PSNA Newsletter No 62 - January 9 2022
9 Kohitātea 2022
9 January 2022
Newsletter No 62
Kia ora everyone and welcome to 2022!
Kiwi supergroup Fat Freddy’s Drop asked to boycott Sydney Festival
Aotearoa New Zealand supergroup Fat Freddy’s Drop are scheduled to perform at the Sydney Festival on 18 January. So far more than 25 acts have either withdraw or distanced themselves from the festival in protest over a $20,000 donation from Israel’s Australian embassy to support Sydney Dance Company’s production of Decadance by Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin.
In accepting this donation, the Sydney Festival is using the Israeli Government Ministry of Foreign Affairs logo in festival promotional material and is aligning itself directly with the racist, apartheid state of Israel.
The boycott of the festival is growing with stories here, here, here, here and here. Aotearoa New Zealand must join the boycott and last week PSNA wrote to Fat Freddy’s Drop asking them to boycott the Festival.
Fat Freddy’s Drop
Something you can do now with just a couple of clicks…
Send a message asking Fat Freddy’s Drop to withdraw from the Sydney Festival
Write your own note or you can copy and paste this note to both their website here, and their facebook page here.
Kia ora Fat Freddy’s Drop,
Follow Lorde’s example and boycott apartheid Israel
I’m very disturbed to see Fat Freddy’s Drop are scheduled to perform at the Sydney Festival on 18 January and I’m are asking you to reconsider and withdraw from the festival.
The Sydney Festival is being sponsored by Israel’s racist, apartheid regime and its Ministry of Foreign Affairs logo is being used in festival promotional material.
This is deeply offensive to Palestinians who are brutally oppressed by Israel. In 2021 alone Israel killed 319 Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and demolished 895 Palestinian homes.
Already over 25 acts have either withdrawn or distanced themselves from the festival.
The Sydney Festival is no place for any self-respecting Kiwi act.
I’m urging you to follow the lead of Lorde who showed a deep respect for Palestinians by withdrawing from a concert in Israel.
South Africa’s Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who died two weeks ago, said Palestinians are suffering worse than black South African’s suffered and called on the world to boycott Israel.
So come on Fat Freddy’s drop! Join the boycott!
(name)
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Please also go to this page Sydney Festival – reject complicity with Israeli apartheid to send a letter to every Festival board member protesting the Israeli sponsorship.
On Twitter please retweet and circulate from this from Palestine Justice Movement Sydney: https://twitter.com/PalestineRising/status/1471356723491311617.
The Politics of Persecution – Webinar from MLN (Movement for Liberation from Nakba)
MLN has held several excellent webinars over 2021 and this first for 2022 looks to maintain the excellent standard. Note it is on 22 January at 9.30pm (Aotearoa New Zealand time)
Persecution of Christians in the Middle East has been a recurring theme since the middle of the nineteenth century. Middle Eastern Christians are often portrayed as a homogeneous, helpless group ever at the mercy of their Muslim enemies, a situation that only Western powers can remedy. The Politics of Persecution revisits this narrative with a critical eye. At this webinar, Prof Mitri Raheb will chart the plight of Christians in the Middle East from the invasion of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799 to the so-called Arab Spring.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu – Friend of Aotearoa New Zealand and Champion of Palestinian human rights – dies aged 90
Palestine has lost a champion of the struggle against Israeli apartheid with the death of South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, aged 90.
Tutu is known internationally as a leader of the struggle against while minority rule in South Africa and won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work reconciling South Africans after the end of its brutal apartheid regime.
He was the moral conscience of the country and sometimes highly critical of South Africa’s ANC-led government saying that some in the ANC leadership had stopped the apartheid gravy train “just long enough to jump on”.
Relationship with New Zealand
Archbishop Tutu was a warm friend of New Zealand and many New Zealanders across our political divides will feel a deep sadness at his passing.
In the early 1980s when Tutu faced court action from the South African authorities, a delegation of church leaders from New Zealand, led by former Anglican Archbishop of Aotearoa New Zealand, the late Sir Paul Reeves, went to South Africa in an act of international solidarity. This was deeply appreciated by Tutu.
