| UN COMMITTEE: ISRAELI POLICIES TANTAMOUNT TO APARTHEID
| In 2012 the United Nations Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination found Israeli policies "tantamount to Apartheid" ( click here). Prior to that, in November 2011, similar findings were made by the Russell Tribunal in Cape Town ( click here). In 2010, Human Rights Watch published a report titled "Separate and Unequal" which details Israel's discriminatory practices against the indigenous Palestinians ( click here). In 2009, in an study commissioned by the South African government, the SA Human Sciences Research Council also found Israel guilty of practicing apartheid ( click here). For more information on Israel's Apartheid policies click here. | | JOIN US ONLINE BY USING THE IAW PROFILE PICTURE, HASHTAG, ETC.
| Help us spread the word online. Click here for the IAW South Africa FaceBook Page and click here for the IAW South Africa Twitter page. Click here to download the IAW South Africa FaceBook profile picture and click here to download the IAW South Africa FaceBook Cover picture. Click here for the IAW South Africa Twitter profile picture and click here for the IAW South Africa Twitter cover picture. Remember to use the hashtag #IsraeliApartheidWeek and let's start trending! | | DONATE TO THIS YEAR'S ISRAELI APARTHED WEEK
| The Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) campaign is funded by ordinary people like yourselves. Assist us in achieving a sucessful IAW this year by making a (tax-deductible) donation. Donations (for which you can claim a tax deduction) can be made to BDS South Africa, one of the organizers of IAW (BDS Working Group, First National Bank, 62273997943, Rosebank, 253305, Reference: IAW2014). Click here to find out how to make an online donation or for more information. | | JOIN BDS SOUTH AFRICA'S EMAIL MAILING LIST To join BDS South Africa's email mailing list (& receive these newsletters) send a blank email message to alerts@bdssouthafrica.com | | | | JOIN THE 10TH INTERNATIONAL ISRAELI APARTHEID WEEK (10 - 16 MARCH) | Join the 10th international Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) campaign taking place in South Africa between the 10th and 16th of March (click here for dates in other countries). The IAW campaign is organized in South Africa by the IAW South Africa Team and has been endorsed by over 65 organziations across the country (see below for a list of the present IAW endorsers and partners).
IAW is an annual international series of events (including rallies, lectures, cultural performances, music shows, films and workshops) that seek to raise awareness of Israel's apartheid policies against the indigenous Palestinians and garner support for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel campaign which is aimed to bring an end to Israel's apartheid policies and violations of international law.
For South Africans and our liberation, people of the world mobilized in their hundreds of thousands - if not millions - during the 1980s. Across the world people held protests, rallies, concerts, free Nelson Mandela events, lectures, film screenings and a host of other events, actions and campaigns to raise awareness of Apartheid South Africa's racist policies and to build support for the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign against Apartheid South Africa. Today we have an opportunity to "give-back" by joining the growing international movement in solidarity with the indigenous Palestinian people (and their progressive Israeli allies) who are struggling against Israeli Apartheid. Click here for more information on Israeli Apartheid Week taking place in South Africa and see below on how you can get involved. | | 13 WAYS YOU CAN GET INVOLVED IN ISRAELI APARTHEID WEEK (IAW)
| | Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) offers ordinary people around the world an opportunity to partake in an extra-ordinary and truly global campaign. There are IAW representatives responsible for organizing events in most major South African cities, towns and universities. Send us an email (iawsouthafrica@apartheidweek.org) and we can put you in contact with the IAW representative in your city/community/university. If there aren't any IAW representatives in your area then you can get involved by organizing your own IAW event. If you would like to get involved by organizing your own IAW event or action let us know so that we can share with you the IAW Basis of Unity as well as supply necessary materials. Below are some ways that you can actively get involved.
