[tadamon-l] MONTREAL: Wednesday! Lebanon: FIRES of WAR & VOICES of RESISTANCE

[Tadamon!]

FIRES of WAR & VOICES of RESISTANCE:
Strategies for Solidarity with Lebanon in Montreal.

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WEDNESDAY, September 27th, 8pm
Frank Dawson Adams Auditorium
2nd Floor, 3450 University St.
[Corner: Milton & University; McGill metro]
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Presentations * Community Iftar Dinner * Poetry * Films * Free Child-care

----> A Panel Discussion Including Presentations from:

* HASSAN EL AKHRAS: Surviving member of the El Akhras family, 11 of whom 
were killed on July 16th, 2006 in an Israeli air strike in Aitaroun in 
southern Lebanon. Addressing Israeli war crimes & strategies to challenge 
international impunity.

* RAFEEF ZIADAH: Political activist from Toronto involved with the 
Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid & Sumoud. 'Making the Cut: Mobilizing 
an effective boycott of Israel' in North America.

* SAWSAN KALACHE: Member of Tadamon! Montreal & participant in the 2006 
delegation to Lebanon who witnessed the first weeks of the Israeli 
military assault on the country & will address Israeli war crimes 
committed during the 2006 war.

* STEFAN CHRISTOFF: Member of Tadamon! Montreal's 2006 delegation to 
Lebanon who witnessed & reported on the Israeli military attack on Lebanon 
for the Daily Star, the Middle East's largest English daily, & the 
Electronic Intifada.

Whisper translation into English, French & Arabic provided.


----> Including Film Screenings:

* Solidarity with Lebanon: 5 short films by independent film-maker, 
SANTIAGO BERTOLINO who produced short films in Montreal on 2006 Lebanon 
solidarity actions for the Citizenshift Project of the National Film Board 
of Canada....

http://citoyen.onf.ca/blogs/view/post-1158094803043

* Video Report from Southern Lebanon: Produced by ANA NOGUERIA for 
Democracy Now!, which examines the realities of thousands of cluster bombs 
rained down on at least 170 villages in southern Lebanon during Israel's 
month-long war against Hezbollah. The bomblets that failed to explode are 
now a deadly trap for civilians.

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/23/1413209


----> Iftar:

Iftar will take place with the Association des jeunes libanais musulmans: 
Cafeteria, ground floor, McConnell Engineering Building (building just 
north of and connected to the Frank Dawson Adams building) 3480 University 
Street (corner of Milton, McGill metro) Buffet from 7:15pm to 8:00pm


----> Background Information on Event:

On July 12th, 2006, already in the midst of a major military offensive 
against Gaza, Israel launched a massive attack on Lebanon. Montreal 
responded with spontaneous mobilizations and emergency actions ranging 
from petitions, letter-writing campaigns, lobbying and public education to 
street protests, popular delegations & other actions.

With a U.N. brokered "ceasefire" in place, Israeli military & political 
leaders are not being brought to justice for their war crimes, nor are 
they paying reparations for their massive destruction of Lebanon. Israeli 
military bases once again dot southern Lebanon, while Israeli forces have 
conducted frequent breaches of the ceasefire. The siege of the Gaza Strip 
continues. Today it is clear that the U.N. "ceasefire" has not halted the 
war on the people of Palestine & Lebanon.

How to transform the emergency mobilizations in Montreal into strategic 
resistance to further aggression and destabilization of Lebanon and the 
region, through addressing some of the core issues: the occupation of 
Palestine, the Palestinians' right of return, the use of Israel as a 
vehicle for North American economic interests in the region?

How to effectively challenge the Canadian government's open alliance with 
Israeli terrorism?

This panel is being organised to discuss concrete strategies and to launch 
Tadamon's strategy for the coming months.


----> Organized by: Tadamon! Montreal (http://tadamon.resist.ca / 
tadamon[at]resist.ca / 514 690 8499) & Association des jeunes libanais 
musulmans (info.ajlm[at]gmail.com)


----> Endorsed by: Al Hidaya Association, Block the Empire Montreal, 
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, International 
Solidarity Movement-Montreal, No One Is Illegal-Montreal, QPIRG-Concordia, 
QPIRG-McGill, RAME, Solidarity Across Borders


----> Tadamon! Basis of Unity:

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

In the context of historic political changes taking place in Lebanon, 
Tadamon!, through its political work, aims to support struggles for social 
justice and human rights of ALL people living in Lebanon, through direct 
coordination and organization between activists in Beirut & Montreal.

In Montreal, Tadamon! aims to organize within the Lebanese Diaspora, 
through popular education, cultural work and political action, which 
address struggles facing the Lebanese community, such as immigration, 
racism, poverty and labour rights.

Through organizing work both locally and internationally, Tadamon! aligns 
itself with social justice movements in Lebanon, Canada and 
internationally which are anti-capitalist & anti-authoritarian in nature

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