On Invasion Day 2021, BDS Australia expresses our unequivocal solidarity with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nations.
Since 1788, First Nations people have been the objects of relentless colonial violence, first from the British and then from the Australian state. Today, rates of incarceration and child removal show that violence against Aboriginal people is still a blight on our society – a shameful reflection of the ongoing racism that characterises Australian politics, for which we all must be held to account.
We support Aboriginal peoples’ call for treaty and sovereignty and know that we will see no genuine reconciliation in this country without full justice for Aboriginal people.
As supporters of justice for Palestine, we understand all too well how colonialism crushes nations. The devastation it brings is measured in deaths, dispossession, arbitrary imprisonment, stunted opportunities and broken lives – the merciless oppression of entire peoples. In our struggle for the decolonisation of Palestine and our opposition to Israeli apartheid, we have much to learn from the inspiring activism of First Nations peoples over many decades.
Whether in Australia or in Palestine, there can be no compromise on basic rights. We reject any attempts to prevent Invasion Day rallies from going ahead. We call for an end to the scourge of colonialism, and for justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people now. Our struggle for Palestine is rooted in a commitment to universal rights and international law.
Nothing is more urgent than reversing and compensating for the historic injustices to which colonised peoples have been subject, whether here or overseas. As the struggle for First Nations rights continues, we stand shoulder to shoulder with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander friends.
Support the Global Day of Action and Boycott Puma – Worst. Gift. Ever.
Israel’s far-right government is escalating its expansion of illegal settlements on stolen Palestinian land. At the same time, it is demolishing Palestinian homes in record numbers, leaving hundreds of Palestinian families homeless during a pandemic.
Puma’s support for these violent land grabs makes it the… Worst. Gift. Ever.
Israel’s military occupation and illegal settlements force Palestinian families from their homes, with full backing from the Australian government which remains complicit and does not even support UN Resolutions calling on Israel to respect Palestinian human rights and adhere to international law.
Puma says it supports equality but is helping to prolong the brutal dispossession of indigenous Palestinians.
Take two quick actions HEREto thank Lewis Hamilton for his stand against racism and to urge him to take that stand to Puma over its support for Israeli apartheid that South Africans say is worse than what they endured.
Lewis Hamilton, Formula One’s first and only Black driver, is shattering records and fighting against racism on and off the race track.
He recently said, “We all have a responsibility to educate ourselves and raise awareness of the tragedies happening in the world around us and take action where we can”.
Let’s take this opportunity to do just that!
Lewis Hamilton’s sponsor Puma supports Israeli apartheid that South Africans say is worse than what they endured.
Take two quick actionsHERE to thank Lewis Hamilton for his righteous stand against racism and ask him to take that stand to Puma.
August 17, 2020 – Palestinian human rights defender and BDS coordinator Mahmoud Nawajaa was released by an Israeli military court, after 19 days of illegal detention without charges. Since his arrest on July 30, the Israeli internal security Shin Bet has failed to present any formal charges against him.
Nawajaa praised his supporters after his release: “Pressure works. Sustained global pressure works even better. I am deeply grateful to all of those who pressured apartheid Israel to release me. From Europe and the Arab world, to Southern Africa, Latin America, North America and Asia, your solidarity gave me strength and kept alive my hope to be reunified with my loving family and my inspiring wider BDS family.” He also thanked Palestinian and human rights organizations. (bdsmovement.net, Aug. 17)
July 30, 2020 – In Ramallah and Gaza, more than 150 representatives of Palestinian trade unions, women’s associations, political parties and BDS supporters rallied Tuesday in front of the representative offices of Germany, which currently holds the EU presidency, to demand EU pressure on Israel to set Mahmoud Nawajaa free.
Nawajaa, the General Coordinator of the Palestinian National BDS Committee, was arrested by Israeli soldiers in the middle of the night from his home in the central occupied West Bank district of Ramallah on July 30th.
The decision to extend his detention was made in an Israeli military court in Jenin on August 2nd, upon request from Israel’s internal security agency, the Shin Bet.
According to the BDS movement, the Shin Bet declined to present any charges or evidence that they have against Nawajaa with him or his lawyer — a common practice used by Israeli officials who routinely cite unnamed “security reasons” to justify the detention of Palestinian political activists.
Majida Masri, coordinator of the Palestinian Women’s Campaign for Boycotting Israeli Products, spoke for the BDS movement saying:
“We are rallying here to demand that the EU end its complicity of silence and apply concrete pressure on Israel to release Mahmoud Nawajaa and respect the rights of Palestinian human rights defenders. Israel is bowing to our pressure, so we must intensify it to #FreeMahmoud.
“Being Israel’s largest trade partner, and given its decades of complicity in enabling Israel’s regime of occupation, settler-colonialism and apartheid, the EU has legal and moral obligations to act to end Israel’s war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
1. Let’s amplify their message and tell EU Foreign Affairs chief Josep Borrell that continued EU inaction amounts to outright complicity:
Help us send an equally determined message to the UN Human Rights chief Michelle Bachelet, urging her to denounce Israel’s persecution of Palestinian human rights defenders, like Mahmoud.
2. Tell the UN it must act to defend Palestinian human rights defenders. Period.
@mbachelet: Help stop Israel’s persecution of Palestinian human rights defenders like Mahmoud Nawajaa, who peacefully resist apartheid. @UNHumanRights must demand that Israel #FreeMahmoud and all political prisoners now. https://bdsmovement.net/un-eu-freemahmoud pic.twitter.com/tdoVhuCST4
In their call for Israel to “immediately and unconditionally release Mahmoud, Amnesty International said:
Advocating for boycotts, divestment and sanctions is a form of non-violent advocacy and of free expression that must be protected. Advocates of boycotts should be allowed to express their views freely and take forward their campaigns without harassment, threats of prosecution or criminalization.
BDS Australia is pleased to host this important forum featuring Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) co founder, Omar Barghouti with key First Nations and Palestinian Australian speakers discussing the shared experience of dispossession, state-based discrimination and racism and how to counter it.
Don’t miss this unique event – REGISTER HERE – ZOOM FORUM SATURDAY AUG 29, 7.30PM EST (SYD, CANBERRA, MEL)
Speakers:
OMAR BARGHOUTI – Palestinian writer and founding member of the BDS campaign AMY MCQUIRE – Darumbal and South Sear Islander journalist and academic DR RANDA ABDEL-FATTAH – Palestinian author, academic and former lawyer PROFESSOR TONY BIRCH – Indigenous Australian author, academic and activist HIBA FARRA, Moderator – Palestinian lawyer and activist
This website is maintained by BDS Australia, which is affiliated with the coalition of Palestinian organisations that leads and supports the BDS movement and by the Palestinian Campaign for Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), a BNC member organisation.
