CHICAGO
Solidarity with Palestine
By Beth Semmer
Chicago
More than 80 people attended an Eyewitness Palestine meeting
at DePaul University in Chicago on July 11. The meeting,
jointly sponsored by the International Action Center and the
Free Palestine Alliance, featured Richard Becker, West Coast
director of the IAC, and Mahmud Ahmad of the FPA.
Becker, who has traveled extensively in the Middle East over
the past 30 years, was in Palestine from May 17-25 with the
International ANSWER coalition's fact-finding delegation to
Occupied Palestine. He brought a video to the July 11 event
produced from footage the delegation shot in Gaza as well as
Ramallah, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Jenin in the West Bank.
Chicago held the premier showing of this video, entitled
"Palestine Fights for Freedom." It included graphic footage of
the wholesale destruction of homes and buildings by the Israeli
military in these towns. The video also included interviews
with lawyers, teachers, students, activists, healthcare workers
and residents of refugee camps about the human devastation
caused by the recent invasion of the U.S.-backed Israeli forces
into the occupied territories.
Becker reminded the audience that this footage was shot back
in May and did not include any of the most recent
incursions.
Becker stressed that the U.S. government bears the chief
responsibility for allowing the Israelis to carry out their
monstrous blitzkrieg against the Palestinian people. While
noting the tremendous suffering that the people of Palestine
are experiencing, he expressed admiration for their tenacity,
which has given inspiration to the struggles of all oppressed
humanity. Pointing out the number of times the Palestinians had
fought back and endured, Becker expressed confidence that they
would not only survive, but would be victorious.
While in Chicago, Richard Becker was interviewed by Ifti
Nasim, editor of the Weekly Pakistan Express. Pakistan Express
is a national newspaper written in the Urdu language for the
Pakistani community here in the U.S.
Nasim is a widely published poet, writer and activist. He is
the co-founder of Sangat/Chicago, a South Asian
lesbian/bisexual/gay/transgender organization and support
group, and he was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian
Hall of Fame in 1996.
Mahmud Ahmad of the Free Palestine Alliance is also a leader
of the Chicago Coalition Against War and Racism. He spoke about
the movement demanding divestment from Israel that is growing
on campuses across the country.
Ahmad pointed out the similarities between this divestment
campaign and the earlier one waged against the apartheid regime
in South Africa. He drew parallels between the two settler
states and pointed out the historically regressive and
reactionary character of both.
Alderman Atty. Lionel Baptiste of Evanston, Ill., spoke
about the upcoming August 17 Millions for Reparations Rally in
Washington, D.C.
Jihan Diab and Jill Hill--both from Chicago ANSWER--chaired
the meeting.
Reprinted from the Aug. 1, 2002, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyright under a Creative
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