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Just Peace / QLD
Peace Network March 2009 e-Bulletin
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Dear Friends,
Welcome to the
March edition of the Just Peace e-Bulletin.
The main Just Peace event for this month will
be the public seminar presented by Professor Jeff
Halper, Coordinator of the Israeli Committee Against
House Demolitions (ICAHD), an Israeli
peace and human rights organisation that resists
the Israeli Occupation on the ground. Professor
Halper is also a Nobel Peace Prize nominee (2006).
The Brisbane leg of his Australian speaking tour
is being sponsored by Just Peace and
Labor 4A Just Palestine. Details are below.
The bi-annual Talisman Sabre military exercises
will also be happening again this year at Shoalwater
Bay, via Rockhampton. The dates for the 2009 Peace
Convergence to protest against the use of Queensland
as a venue for these war games, as well as the
environmental destruction they cause, have been
confirmed for the 3–26 July. Some details
of confirmed events are listed but more details
will follow in future e-Bulletins, as more events
are added.
Also, don’t forget the annual Palm Sunday
rally and peace march will be on again on 6 April.
Yours in peace,
Annette Brownlie and Stephanie Campion
e-Bulletin enquiries:
Stephanie Campion, e-Bulletin
Editor, Just Peace Queensland stephanie@ansteadhouse.com
All other enquiries:
Annette Brownlie, Convener, Just Peace
Queensland
annettebrownlie@optusnet.com.au
Note: Although
we do our best to ensure that all dates and times
provided for the events listed in the Just
Peace e-Bulletin are accurate, it is always advisable
to contact the event’s organisers to confirm
details before attending.
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| Public seminar forum - Professor Jeff Halper |
'A
Rights-Based Approach to the Israel-Palestine
Conflict: The Best Prospect for Peace'
Speaker:
Jeff Halper - Professor
of Anthropology and Coordinator of the Israeli
Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD).
Professor Halper’s academic
work focuses on the history of Jerusalem in
the modern era, contemporary Israeli culture,
nationalism and the Middle East conflict.
He is the author of Obstacles to Peace,
a resource manual of articles and maps on
the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, published
by ICAHD. His new book, An Israeli in Palestine,
on his work against the Occupation, is published
by Pluto Press.
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Hosted by: Evan Moorehead MP, State Member for
Waterford. Click here for flyer
| Date: |
Monday 16 March |
| Time: |
6pm – 8pm |
| Where: |
Undumbi Room, Level 5,
Queensland Parliament House
(entry via Parliamentary Annexe) |
RSVP: Waterford@parliament.qld.gov.au or 3200 3477
Organised
by Just Peace Queensland and Labor 4A Just
Palestine. For further information,
contact: Annette
0431 597 256 or David 0413 874 008
Click here to find out more about ‘Break the Siege’
campaign.
Click here to read Professor Halper’s blog
at Tikkun, a Jewish-based Interfaith
on-line magazine.
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Palm Sunday peace rally and march |
The
theme for the 2009 Palm Sunday peace rally
will be:
A Nuclear Free
Queensland – Australia – Pacific
– the World. We can do that!
The event will include speakers, music, songs,
satire and street theatre. Refreshments will
also be served. All are welcome.
| Date: |
Sunday 5 April |
| Time: |
1 pm |
| Where: |
Queens Park, cnr George
and Elizabeth Sts, Brisbane |
For
further information, contact: Joan 3855 9497 jshears@powerup.com.au |
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1. Gaza Aid Convoy
In
our February e-Bulletin, we reported on the Gaza
Aid Convoy that was to leave London on Valentine’s
Day, 14 February. The convoy is now on track and
is scheduled to arrive in Gaza on 8 March.
The convoy was organised by British MP George
Galloway and the organisation Viva Palestine in
response to the refusal by the BBC and other British
TV networks to broadcast an appeal to help the
people of Gaza.
According to a Viva Palestine spokesperson, the
response by the British public had been ‘overwhelming’.
In Australia, the organisations Australians for
Palestine and Women for Palestine sponsored volunteer
Kamahl Mashni (pictured with George Galloway), who drove the British fire truck
leading the convoy.
Click here
to view photo gallery of Kamahl and the convoy at Australians for Palestine website.
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2.
Avaaz campaign – Help Obama help Gaza
[This campaign was highlighted in our last e-Bulletin. We are repeating it this month because the objectivity of the US media is crucial to a just solution to the Middle East conflict. - Ed.]
Avaaz.org, an
independent, not-for-profit global campaigning
organisation, is raising funds to assist a small
number of experts and former journalists to
engage top US media decision-makers on this
issue - providing facts, information and opportunities
to hear sensible voices for peace from both
Palestinians and Israelis.
