[tadamon-l] Montreal: Activists call on Brian Mulroney to Denounce Israeli Aparthied

[Tadamon!]

Montreal activists call on Brian Mulroney to Denounce Israeli Aparthied

On the 25th anniversary of the massacre of Sabra and Shatila...

http://tadamon.resist.ca/index.php/post/883

Montreal, September 18th 2007: The Montreal network of the Coalition 
against Israeli Apartheid welcomed former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney 
during a launch of his autobiography at Indigo bookstore by unfurling a 
banner denouncing the apartheid situation under which Palestinians are 
living.

Marcel Sévigny, a member of the network, wanted to call on Mr. Mulroney to 
speak out against the apartheid system now being used against the 
Palestinian people, given the role Mr. Mulroney is said to have played in 
bringing down the apartheid system in South Africa. However, Sévigny was 
removed by security before he could do so.

Several other people who have been active in opposing Israeli apartheid in 
Montreal were identified by the many security agents and forcibly removed 
by police from the public event without any provocation. "That they would 
kick us out without cause just shows how afraid Chapters is of having an 
open dialogue on this issue," said Randa Chalhoub, who was removed before 
the event began.

Montrealers also used the event to denounce the role that Heather Reisman, 
major shareholder and CEO of Indigo Books and Music Inc, plays in the 
Heseg Foundation for 'lone soldiers'. 'Lone soldiers' are individuals who 
have no link to Israel, but join its army.

Ms. Reisman was asked, "How do you justify establishing the Heseg 
foundation, which, according to its website, was set up to 'express 
gratitude and provide support' to what most people would call mercenaries 
who fight in the Israeli army?"

At the same time, a "Boycott Indigo, Boycott Israeli Apartheid" banner was 
unfurled at the back of the room, facing Mulroney and Reisman. Security 
immediately converged on the trio and roughly forced them from the room. 
As they left, the three informed the public about Heseg and Reisman's 
support for Apartheid in Israel, challenging Mulroney to see the link to 
south African apartheid and calling on the public to boycott 
Indigo/Chapters.

There was no chance to ask Reisman to explain the fact that Doron Almog, a 
former Israeli military commander, wanted for war crimes in the UK, is on 
the board of directors of Heseg.

Those who were removed distributed information about Heseg and the Indigo 
boycott outside the bookstore.

The action was organized in the context of a boycott campaign targeting 
Indigo-Chapters across Canada for almost a year because of Reisman and 
Schwartz's involvement in Heseg, which they established in 2005. Between 
5000 and 6000 such "lone soldiers" can be found in the ranks of the 
Israeli army, helping to uphold the apartheid system in Palestine.

The Coalition against Israeli Apartheid is calling on people to cease 
buying from Indigo and Chapters bookstores until such time as Reisman and 
Schwartz publicly cut their ties with the Heseg foundation.

According to the Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem, 1496 
Palestinians -- mostly civilians -- were killed by the Israeli army since 
2004. Since 1967, more than 12,000 houses have been destroyed by the 
Israeli army, leaving more than 70,000 Palestinians homeless. Israel 
systematically oppresses the Palestinian population through legal 
discrimination amounting to an apartheid system operating along the lines 
of ethnicity and religion. Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza are 
forced to live imprisoned in controlled zones, divided by walls, 
militarized barricades and highways reserved for Israelis. It is extremely 
difficult to travel between these zones and a permit from Israeli military 
authorities is required.

During Israel's six-week attack on Lebanon last summer, over 1100 Lebanese 
were killed as a result of the deliberate bombing of villages, roads and 
infrastructure. Tens of thousands of Lebanese were wounded and maimed 
during these attacks, homes, schools, power plants, hospitals, ports and 
roads were targeted and destroyed and up to one million cluster bomblets 
were dumped by Israel on Lebanon.

The action took place on the 25th anniversary of the massacre at Sabra and 
Shatila. Sabra and Shatila are Palestinian refugee camps in Beirut, 
Lebanon, where hundreds of civilians were brutally killed by Lebanese 
Forces and other militia in a massacre orchestrated by Ariel Sharon and 
the Israeli army.

The boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign is a response to an appeal 
launched by more than 170 Palestinian civil society organizations in 2005.

* the Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid.
email: bdsmontreal at gmail.com
tel: + 514 941 9792

* Tadamon! Montreal.
email: tadamon at resist.ca
tel: + 514 664 1036
web: http://tadamon.resist.ca


---> For more information about the boycott of Indigo/Chapters in 
Canada...

* Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid (Toronto)
Resource page: www.caiaweb.org/indigoboycott


---> More information about the international movement of Boycott,
Divestment and Sanctions against Israeli Apartheid...

* Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid (Toronto)
Resource page: http://www.caiaweb.org/indigoboycott


---> More information about the international movement of Boycott, 
Divestment and Sanctions against Israeli Apartheid...

* Palestine Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions
Against Israel Campaign: http://www.bds-palestine.net

* Palestinian grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall
Campaign: http://www.stopthewall.org

* Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel:
http://www.pacbi.org

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