Remember al Nakba 2019

A rally of about 100 people crammed onto footpath at the top of Brisbane Square tonight to commemorate al Nakba, the catastrophe, for Palestine. Organisers were given a permit to use the square however no allownace was made by Brisbane City Council for the market in process at 5pm. Organisers submitted a notice of intention to police. Which is all they are required to do.  Police are meant to communicate this with council. When police were asked about the markets, they gave assurances it was not on and that they had communicated with council. When JFP organisers arrived it was apparent that the markets were still there forcing the orgnisers to conduct the rally on the footpath. One organiser was fined last year for entering the mall.

May 15, 2019 marks the 71st anniversary of the 1948 Nakba, the mass expulsion of Palestinians from their homeland. Between 1947 and 1949, Zionist paramilitaries, and subsequently Israeli forces, made 750,000 to one million indigenous Palestinians into refugees to establish a Jewish majority state in Palestine.

Great March of Return – 305 Palestinians killed, over 17,000 injured in 410 days al Nakba 2018 – 2019

Meanwhile in GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza published statistics, on Wednesday, regarding attacks by Israeli forces against Palestinian protesters during “The Great March of Return” along the eastern borders of the besieged Gaza Strip, between March 30th 2018 and May 14th 2019. The ministry said that 305 Palestinians, including 59 children, 10 women, and one elderly, were killed by Israeli forces, while 17,335 others suffered various injuries.The ministry confirmed that among the injured were 3,565 children, 1,168 women, and 104 elderly.

Speakers from different groups (Greens, Labor for Palestine, Justice for Palestine Brisbane, Students for Palestine) spoke out against the continuing apartheid and genocide by the Israeli state. JFP provided dates, hummus and bread to share before they started off on the march, particularly for our Muslim brothers and sisters.

Phil Monsour highlighted the recent boycott of Eurovision Song Contest 2019 by local community radio 4ZZZ.

Andrew Bartlett, candidate for the Greens in the seat of Brisbane and was one of the board members of 4ZZZ who issued this statement in support of the BDS boycott of Eurovision 2019 in Israel:

“4ZZZ has highlighted Palestinian issues since commencing broadcasting in 1975, and we have decided that covering the Contest as had been done in recent years would be inconsistent with our relationship with Palestinian Australians and others who support the #BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement and its goals of freedom and equality for all Palestine people in the Occupied Territories.

For this reason there will be no 4ZZZ Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) correspondent travelling to Israel nor any coverage of ESC this year on Queer Radio or any specific programs relating to the Contest on Zed Digital.”

Remah, a Palestinian woman, chaired the rally in the crammed and difficult space allocated by the Brisbane City Council near a busy Wednesday market. Police on duty assisted and enabled the silent march of people holding up the names of villages occupied to take place.

Phil Monsour said that 2019 will go down as a watershed year like 1948 and 1967 was for the Palestinians.

Sameer, a Palestinian dancer, emphasized that all the Palestinian want is their democratic and human rights and that they are a peaceful people.

Justice for Palestine Brisbane has been commemorating this event for over 10 years. The rally and march of the 71st anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba says NO to Israel’s ongoing, intensifying Nakba and its war crimes, and demands the right of the Palestinian refugees to return home.

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Ian Curr
15 May 2019