‘Barack Obama brings new hope for
peace in the Middle East. But no US president
can become a fair mediator while the US media
remains strongly biased on this conflict …
Only 4% of related US media stories even mention
that Palestinians are under military occupation,
and less than 25% of Americans say they can
sympathize with both sides. Given domestic pressure,
even Obama will find it difficult to be fair.’
– Avaaz.org
A donation campaign is being run at the
Avaaz.org website. If you would like to donate
and/or sign the petition on Gaza, click here.
Click here
to view an award-winning video made by Avaaz,
which is being used to encourage a more balanced
understanding of the Middle East.
3. QUT students:
Palestinian Solidarity Week
Students involved with
Justice for Palestine and the Queensland University
of Technology Student Guild will hold a Palestinian Solidarity Week at QUT Kelvin Grove
for the week starting Monday 30 March, the date
of Palestinian
Land Day
All those
interested in attending or with any ideas for
activities, contact:
Jessica on 0430375326 or jessicapayne86@hotmail.com
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| Seminar
- Recession and migration |
The Ethnic
Communities Council of Queensland invites
members of the public to a seminar discussion by
Professor John Quiggan.
Speaker:
John Quiggin, Australian
Research Council Federation Fellow in Economics
& Political Science at the University of Queensland
and prominent research economist and commentator
on Australian economic policy
Synopsis:
How will recession,
the global financial meltdown, affect you, your
family, your organisation, your clients, your programs?
How will it affect migration? How will it affect
migrants? Most of us don’t have the answers.
Listen to our politicians? Any clearer? And are
we getting facts or propaganda?
| Date: |
18 March |
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Time: |
7pm |
| Where: |
Gumbaya Room, ECCQ House, 253
Boundary St, West End |
Seating is limited
and we will be providing light refreshments so please
RSVP to: 3844
9166 or administration@eccq.com.au
Click here for flyer.
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| Queensland
Elections – new social justice policies website |
The Queensland
Council of Social Services (QCOSS) has established
a website to enable the public to keep informed
about policy proposals of the candidates and
major parties for the upcoming Queensland election
(21 March).
The site allows the public to directly contact
their local candidates to ask them how they
intend to make Queensland a stronger and fairer
State.
To find
out more, go to: Queensland
Council of Social Services
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| Human
rights community consultation |
The
Federal Government is sponsoring a community
consultation on the protection and promotion
of human rights in Australia.
The Brisbane
community round tables for this consultation
will be held at the Brisbane Convention and
Exhibition Centre. Two sessions are offered
(see information times below).
Click here
for more information, or to register for one
of the round tables.
| Date: |
Monday, 23 March |
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Time: |
Round table 1 - 12.00–2.00pm
Round table 2 - 6.00–8.00pm |
| Where: |
Brisbane Convention and Exhibition
Centre, Southbank |
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| Iraqi
Festival |
The
Romero Centre and the Queensland’s Iraqi
Community will hold a festival to highlight
the food, music, art, dance, culture and clothing
of Iraq.
The organisers are also calling for volunteers
to help on the day.
| Date: |
Saturday, 4 April |
| Time: |
10am–4pm |
| Where: |
Marymac Hall, 616 Ipswich
Rd, Annerley |
Click here for flyer.
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For more
information, contact:
Kathi McCulloch,
Coordinator, Romero Centre, 3846-3250, 0407
578 682 OR email: coordinator@romerocentre.org.au
Supported by the Queensland
and Australian governments.
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| Peace
Convergence 2009 |
The bi-annual
Talisman Sabre military exercises will be
happening again this year at Shoalwater Bay,
via Rockhampton. The dates for the 2009 Peace
Convergence to protest against the use of
Queensland as a venue for these war games,
as well as the environmental destruction they
cause, have been confirmed for the 3–26
July.
These are some confirmed events for the Peace
Convergence to protest the Talisman
Sabre exercises. More information
to come (and please plan your own):
1. Committed
to Change Festival, Byfield, 3-5 July
Come and be inspired by music, speakers, workshops
– all in the beautiful wilderness area
of Byfield. Visit the C2C website: http://www.committed2change.org/
2. Independent
Actions, 6-10 July
Individuals and groups are invited to nonviolently
protest and resist the Talisman Sabre military
training exercises as they begin at Shoalwater
Bay and around Australia.
3. Public Meeting,
Yeppoon, 10 July
Speakers include:
Judith Leblanc - American Indian
Organising Co-ordinator for US peace group
United
for Peace and Justice
Professor Jake Lynch - Head of the
Centre
for Peace and Conflict Studies at Sydney
University:
4. Peace March
& Concert, Yeppoon - 11 July
5. Action @
Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area, 12
July
6. Independent
Actions, 13–26 July
For more
information, contact: info@peaceconvergence.com
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