During the protests against the 1981 Springbok tour one of the three Auckland protests squads was called Tutu Squad in his honour.
Later he came to New Zealand and at one point gave evidence as an expert witness on apartheid during a trial arising from 1981 tour protests. Such was his charisma, his mana and the deep respect he commanded everywhere that when he was called to the witness stand by Hone Harawira the entire courtroom stood.
In this case all the activists on trial were acquitted after the jury deliberated.
PSNA National Chair meeting Tutu in South Africa in 2009
Support for Palestinians
Tutu was outspoken against injustices all around the world and in particular he condemned the racist policies faced by Palestinians from the Israeli regime. He frequently described Israel’s treatment of Palestinians as “worse” than that suffered by black South Africans.
He said international solidarity with Palestinians such as through BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) is critical to ending injustices like apartheid.
"I have witnessed the racially segregated roads and housing in the Holy Land that reminded me so much of the conditions we experienced in South Africa under apartheid," said Tutu.
"We could not have achieved our democracy without the help of people around the world, who through... non-violent means, such as boycotts and disinvestment, encouraged their governments and other corporate actors to reverse decades-long support for the apartheid regime"
In relation to Israeli policies towards Palestinians Tutu said the world should “Call it apartheid and boycott!”
In honouring Tutu’s legacy, freedom-loving people around the world should follow his advice and spurn Israel till everyone living in historic Palestine has equal rights.
Aotearoa New Zealand, the Palestinian struggle and the world have lost a dear friend and a great humanitarian.
Erasing Palestine
Most of the media (Aotearoa New Zealand especially) have done their best to ignore Tutu’s principled support for Palestinian human rights. Mondoweiss have discussed this here, David Rovics has a short video explaining this here and the Guardian reported it here.
PSNA National Chair John Minto was interviewed many times by TV, radio and the print media about Tutu’s life and stressed the archbishop’s support for the Palestinian struggle. However, this was specifically omitted from almost all media reports of John’s comments.
Aotearoa New Zealand sponsored ambulance serves disabled patients in Gaza
After Israel’s brutal attack on Gaza in May this year Aotearoa New Zealand’s Kia Ora Gaza led a fundraising effort to help in an international appeal for ambulances for Gaza. Pictured above is one of the ambulances on duty – note the Kia Ora Gaza logo painted on the side.
The full story is here.
Hisham Abu Hawash over 140 days of hunger strike
Hisham Abu Hawash on Day 138 of his hunger strike
In our last newsletter we reported on Palestinians on hunger strike to end “administrative detention” of Palestinians by Israel. Administrative detention is Israel’s policy of imprisonment without charge or trial.
An update on the story is here
Meanwhile the prisoners on administrative detention have released this letter which explains their situation. PSNA will be discussing how best we can support their campaign:
Football for Freedom – Auckland Jan 22
Enter a team or just come along to watch the games.
www.manukauunited.net/F4F
Palestine Solidarity Network - Tamaki Makaurau Auckland will be there with Merchandise you can buy including Free Palestine t-shirts and Palestinian Flags
Come along and meet like-minded people as well as supporting this important initiative.
Have a chat about what you want to see happening in Auckland this year in support of Palestinian Human Rights.
Important stories from the Web
1. Israel must choose – withdraw from occupied territories or give Palestinians the vote here
2. How Israeli bombing poisoned Gaza’s water – video here
3. Interview with Roger waters – 30-minute video here
4. Solidarity with Palestinians in Stadiums here
5. Artists boycott Sydney Festival here
6. A vision for liberation – Palestinian-led developments on Health and Education here
7. Israeli army rule allowing shooting of stone throwers will be applied to Palestinians not Jews here
8. Why Israel is amending its open fire policy – three possible reasons here
9. Life as a young journalist in Palestine here
10. Intelligence five eyes to become seven? here
11. Palestinian children killing in 2021 here
12. Pegasus software found on Jamal Khashoggi’s phone here
13. Imagine you had a Palestinian child – could you support the two-state solution here
14. This is what a week of dinners looks like for a family in Gaza here
15. Israeli army settlers kill two Palestinians in separate incidents here
16. Emma Watson endorses Palestinian solidarity and Israeli officials lose their minds here
17. Israel calls apartheid claims radioactive here
18. Biden is breaking promise to Palestinians because Israelis don’t want to reopen consulate here
Are you able to donate a cup of coffee a month to the campaign?
