PSNA is pleased with the large turnout of Palestinians and Palestinian supporters at rallies around the country today.
The rallies, which began with a minute of silence to remember all the civilians killed in the last week, had two aims:
- To condemn 75 years of Israeli war crimes against the Palestinian people
- To demand the government speak out against these war crimes. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has been happy to condemn attacks on Israeli civilians but has been deathly silent on the carnage Israel is once more inflicting on the civilian people of Gaza.
Dunedin (200), Christchurch (500), Auckland (3000) were the largest but gatherings also took place in small centres like Napier, New Plymouth, Hamilton, Palmerston North and New Plymouth.
There has been plenty of anti-Palestinian racism on display this week on line with the pro-Israel lobby condemning anyone flying a Palestinian flag and trying to drive Palestinians in New Zealand into a dark corner. Palestinians blew that idea apart today.
There are some excellent video clips on my Facebook page here of the rally in Christchurch. We are happy for any media to use it if they want to do so.
Just to be clear PSNA condemns all attack on civilians as a war crime under the Fourth Geneva Convention – it’s appalling our Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has hasn’t been prepared to call out Israeli war crimes.
Hamas will, finally, be recognized for what it is and always has been and ‘officially’ be recognized by the NZ Govt. As a terrorist organisation when National take the Govt benches.
Not before time, Chippy too spineless to make the call…Luxon will!
Good, and I hope he does the same in regard to the Israeli state.
P.S. in NZ English, we spell recognised with an s. A little different from how those who pull your strings spell it.
Let’s hope they do declare what is patently obvious to everyone – that Hamas are murderous terrorists. I suspect like the Museum, the new government will show the spine of a white-bait and refuse to stand up for Israel.
You should have written “Stand up to Israel” if you wanted to tell the truth. The evidence is overwhelming that Israel should not be in Gaza along with most of the rest of the country which they illegally inhabit.
What Hamas did was evil but unless you stop the cause it will keep happening. While the more muscle crown thinks that destroying the Palestine people is the answer that just proves that they are at least as evil if not more so than Hamas.
Oh for a United Nations that really is united. Without the opportunity to veto decisions perhaps UNO could have more impact and not be railroaded by powerful aggressive nations. Israel has carried out war crimes and invaded Palestine with impunity for years and only now is the appalling treatment of humans by humans being called out. But STILL western nations are showing immense bias. And where are the Arab nations contributing to a peaceful outcome. The whole world should be collaborating to help fellow humans in the middle east to live as human beings.The exercise of power for destruction is utter depravity. And those taking one side or the other and displaying their support for one or the other through war are perpetuating this.Our common bond is that we are human. Or are we? Let’s all raise our voices against the violence in the Middle East
This is not business as usual. The customary braying for Israel to show ‘restraint’ as she engages in yet another unprovoked war is over and the civilised world is behind the Jewish state to obliterate Hamas/ISIS once and for all. Those apologizing for barbaric terrorists who behead babies in their cribs are pure evil.