1. SCREEN A PALESTINE MOVIE OR DOCUMENTARY FILM
2. SCREEN "FAIR PLAY" IN SOLIDARITY WITH #WITS11
The South African Union of Students (SAUS) has called on all Students Representative Councils, all student organizations and other community groups to screen, as part of IAW, "FairPlay", in solidarity with the #Wits11 (the 11 Wits University students sentenced for protesting an Israeli-embassy funded concert in 2013). "Fair Play" (click here to watch the trailer) is episode 4 of the 7 part documentary series titled "Have You Heard From Johannesburg" (HYHFJ). The HYHFJ series covers the international boycott against Apartheid South Africa during the 1980s. The HYHFJ series is motivating, inspiring and offers us a glimpse into the actions, protests, boycotts and events held by ordinary students, workers and communities in other countries in support of the South African struggle against Apartheid in the 1980s. Contact us at iawsouthafrica@apartheidweek.org / 0114922414 and we will arrange a copy of "Fair Play" for you.
3. HOST A MUSIC EVENT, POETRY EVENING OR SPORTS DAY
As part of Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) organize a sports day, soccer tournament, music event or poetry evening with local or national artists. Consider inviting a Palestinian poet/artist as well!
4. SPRAYPAINT GRAFFITTI OR PAINT A MURAL
Create a painting/mural/graffiti with "Israeli Apartheid" as the theme. Reach out to local artists, friends, activists, media and community members to get involved. Remember to send us your photos and video footage. Click here for a short YouTube video and click here for photos from previous IAW graffiti.
5. HOST A LECTURE, RALLY, WORKSHOP There are several national and international speakers that we can suggest (and assist in arranging) for you to host who can speak on the issue of Palestine and Israeli Apartheid. We can also arrange for a speaker to conduct a workshop in your area on the issue. In the past, the following people have delivered speeches during Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW): South African struggle icon and close comrade of Nelson Mandela, Ahmed Kathrada (click here); former Rivonia Trialist, Denis Goldberg (click here); South Africa's Deputy Minister in the Presidency and Chairperson of the ANC International Relations Sub-Committee, Obed Bapela (click here); the National Secretary of the YCL, Buti Manamela (click here); the Deputy Secretary General of the ANC, Jessie Duarte (click here); South African cartoonist, Zapiro (click here); social activist, Zackie Achmat (click here); and South African commentator Professor Steven Friedman (click here).
6. PUT UP POSTERS, STICKERS AND CREATE AWARENESS IAW posters, stickers flyers etc. are available online (click here). Download, print, distribute and spread the word. Alternatively, contact us and we can send you copies.
7. FLYER DISTRIBUTION AT YOUR SCHOOL, UNIVERSITY, WORKPLACE, TAXI RANK ETC. Get together with a branch of your organization, a group of friends or colleagues and distribute flyers at a high-traffic area. IAW flyers detailing how Israel is an Apartheid State are available online (click here). Download, print, distribute and spread the word. Alternatively, contact us and we can send you copies.
8. WRITE A POEM, ARTICLE OR SONG FOR YOUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER, CONTACT YOUR LOCAL RADIO STATION, WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR – RAISE AWARENESS IN THE MEDIA! For IAW you can write an article or letter on the topic of Israeli Apartheid for a local newspaper, magazine or other publication. Alternatively contact your local radio station/tv station and request a discussion on Israel and Palestine. Write and publish your own poem, song etc.
9. HAVE YOUR CHURCH, MOSQUE, SYNAGOGUE OR TEMPLE PARTICIPATE Arrange for the topic of your Church's Sunday Service (16 March) to be on the plight of the Palestinian Christians and for your Mosque's Friday Prayers (14 March) to be on Israeli Apartheid Week and the Palestinian struggle. Last year the South African Council of Churches called on all member churches to devote their Sunday Service during IAW to the topic of Palestine (click here). Whilst the MJC and Jamiatul Ulama called on all mosques to dedicate Friday sermons to IAW.
10.ORGANIZE A BDS PROTEST Arrange a protest against a store or company that stock Israeli products such as Ahava Cosmetics (in Stuttafords, Truworths, Foschini etc.), SodaStream (in Makro, Shoprite, PicknPay etc.), Israeli Fresh Produce (in Woolworths etc.), Israeli Dead Sea products (in shopping malls) or against G4S Security that provides equipment & maintains Israeli prisons. BDS South Africa has called for a national day of action on Saturday the 15th of March during IAW against stores stocking SodaStream, further details will be made available shortly.