We will need some serious money to make our campaign as effective as possible. For example, we will need somewhere in the vicinity of $25,000 to bring speakers to New Zealand over the next year and organise large public meetings to help spread the message.
You can help. Are you able to donate a cup of coffee a month to the campaign? In other words, can you afford to make an automatic payment of $5 per month to support the Palestinian struggle? (If you can afford more that would be great!)
Our account details are:
Account name: Palestine Solidarity Network
Account number: 38-9015-0849542-00
We are happy to provide a receipt upon request (however, we are not a registered charity so this is not tax-deductible)
In Occupied Palestine daily newsletter – an invitation to subscribe from Leslie Bravery
Because of mainstream news media complicity, daily headlines and commentary only occasionally ever mention the relentless Israeli violence in Palestine, not even the frequent air strikes!
However, daily news and statistics regarding the violence Palestinians are forced to live under are regularly reported on in the “In Occupied Palestine daily newsletter”, sourced and compiled for easy reading and correlation chiefly from the Palestinian Monitoring Group's daily situation reports.
The In Occupied Palestine daily newsletter continues to be circulated, by email, worldwide to subscribers only, as it has been over the last two decades.
Please contact lesliebravery@icloud.com if you also wish to become a subscriber.
Merchandise for sale
We have Merchandise you can buy including T-shirts from our website.
Go here - https://www.psna.nz/shop
More ways you can get involved
Forward this Newsletter – If you know people who may be interested in this movement, please forward this Newsletter to them.
Join in local activities in your area monthly Rallies - In Auckland at 2.00 pm on the first Saturday of every month. Please consider doing the same in your community. Contact Secretary@PSNA.nz if you would like to know where and how to get Flags and Banners
Help set up a Students for Justice in Palestine groups on your campus
Tell Your MP your opinions on Divestment and Sanctions of Israel.
Write Letters to Newspapers – Call Talkback Radio
Keep in touch with the campaign on social media
o NZ Palestine Solidarity Network website: https://www.PSNA.nz
o NZ Palestine Solidarity Network Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/671376706283605/
o NZ Palestine Solidarity Network email: Secretary@PSNA.nz
The Palestine Human Rights Campaign produces the In Occupied Palestine newsletter. It is a regular daily newsletter on the daily situation in Palestine, compiled by Leslie Bravery and emailed to subscribers. If you would also like to become a subscriber, please contact Leslie at “lesliebravery @ icloud .com” (remove the spaces to use as an email address) for further information.
Keep Updated on our Facebook pages and websites (listed below)
Human rights for Uyghur refugees - In line with our support for human rights for the people of Palestine we have added our name to the petition in support of human rights for Uyghur refugees so they can be included in the government’s refugee quota. PSNA members who wish to also sign this petition can do so here - https://our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/open-letter-let-s-show-compassion-to-the-uyghur-community
PSNA Groups
PSNA National Committee
Website: www.PSNA.nz
Chair - John Minto: Chair@PSNA.nz
Secretary - Neil Scott: Secretary@PSNA.nz
Regional Groups
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Auckland PSNA Auckland – Tamaki Makaurau (Website)
Hamilton Palestine Human Rights Campaign Waikato (Facebook)
Tauranga Tauranga Moana 4 Palestine (Facebook)
Napier/Hastings Aotearoa Standing with Palestine (Facebook)
Palmerston North PSNA Palmerston North (Email)
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Wellington PSNA Wellington (Email)
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Invercargill PSNA Invercargill (Email)