.


Tadamon! Montreal Ongoing Projects:

----> Radio Tadamon!

In May 2006, Tadamon! launched a monthly, one-hour radio program, which 
broadcasts in Montreal the first Tuesday of each month between 5 & 6pm on 
CKUT 90.3 fm. The show is uploaded to the internet for re-broadcast on 
community and public broadcasters. Radio Tadamon! highlights grassroots 
struggles for social justice through interviews, documentaries, audio 
collage & reports that go unreported in the corporate and state-run media.

* Listen to the last episode of Radio Tadamon! online at:
http://tadamon.resist.ca/index.php/?p=237

----> Tadamon! Website

Tadamon! maintains a website to highlight information and perspectives 
that are marginalized in the mainstream in Quebec and Canada. Tadamon!'s 
website maintains a log of Israel's frequent violations of the UN-brokered 
ceasefire, which are largely ignored by major political parties & media 
institutions in North America. Tadamon!'s website will also highlight 
intiatives to demand reparations for the massive destruction of Lebanon 
and to hold Israel's war criminals accountable for their crimes.

* Weblog of Major Israeli Violations of U.N. Ceasefire in Lebanon:
http://tadamon.resist.ca/index.php/?p=246

* Weblog of Cluster Bomb Incidents in Lebanon Since the U.N. Ceasefire:
http://tadamon.resist.ca/index.php/?p=270

* Commentary by Montrealer Hassan el-Akhras, who lost 11 members of 
his family on July 16th, 2006 in an Israeli air strike in Aitaroun in
southern Lebanon.

http://tadamon.resist.ca/index.php/?p=213


----> Get Involved with Tadamon!

Tadamon! welcomes the involvement of anyone who agrees with our basis of 
unity and wants to work. To discuss getting involved, whether as part of 
the collective, in specific campaigns or projects, or as an occasional 
volunteer, please get in touch....!

tadamon at resist.ca
tel. 00 514 690 8499
http://tadamon.resist.ca

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