Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights

New Year’s Eve for a Free Palestine

bcprigh1 — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 03:10:12 +0000

The Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights calls for your participation in this annual Boston event – please spread the word! Let’s make this year’s demonstration of support for a FREE PALESTINE the biggest one ever!

FIRST NIGHT: STAND OUT AND MARCH FOR A FREE PALESTINE

4 PM | Saturday, 12/31/11 (New Year’s Eve) | Copley Square, Boston

At 5:30 PM the Grand Procession marches down Boylston Street –
we will make up a FREE PALESTINE contingent at the end of the procession.

Please bring signs, banners, candles and drums.

Nov. 29 International Day of Solidarity with Palestine

bcprigh1 — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:41:48 +0000

In 1977, the General Assembly of the UN called for the annual observance of 29 November as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

OCCUPY BOSTON, NOT PALESTINE!

Stand out at Occupy Boston, Dewey Square (near South Station)

November 29, 4:30 to 6:00 pm

WHY SHOULD THE OCCUPY MOVEMENT DEMAND AN END TO US AID TO ISRAEL? The U.S. spends over $8 million PER DAY on military aid to Israel. We are due to spend $30 billion of our tax dollars on military aid to Israel between 2009 and 2018. An estimated $890,172,811 will be paid by Massachusetts taxpayers. This is money that could be spent here on jobs, homes, education and health.

For instance, those funds would provide 721,000 people per year with primary health care. Our tax money is used by Israel to maintain its brutal military occupation and Apartheid system and colonize Palestinian land.

NEW YEAR’S EVE VIGIL FOR PALESTINE

During the past decade, the Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights has held an annual Vigil for Palestine on First Night. Stay tuned for details of the December 31, 2011 vigil – and plan to join us!

Sherif Fam (1936-2010) – A Celebration

bcprigh1 — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 13:34:04 +0000

For nearly a decade, Sherif devoted most of his waking hours to the struggle for Palestinian rights. An indefatigable member of the Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights, he was the “Voice of Palestine” in the Boston area through his work with WZBC 90.3 FM.

Please join us in remembering Sherif and celebrating his life :

Sunday, September 25, 2011 beginning at 4:00 PM
The Palestine Cultural Center for Peace, 41 Quint Avenue, Allston, MA.

ALERT! Two Emergency Demonstrations Today in Boston!

bcprigh1 — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 17:34:28 +0000

EMERGENCY ACTIONS TODAY IN BOSTON, MA

3:30 AND 5:00 PM. SEE BELOW

The Greek government intercepted the US Boat a half hour after it left port. It has declared that it will not permit any boats in the Freedom Flotilla to sail to Gaza.

JOIN THE PROTESTS TODAY | JULY, 1 2011

3:30 to 4:30 outside the Greek Consulate | 86 Beacon Street (just across from the Boston Public Gardens, between Arlington and Charles Street)

5:00-7:00 Park Street Station

Take Action to Support the US Boat to Gaza!

bcprigh1 — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 18:42:40 +0000

Two Massachusetts-based activists, Ridgely Fuller and Paki Wieland, pictured left, are set to sail with the US boat in the Freedom Flotilla, “The Audacity of Hope.” Please support them and their co-freedom riders by taking action!

Please take action to support these courageous women!

Read our open letter to John Kerry, asking him to use his influence to protect Ridgely, Paki and the US boat.

Hang Up on Apartheid! Hang Up on Motorola!

bcprigh1 — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 13:34:04 +0000

Ladysmith Black Mambazo: Interview with the Manager

bcprigh1 — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 12:05:36 +0000

Ladysmith Black Mambazo: Don’t Entertain Apartheid!

bcprigh1 — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 14:07:16 +0000

Boston ACTIVISTS call on LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO

to BOYCOTT ISRAEL

Cambridge, MA, March 20, 2011 – Peace and justice activists came together at Harvard University’s Sanders Theatre today to ask the South African musical performance group Ladysmith Black Mambazo to cancel their June 24th tour date in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Heeding the international call from Palestine for boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) against Israel because of its continued violations of Palestinian human rights, the activists urged Ladysmith to uphold BDS and boycott apartheid wherever it exists. Demonstrators held signs documenting the historical and political connections between apartheid South Africa and apartheid Israel. They also distributed flyers to concertgoers educating about these connections and urging fans to take action by asking Ladysmith to cancel their Israeli tour date.

Ladysmith has already encountered U.S. pressure to cancel its Israel performance in North Carolina, when members of North Carolina BDS demonstrated at the group’s Durham concert and engaged in a long conversation with the group’s manager.

This U.S.-based activism echoes international calls to Ladysmith to cancel its Israel appearance from the Palestinian Campaign for Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) as well as South African organizations like the Coalition of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the African National Congress (ANC).

The campaign appears to be having some impact, as there is increasing uncertainty as to whether or not the concert will take place. Mitch Goldstein, the group’s manager, has stated openly that the show in Tel Aviv is not happening. He conveyed this via email with North Carolina BDS and also allowed himself to be videotaped by them declaring as much.

Goldstein agreed to a similar such video interview with the Boston activists, stating explicitly that on June 24th, Ladysmith will be on a plane headed from London back to South Africa (video forthcoming soon). However, as of March 19th, tickets were still available for sale online through the Tel Aviv Opera House website and it appears as though a good number of them have been sold.

Many artists, performers, and cultural workers have withdrawn from Israeli venues or refused to perform in Israel because of its human rights abuses, including Pete Seeger, Elvis Costello, Jean-Luc Godard, Carlos Santana, Gil Scott-Heron, Roger Waters, and Massive Attack.

The Boston activists were pleased to be part of the larger, international movement calling for BDS against Israel until Israel ends its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantles the wall, recognizes the equal rights of Palestinian citizens, and respects the right of return of Palestinian refugees.

To learn more about the call for BDS: www.bdsmovement.net – site of the global BDS movement;

you can read the call for BDS here: www.pacbi.org – site of the Palestinian campaign for Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel;

usacbi.wordpress.com – site of the U.S. campaign for Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel;

www.endtheoccupation.org – site of the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.

Land Day Demo

bcprigh1 — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 20:34:17 +0000

Land Day 2011 Demonstration: BDS Now!

Wednesday, March 30 | 5:00pm to 6:00pm | Park St. station, Boston

Download the flyer.

Gov. Patrick headed to Israel on “Innovation Economy Mission”

bcprigh1 — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 12:20:22 +0000

Please write or call the Governor and tell him how disturbed you are to hear about this trade mission. You can tell him that strengthening relations with Israel at a time when it is refusing to stop colonizing Palestinian land puts us on the wrong side of world opinion and of history. You might ask him if he would have led a trade delegation to Apartheid South Africa – and tell him that Israel’s Apartheid practices toward Palestinians have been condemned by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and other leaders of South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle. Say you think the interests of Massachusetts – and our country – are best served by respecting the call by Palestinian civil society organizations for boycotts, divestment and sanctions, as nothing else seems likely to stop Israel from its destructive course.

Write: Governor Deval Patrick, Massachusetts State House, Office of the Governor, Room 280, Boston MA 02133. Or you can telephone him at: 617.725.4005.

Click here to read the letter BCPR sent to the Governor.