7pm tonight NZ’s first on-line protest – End the blockade of Gaza

End the blockade of Gaza

The Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa is organising New Zealand’s first on-line protest – complete with speakers, placards and even some chants – this Sunday at 7pm.

The protest will call on the government to speak out demanding Israeli authorities end the blockade of Gaza so Palestinians can bring in the medical supplies, equipment and personnel they need to deal with the looming human catastrophe of Covid 19 spreading in this densely populated area with run down medical services.

Prominent New Zealanders have written to the government asking for action but Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters is unmoved. Without the lockdown we would have organised a protest outside parliament but since this is not possible an online protest will take place.

The New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters have been invited to speak.

The login details are:

Topic: Lift the Blockade of Gaza

Time: Sunday April 19, 2020 07:00 PM (NZ time)

Join Zoom Meeting at https://zoom.us/j/98046635207

Meeting ID: 980 4663 5207

 

The order of the event will be:

Introduction John Minto – PSNA Chair

Mihi (welcome) Syd Keepa – representing tangata whenua – the Maori people of Aotearoa.

 

Speakers from Gaza – (note all speakers will be from 3 to 5 minutes)

1. Dr Medhat Abbas: Ministry of Health Gaza, Director General of Primary Health Services who made this video statement in the last few days.
2. Basman Elashi, Executive Director of El Wafa Hospital and General Director of El Wafa Elderly Nursing Home.
3. Wafa Aludaini: is a Palestinian activist and journalist.
4. Sijoud Shnaiwrah: is a Palestinian activist and university student.
5. Sabreen Annajjar: Mother of Razan Al-Najjar. Razan – pictured below – was the 21-year-old female paramedic killed by an Israeli sniper in the March of Return in 2018 – Wafa will translate Sabreen’s statement.

Speaker from New Zealand

1. Ruby Gouda – Palestinian school student living in Auckland, New Zealand. She will read a poem she has written.

Speaker from the Occupied West Bank

1. Basem Tamimi: Basem is a Palestinian activist who has been imprisoned numerous time for resisting the Israeli occupation. He is the father of Ahed Tamimi – pictured below – who as a 16-year-old was imprisoned for slapping an Israeli soldier after her family were attacked.

Speakers from New Zealand

1. Julie Webb-Pullman – a New Zealander who has worked in Gaza since 2011 investigating war crimes and is currently in NZ.
2. Roger Fowler and Maia Fowler – A song to finish “We are all Palestinians”
3. Thanks

 

We hope New Zealand media will take part and report this event. Palestinian voices are rarely reported through our media and they desperately need countries like New Zealand to take notice at this time.

We invite the New Zealand media to report on this on-line protest just as the media would attend a protest outside parliament. Al Jazeera in Gaza have requested an invitation to report – we hope New Zealand media will join them.