The US Palestinian Community Network supports the Boycott-Israel 19 Defense Campaign in Australia, following upon the police harassment, brutality and arrests against a mass peaceful BDS demonstration in Melbourne. You can sign on at the Defense Campaign’s website, or email [email protected].
Video of the police attack:
Stand up for Palestinian human rights! Stand up for civil rights in Victoria!
Oppose the criminalisation of protests in support of Palestine!
On 1 July 2011, the Victorian police viciously attacked a peaceful pro-Palestine demonstration in Melbourne’s CBD. In one of the largest political arrests in a decade, 19 non-violent protesters were arrested during a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) action against Israeli-owned Max Brenner store. The chocolateria in the Queen Victoria Centre is owned by the Israeli conglomerate ‘Strauss group’; a company that provides “care rations” for the Israeli military, including the Golani and the Givati brigades – two of the key Israeli military brigades involved in Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza in December 2008/January 2009, which killed more than 1300 Palestinians, the majority of whom were civilian, including over 300 children.
The peaceful picket was ‘kettled’ by police before leading activists were individually targeted in an unprovoked attack by the police riot squad. The tactic of completely surrounding a group of protesters is called “kettling”.
The majority of those arrested have been charged with “trespass” and “besetting”, while a small number of the demonstrators were also charged with “behaving in a riotous manner”. Video taken of the demonstrations shows that the pro-Palestinian activists were completely peaceful and they were attacked in a violent and unprovoked manner by the Victorian police.
The protest against Max Brenner occurred as part of the global Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against the apartheid Israeli state. Inspired by the South African struggle against apartheid, the BDSanctions campaign was launched by Palestinian civil society in 2005. Endorsed by more than 171 Palestinian civil society organisations, including political parties, women’s groups, trade unions, associations, the BDS campaign is conducted in the framework of international solidarity and resistance to injustice and oppression and calls for non-violent punitive measures to be maintained until Israel meets its obligation to recognise the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination and fully complies with international law.
The attack on the peaceful BDS action in Melbourne highlights increasing attempts to criminalise BDS and pro-Palestine solidarity activism internationally. Currently in the US, France and Greece, hundreds of pro-Palestine activists are facing criminal charges for non-violently standing up for Palestinian human rights. The attack also highlights the attacks on civil liberties, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly in Victoria by the Baillieu government. In June 2011, Bailleu’s Coalition government introduced new laws extending police powers, allowing the Victorian police to issue on-the-spot fines of up to $240 for using “offensive” language. The new laws do not define clearly what “offensive” language is, allowing individual police officers to arbitrarily decide what is offensive or not.
The government has also established a new 42 member “Public Order Response Team”. According to the Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper, one of the primary functions of Baillieu’s new riot squad will be “breaking up public protests”.
Civil liberties lawyer Rob Stary in a media release issued by the Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid in the wake of the violent police attack on the peaceful BDS protest outside Max Brenner said the attack and arrests showed that “the new Victorian [Baillieu] government is prepared to criminalise legitimate dissent.”
We call on all supporters of human rights, freedom of speech and civil liberties to stand in solidarity with the 19 BDS/pro-Palestine activists who were beaten and arrested by the Victorian police on July 1. Support and/or join the “Boycott-Israel19″ Defence campaign today!
Current Signatories
Organisations
Refugee Action Collective (Victoria)
Byron People for Peace and Justice
US Palestinian Community Network
US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel
The National Lawyers Guild – Free Palestine Subcommittee (USA)
Friends of Palestine (WA)
Al-Awda NY – the Palestine Right to Return Coalition
Conscious Hip Hop Group – The Brothahood
Boycott from Within, Israeli BDS group
Leeds Palestine Solidarity Group
Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Action Palestine, Scotland
Action for Palestine, Adelaide
Australian Friends of Palestine Australia, Adelaide
Justice for Palestine, Brisbane
Individuals
Norman Finkelstein, author and academic
Independent journalist and author – Antony Loewenstein
Joe Carolan, Organiser Unite Union, New Zealand
Gerry Conlon
Dr Jeff Sparrow, editor, Overland
Jacinda Woodhead, Associate editor, Overland magazine
Tony Harris, longtime member of the Australian Greens
Jake Lynch, Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Sydney
Sameh A. Habeeb – The Palestine Telegraph
Joe Catron – International Solidarity Movement – Gaza Strip
Clare Solomon – 2010 President of Goldsmiths Students’ Union, University of London
James Haywood, President, Goldsmiths Students’ Union, University of London
Patrick Wolfe, Historian and writer
Hela Rahman, Auckland University Students for Justice in Palestine
Mannie De Saxe, Lesbian and Gay Solidarity, Melbourne
Assiye Aydin, Federation of Australian Muslim Students and Youth
Tess Beckett
Stephen Garvey
Heba Ibrahim
Scott Verschuren
Leyal Aksu
Dr Dougal McNeill, Wellington, New Zealand
Dawoods David, South Africa
Professor Jane Kenway
Bonnie Newman
Dr Robert Austin
Viviana Ramírez
Helen Patterson
Sefa Varsan
Luke Weylan
Colin Cook
Bill Fox
Shirley Fox
Lindsay Fitzclarence
Olivia Ball
Dr Kathryn Hegarty
Dr. Ron Witton
Fay Waddington
Simon Gibson
Jill Toulantas
Henry di Suvero
Blayne Nelson, Manchester, UK
Monique Nash, Newcastle, NSW
Emma Fullerton, Glasgow, Scotland
Claire Akhbari
Alex Bainbridge
Raul Bassi, Gaza Defence Committee, Sydney
Janice Taylor
Emanuel Stoakes
Pietra Robins
Ryan Laws
Denis Rogatyuk
Rory Dufficy
Dr Nick Shimmin
Jane Novak
Kate Ausburn
Rebecca Wickham
Simon Aplin
Liz Ross, author of Dare to Struggle, Dare to Win: Builders Labourers Fight Deregistration, Socialist Alternative
Adam Ford
Kendall Lovett
Jack Howard, Australian Labor Party
Ray Bergmann, Justice for Palestine, Brisbane
Carol Christie
