[2582] in peace2
Protest Sunday, b/c No One Should Celebrate Genocide!
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Aimee L Smith)
Fri Jun 13 13:38:06 2003
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To: alsmith@mit.edu
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Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 13:37:18 -0400
From: Aimee L Smith <alsmith@MIT.EDU>
Be with us. We will not be silenced, we must not be silent!
In hope,
Aimee
**** please forward widely ****
DEFEND PALESTINE!
Protest the "Boston Celebrates Israel" Festival
Sunday, June 15
Gather at 11 AM - Old Northern Ave. Bridge, Boston
(Atlantic Ave. between Rowe's Wharf and South Station, by the James Hook
Lobster Co.)for a March to the World Trade Center
www.onepalestine.org
BE WITH US THIS JUNE 15th,2003
BOSTON WORLD TRADE CENTER WELCOMES ISRAELIS, FORBIDS PALESTINIANS
Some months ago the New England Committee to Defend Palestine began planning
for a protest against the so-called "Boston Celebrates Israel Day of
Independence", to take place at the Boston World Trade Center Sunday, June 15.
In our planning, we never imagined that the management of the Boston World
Trade Center would deny us a permit to assemble -- one of our constitutional
rights -- on the sidewalks of the World Trade Center. This has in fact
happened. The reason for the denial: the sidewalks are "private property" and
two other organizations besides the New England Committee to Defend Palestine
have already been given all the available space on them for their
"demonstrations."
The two other organizations: "Israel Land Saviors" and "Israel Action
Committee."
Background.
When we learned about this event taking place at the World Trade Center, we
decided to rent a hall from the World Trade Center in order to ensure a
balanced cultural, political, and national presentation of Palestine. In other
words, we wanted to counter the Zionists' efforts with a "Boston Celebrates
Palestine Day", we wanted to provide educational material, and we did not want
to do it in the street. So, we spoke with the sales department of the Seaport
Hotel, which agreed to rent the hall to us for four hours at a cost of $3,500.
We reserved the hall with a deposit. Soon after, however the Management
informed us that the hall had suddenly become unavailable.
We then decided to have a street protest outside the World Trade Center. We
submitted a permit request to the city of Boston for a march and rally. Boston
approved the permit to within their jurisdiction, which ends a block before
the World Trade Center. But we still needed the approval of the Massport
Authority to assemble in front of the World Trade Center. Massport requested a
meeting with us and City Councilor Chuck Turner. Representatives of the Boston
Police and its legal department, the State Police, the City Superintendent,
and the Director of the World Trade Center property were present at the
meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to decide on the logistics of our
protest for June 15. We came to an agreement acceptable to all parties.
On Thursday, June 12, the New England Committee held a press conference about
its upcoming protest. We held it in front of the World Trade Center at 10:30
AM. Local media, such as Fox, the Herald, and Univision were there. In the
middle of the press conference, the security personnel of the World Trade
Center, the Port Authority Police, and at least a dozen plainclothes police
surrounded our group of six and demanded that we leave the area at once. The
press conference was forced to a halt. The police provided no reason, except
to say that the sidewalk in front of the World Trade Center is private
property.
Thursday afternoon we received a phone call informing us that the management
of the World Trade Center would not allow the New England Committee to Defend
Palestine to be on either their private sidewalks, or the narrow aisle of
public sidewalk between "their" sidewalk and the street, because other
"demonstrators" -- namely, the Israeli Groups -- had secured permits to be on
those.
All of this leaves us with the conclusion that the Boston World Trade Center,
and Massport, have taken a political position in favor of Israel and opposed
to Palestine and supporters of Palestine. An increasing number of people, many
of whom will attend this demonstration in support of Palestine, see Israel as
a state built on outright theft of the land of an indigenous people. We have
been deprived of our legal rights of freedom of expression and assembly.
Thanks to the efforts of the City Councilor Chuck Turner, and City Director of
Transportation Richard Loring, and the Boston Police, who provided us with the
needed permits, we will be able to protest up to the line the Trade Center has
declared private property. We have all the more reason now to confront the
Zionist "Boston Celebrates Israel" event on Sunday to remind Boston and the
world that for Palestinians a celebration of the state of Israel is a
celebration of racism, ethnic cleansing, and injustice. Gathering will be at
the Northern Avenue Bridge at 11 AM Sunday.
Amer Jubran
New England Committee to Defend Palestine
www.onepalestine.org
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