Wellington Rally To Oppose Genocide And Protect Protest
Justice for Palestine and Peace Action Wellington are hosting a joint rally and march on Friday 8 August at 12:30 starting at the UK High Commission on Hill Street going to Police National HQ to oppose the ongoing genocide in Gaza and to uphold our rights to protest.
“At the UK High Commission, we are gathering in solidarity with UK-based Palestine Action. The UK government has labelled the peaceful protest group Palestine Action as “terrorists” and are arresting anyone who says that they support them. They are determined to shut down opposition to Israel’s genocide using extreme repression. Police have already arrested over 100 ordinary people including elderly clergy, teachers and parents for doing nothing more than carrying a sign or holding a banner,” said Nadia Abu-Shanab, member of Justice for Palestine
At least 500 demonstrators are preparing to sit in London for 60 minutes or “until arrest” on August 9 while holding signs which state: “I oppose Genocide. I support Palestine Action.”
“Here in Aotearoa NZ the Ministry of Justice is engaged in a behind-the-scenes consultation of the Terrorism Suppression Act to significantly expand the law and to follow the UK approach. Their so-called ‘consultation’ closes on 8 August,” said Valerie Morse, member of Peace Action Wellington.
“On top of that, just last week, the government announced the US FBI will be opening an office here. FBI director Kash Patel indicated anti-terrorism is an area of key collaboration between the US and NZ. Taken together, these are both terrifying developments for freedom of speech and peaceful protest. Both the UK and US government have recently shown their willingness to use extreme repression to shut down dissenting opinions on Israel.”
“We will not sit by while preparations for attacks on our rights to freedom of expression and peaceful protest are made. We are taking our message to Police HQ as they administer the Terrorism Suppression Act and are the most likely domestic partner for the FBI.”
Our actions will not cease until the people of Palestine are free.
“On that day, October 26, I called on the families to come to Hostages Square in Tel Aviv. At the assembly, we announced that the prime minister and the defense minister must meet the families, but there was no response to that from Netanyahu’s or Yoav Gallant’s offices.
“So we said that if we didn’t get an immediate response, the families would camp outside the Kirya IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv.
“After that, Gallant promised in a statement to meet the families the next day. We told him we weren’t willing to wait. That evening, Netanyahu’s office announced that he would meet the families’ representatives.”
(Meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu)
“We left the meeting very disappointed because Netanyahu talked about dismantling Hamas as the goal of the war. He didn’t promise anything regarding the demand to return the hostages. He merely said a military operation in Gaza was needed to serve as leverage for the hostages’ release.
“WE LATER FOUND OUT THAT HAMAS HAD OFFERRED ON
OCTOBER 9 OR 10 TO RELEASE ALL THE CIVILIAN HOSTAGES
IN EXCHANGE FOR THE IDF NOT ENTERING THE STRIP,
BUT THE GOVERNMENT REJECTED THE OFFER.”
– by Gideon Allon (The Times of Israel)
– source Haim Rubinstein (ex-spokesman of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum)
(https://www.timesofisrael.com/no-doubt-netanyahu-preventing-hostage-deal-charges-ex-spokesman-of-families-forum/)