Sid Shniad	5:47 AM (11 hours ago)
to bcc: me

From: brian latour a href="http://us.mc1605.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=latour999@hotmail.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">latour999@hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, Jun 20, 2012 at 1:41 AM
Subject: Manitoba Labour for Palestine

Please spread far and wide

sol,
-Brian

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An open forum for labour and international solidarity activists on labour solidarity with Palestine, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement for Palestinian rights, and how we can advance the movement locally. This event is to be held during the MFL convention, where we will be debating resolutions supporting Palestinian rights and BDS brought forward by CUPW and CUPE 3909

This event is being organized by labour activists in Manitoba who are concerned about the plight of Palestinians living under Israeli apartheid.

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Speakers:

Denis Lemelin is the national president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers

Mark Golden is a professor of Classics at the University of Winnipeg, a longtime labour activist, and a member of Independent Jewish Voices

Brian Latour is a student, labour and international solidarity activist currently studying at the University of Manitoba and serving as a Vice-President at CUPE local 3909

Moderated by Liz Carlyle

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Room 17
1st floor
Convention Centre

4:30 pm
(or at adjournment of convention)
Friday, June 22, 2012

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So, what’s going on in Palestine/Israel?

There's a long history, but fundamentally, the Israeli state is committing the crime of apartheid against the Palestinians - which is illegal under international law. The word “apartheid” is legally defined as "inhumane acts committed for the purpose of establishing and maintaining domination by one racial group of persons over any other racial group of persons and systematically oppressing them" - in this case, Jewish Israelis over Palestinians. These “inhumane acts” include restrictions on freedom of movement, denial of the right to return, and forcible transfer of population, and more—all of which are present in Israel/Palestine. Palestinians living in the West Bank are divided into tiny Bantustans by Israeli roads, checkpoints, walls and settlements (which are in violation of international law) and subject to military occupation. Palestinians with Israeli citizenship have found it to be a second-class citizenship, and those living in Gaza have been subjected to a brutal siege since 2007 and a bloody invasion and assault in 2008-2009.

These crimes range from Israeli-only roads in both Israel and the occupied Palestinian lands, invasive checkpoints splitting Palestine up into hundreds of tiny prisons, and the criminalization within Israel of peaceful opposition to the occupation and apartheid.

What is BDS?

BDS stands for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions. On July 9, 2005, an overwhelming majority of Palestinian civil society called upon international civil society organizations and people of conscience all over the world to impose broad boycotts and implement divestment initiatives against Israel, similar to those applied to South Africa in the apartheid era.

What are the goals of BDS?

According to the 2005 call by Palestinian civil society: Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions are nonviolent punitive measures to be maintained until Israel meets its obligation to recognize the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination and fully complies with the precepts of international law by:

1. Ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dis-mantling the Wall;
2. Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and
3. Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.

These three demands are key to winning peace and justice for all Palestinians, including those living within Israel, within the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and the Palestinian refugees who have been scattered all over the region and the world.

Why should labour activists in Manitoba be involved?

The issue is one of basic human rights and dignity—the occupation of Palestine is widely considered to be the longest-running military occupation in the world, and of the approximately 11 million Palestinians in the world, nearly half are refugees.

As Canadian residents, we also have a unique responsibility to counter the actions of our government. The Canadian government has never historically been seen as sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinians, but the current direction under the Harper Conservatives has led Canada to be seen internationally as the most uncritical and one-sided ally of Israel in the world, even surpassing the United States.
The apartheid system in South Africa was eventually broken in part because of the actions taken in solidarity with black South Africans by people around the world—including labour activists. The BDS movement is a global picket line against apartheid, and as labour activists, we should respect that picket line. In addition, as a highly important component of civil society, labour has a responsibility to speak out against injustice at home and abroad.

How can I get involved?

Support our resolution! CUPW and CUPE 3909 have put forward resolutions in support of the BDS campaign for Palestinian rights, and would appreciate the support of delegates.
Attend our event! We’re planning a discussion at the close of convention on Friday which will be an open forum for anyone interested in building networks of labour activists in solidarity with Palestine (see back of pamphlet)

Get in touch with local Palestinian solidarity organizations!

Other local organizations:
Winnipeg Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid:
http://www.wcaia.ca/ « info@wcaia.ca

Independent Jewish Voices:
http://ijvcanada.org/chapters/winnipeg/ « winnipeg@ijvcanada.org