11.BE CREATIVE
12. ASSIST US FINANCIALLY
Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) is funded solely by ordinary people like yourselves. Assist us in achieving a successful IAW this year by making a (tax-deductible) donation. Donations (for which you can claim a tax deduction) can be made to BDS South Africa, one of the organizers of IAW (BDS Working Group, First National Bank, 62273997943, Rosebank, 253305, Reference: IAW2014). Click here to find out how to make an online donation or for more information.
13. JOIN US ONLINE Help us spread the word online. Click here for the IAW South Africa FaceBook Page and click here for the IAW South Africa Twitter page. Click here to download the IAW South Africa FaceBook profile picture and click here to download the IAW South Africa FaceBook Cover picture. Click here for the IAW South Africa Twitter profile picture and click here for the IAW South Africa Twitter cover picture. Remember to use the hashtag #IsraeliApartheidWeek and let's start trending!
14. ENDORSE Have your organization, SRC or trade union to endorse this year's Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) campaign, simply send an email message to iawsouthafrica@apartheidweek.org and we will share with you the IAW Basis of Unity. You will then be listed with the over 65 South African organizations that have already endorsed IAW (see below).
| | ENDORSE THIS YEAR'S ISRAELI APRTHEID WEEK (IAW) CAMPAIGN
| THE FOLLOWING SOUTH AFRICAN ORGANIZATIONS HAVE ALREADY ENDORSED IAW: African National Congress Women's League (ANC WL), African National Congress Youth League (ANC YL), Ahlul Bayt Centre of South Africa, Amandla!, Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel in South Africa (BDS South Africa), Caring Women's Forum (CWF), Centre for Civil Society (CCS), Chemical Energy Paper Printing Wood and Allied Workers Union (CEPPWAWU), Coalition for a Free Palestine (CFP), Communication Workers Union (CWU), Congress of South African Students (COSAS), Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA), Embassy of Palestine in South Africa, Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU), Friends of Cuba (FOCUS), Jamiatul Ulama of South Africa, Kairos Southern Africa, Media Review Network (MRN), Mkhonto WeSizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA), Muslim Judicial Council (MJC), Muslim Professional Network (MPN), Muslim Womens Forum (MWF), Muslim Youth Movement (MYM), National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (NEHAWU), National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), Open Shuhada Street (OSS), Palestine Solidarity Alliance (PSA PE), Palestine Solidarity Alliance (PSA), Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), PalS, People Against Suffering Oppression and Poverty (PASSOP), Pietermaritzburg For Palestine, (PMB4PALESTINE), Police and Prison Civil Right Union (POPCRU), Rhodes University Palestine Solidarity Forum (Rhodes PSF), Runners For The Freedom of Palestine, South African Artists Against Apartheid (SAAAA), South African Communist Party (SACP), South African Council of Churches (SACC), South African Council of Churches Youth Forum (SACCYF), South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU), South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU), South African National Defence Union (SANDU), South African Students Congress (SASCO), South African Union of Students (SAUS), Stellenbosch Palestine Solidarity Committee, StopTheJNF, Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN), Union of Muslim Students Association (MSA), University of Cape Town Palestine Solidarity (UCT PSF), University of Johannesburg Palestine Solidarity Forum (UJ PSF), University of Western Cape Palestine Solidarity Alliance (UWC PSA), Wits University Palestine Solidarity Forum (Wits PSC), Wits University Writing Centre, Workers World Media Productions (WWMP), World Federation of Trade Union (WFTU), Young Communist League of South Africa (YCL), Zaytoun South Africa. If you would like for your organization, SRC, trade union etc. to endorse this year's Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) campaign, send an email message to iawsouthafrica@apartheidweek.org / 0114922414. You will be listed with the over 65 South African organizations that have already endorsed IAW. | | |
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