DEFEND GAZA! Presents:
NO to Israeli Aggression Against the Gaza Strip and
Palestinian People! NO Impunity for War Crimes!
Friday, January 2 at 4:00pm
King St & James St, in front of Jackson Square
Rally & Demonstration:
Saturday, January 3 at 12:30pm
Old City Hall, Main St & MacNab St
JOIN US!! Bring banners, flags, noisemakers and a friend!
Sponsored by: the Arab Women's League, the Hamilton Palestine Association, the Canadian Arab Federation, McMaster Muslims for Peace & Justice, and others. We welcome any organizations who would like to add their name as sponsors to t
DEFEND GAZA! strongly condemns the vicious and illegal attacks against the people of Gaza which began on Saturday, December 27 and continue unabated to this day. At last count, over 400 Palestinians were dead and another 2,000 injured. This is an escalation of the Zionist policy of siege and starvation against the Gaza Strip that has for the last year and a half made the area nothing short of an open-air prison. As Gaza's borders remain closed to both people and supplies, tanks have moved in to further tighten the stranglehold so that residents are left trapped without adequate resources, medical or otherwise, to deal with the ravages of war.
DEFEND GAZA!, UN officials and human rights organizations worldwide have condemned the attacks as illegal and the world's people have taken to the streets en mass to oppose these horrendous Israeli crimes. The attacks are a crime against humanity and are in violation of international law. These Zionist actions are a form of collective punishment against the Palestinian people for their refusal to compromise on their international human rights to self-determination and their lands. For defending these rights and continuing to resist the illegal occupation and its endless crimes, Israel has launched this latest brutal aggression against the Palestinian people, and the Gaza Strip in particular. Yet despite the might of the Zionist state, which is backed by the power of the U.S. Empire, Gaza refuses to submit and the Palestinian people will never be defeated!
DEFEND GAZA! also condemns the Canadian government's response, which has been a straightforward lie. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Lawrence Cannon, said "Israel has a clear right to defend itself against the continued rocket attacks by Palestinian militant groups which have deliberately targeted civilians. First and foremost, those rocket attacks must stop." This statement belies the fact that it was Israel which first broke the cease-fire on November 5th by way of an aerial bombing on Palestinian territory and that the Palestinians are responding to the genocidal occupation of their lands. DEFEND GAZA! calls on the Canadian government to uphold the rights of nations to self-defence and self-determination. Both of these rights, enshrined in international law, are continually violated by the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands.
DEFEND GAZA! is an ad-hoc committee which was formed on December 31, 2008 by concerned members of the Hamilton community who came together to condemn the attacks on Gaza and support the sovereign rights of the Palestinian nation. As such, it is mandated to organize events and activities that engage and inform the community on this important issue of concern to all justice-loving people worldwide. We welcome all questions and suggestions while calling on everyone to join our activities and contribute to the work as they see fit. All assistance, big and small, is appreciated.
END THE ATTACK ON GAZA NOW! END THE OCCUPATION NOW! RESISTANCE IS A RIGHT! PALESTINE WILL BE FREE!
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