Solidarity

Nations are made up of people. Nations are only as strong as the bonds between the people. Strong social bonds, strong nation; weak social bonds, weak nation. Social bonds have many elements; the most important element is how much people care about each other. If people do not care about each other, if they have a “screw you, I got mine” attitude and are not willing to help others in need, then a nation is ready to topple at the first sign of significant stress. If people have a strong social bond, they will work together during difficult times and solve all problems.

The year 2015, the tenth year of the existence of our movement, has almost come and gone. On the 3rd of October we gathered at the Curries Fountain Stadium to celebrate ten years of struggle. More than four thousand comrades participated in the celebration. We have survived years of serious repression – including arrests, assaults, torture, imprisonment, the destruction of our homes, slander and assassination. In these ten years we have won many victories in the struggle for land and dignity.

As an American, I am terrified of Muslims. And you should be, too.
That’s certainly what the media conveys. Every news source we encounter is debating whether we should trust or distrust “those” Muslims, as if over 2 billion people can be painted by a single brush.

It’s thirty years of consumer orgasm and vocational thinking, educating to push away anything good and deep and critically thought out, those great books and thoughts that distract one from making money, hand over fist, or struggling trying to do something in the social services.

In a recent article, “In the fight against ISIS, is Anonymous the answer?,” CBC makes a bold claim in the opening sentence: “The West wants to put a stop to ISIS.”

 
By Brenda Heard

On 15 November, the New York Times published an article entitled “Beirut, Also the Site of Deadly Attacks, Feels Forgotten.”  It highlights the disparity between the global solidarity expressed for Paris following the deadly 13 November attacks and the lack thereof expressed for Beirut after it too was attacked the day prior.  But the headline suggests a petulant attitude from Lebanese who “feel forgotten,” as though they were a bratty child or a snivelling spouse.

The Cuban people hold a special place in the hearts of the peoples of Africa. The Cuban internationalists have made a contribution to African independence, freedom and justice, unparalleled for its principled and selfless character…Cubans came to our region as doctors, teachers, soldiers, agricultural experts, but never as colonizers. They have shared the same trenches with us in the struggle against colonialism, underdevelopment, and apartheid.

The internet has been called the largest experiment in anarchy. All online interaction seems to reflect this reality, and it is already necessary to respect it if one wishes to thrive online in terms of business or politics. In political terms, the internet drastically elevated the positions of common citizens, “hacktivists”, and even social movements.

My first stop, after living for 22 years in a refugee camp in Gaza, was the city of Seattle, a pleasant, green city, where people drink too much coffee to cope with the long, cold, grey winters. There, for the first time, I stood before an audience outside Palestine, to speak about Palestine.
Here, I learned, too, of the limits imposed on the Palestinian right to speak, of what I could or should not say. Platforms for an impartial Palestinian discourse were extremely narrow to begin with, and when any was available, Palestinians hardly took center stage.