[tadamon-l] [Montreal] Saturday! WAR on LEBANON: 1 Year Later.

[Tadamon!]

WAR on LEBANON: 1 Year Later

A Montreal Community Commemoration of Testimonials
& Reflections on the 2006 Israeli Attack on Lebanon

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SATURDAY, JULY 14th, 6pm
Côte-des-Neiges Community Center
2nd Floor, 5347 Côte-des-Neiges
Directly Beside metro Côte-des-Neiges
Suggested Donations: 0-20$
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http://tadamon.resist.ca/index.php/post/738

War Testimonials * Arabic & English Poetry / Literature Reading, * Photo 
Display / Slideshow, * Community Dinner, * Discussions, * Open Microphone.

A network of community groups & Middle East solidarity organizations in 
Montreal are calling on people in Montreal to participate in a major social 
event to remember & reflect on the 2006 Israeli military attack on Lebanon 1 
year later.


---> Community Event will Include.

* War Testimonials & Open-Microphone: A series of live testimonials from those 
who experienced the Israeli bombardment of Lebanon and those who lived the war 
from Canada, including words from HASSAN EL AKHRAS, a 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, who will be addressing Israeli war 
crimes & strategies to challenge international impunity.

* Photo Display / Slideshow: Including photographs of the Montreal 
mobilizations throughout the summer of 2006 captured by local photographers & 
information concerning the Israeli attack on Lebanon provided by Canadians for 
Justice & Peace in the Middle East(CJPME).

* Discussions : This event is being organized to provide an opportunity for 
local activists to discuss, strategies & build on local resistance movements to 
the Israeli attack on Lebanon in 2006 which formed in Montreal during the 
summer. Multiple local groups & organizations, including thousands of 
individuals were actively organizing in opposition to the Israeli attack on 
Lebanon & the Canadian governments open support for the Israeli attack. 
Importantly this event will also be an opportunity to discuss the current 
situation in Lebanon, the consequences of the siege on Nahr el-Bared refugee 
camp which has lead to a humanitarian disaster for tens-of-thousands of 
Palestinian refugees.

* Community Dinner: Local community groups, individuals & restaurants which 
will be providing food for the community dinner as an expression of solidarity 
with ongoing work to support the struggle for self-determination in Lebanon, 
Palestine & throughout the Middle East.

* Arabic, English & French Poetry / Literature Reading, Including live readings 
from: EHAB LOTAYEF, Montreal based Egyptian activist with the Coalition for 
Justice & Peace in Palestine (CJPP) & locally renowned poet, GHADA CHEHADE, 
poet & PhD student at McGill University, HAYDAR MOUSSA, community activist & 
poet from AJLM, Association des jeunes libanais musulmans & HISHAM ELSALFITI, 
Palestinian community activist & member of the Canadian Palestinian 
Foundation...


---> Background Information:

On July 12th, 2006 the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah captured two 
Israeli soldiers as part of an ongoing campaign to free thousands of Arab 
political prisoners from Israeli jails, which in certain cases have been 
locked-up for over 20 years. On that same summer day Israel attacked Lebanon in 
a violent military campaign of which left over 1300 Lebanese civilians dead, 
large parts of the national infrastructure destroyed and southern Lebanon 
covered in over 1 million unexploded cluster bombs. An Israeli military 
campaign of collective punishment unleashed on the people of Lebanon continued 
for 33 days until a U.N. brokered ceasefire on August 14th, 2006.

As bombs fell on Lebanon, social justice and human rights activists took the 
streets throughout the world from Johannesburg, to London, to Cairo, to New 
York and on the streets of Montreal. As the Canadian government issued multiple 
public statements of support for the Israeli bombardment of Lebanon, which 
Conservative Prime Minister labeled a "measured response", thousands of people 
in Montreal quickly responded to the crisis facing Lebanon.

Through street protests, direct actions, spontaneous mobilizations, lobbying 
work, public education campaigns & many other actions the people of Montreal 
expressed a localized resistance to the Israeli attack on Lebanon, one of the 
strongest political responses in a city outside of the Middle East. Many in 
Montreal from the Lebanese community & beyond also heavily grieved for family, 
friends & comrades lost to Israeli attacks throughout Lebanon.

Join us for an evening of resistance, reflection & community building...!

Organized by:
* Association des jeunes libanais musulmans (AJLM)
* Al Hidaya Association
* Tadamon! Montreal

INFO:
514-664-1036 / tadamon[at]resist.ca / http://tadamon.resist.ca

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