More than a dozen protests, vigils and other actions were staged on the 10th and after in honor of Jawaher Abu Rahmah and in conjunction with the commemoration in Bilâin. In Brazil several groups organized a lecture and discussion about the struggle of Palestinian women, in Turkey activists from BDS â Istanbul translated a number of texts about Palestine and the popular resistance into Turkish, and in Malta a vigil was organized.
Stop the Wall has also released a fact sheet that revolves around the stories of women working in a variety of capacities against the Wall in their villages.
Great events took place in the following countries:
Bigong, Tigbao, Zamboanga Del Sur, Western Mindanao, Philippines
Leaders and staff of the KASAMMAKA (Organization of Women Farmers from Zamboaga del Sur) representing more than 1000 rural women members gathered together in their Organic Fertilizer Production Center and conducted a Solidarity Program for the Women of Palestine. They were joined by a speaker from the Peace Women Partners and the Stop the War Coalition-Philippines, KASAMMAKAâs partner organizations.
Together they lit candles symbolizing the light of Freedom for Palestine and Palestinian women and children in particular. They sang: âIf we hold on together, our dreams will never dieâ¦there will be peace on earth.â
Porferia B. Carpina, Chairperson of KASAMMAKA, spoke a message of solidarity to the women of Palestine. Porferia and other speakers spoke of how they understood and share the feelings of the Palestinian women as the women of Mindanao also suffer from unresolved conflict and poverty. Together the women sang songs for peace:
âLet there be peace on earth
Let there be peace in Mindanao
Let there be peace in Palestine!â
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Beirut, Lebanon
150 Lebanese activists and organizations held a demonstration on February 11 in front of the UN ESCWA building in Beirut. They handed a statement over to the ESCWA secretary general, El Baker Adam, which called on the âinternational community and on international women organizations to stand for justice for Palestinian women and to condemn Israelâs ongoing illegal and criminal occupation, annexation of the Occupied Palestine Territories (oPt) and crimes against the Palestinian people.â It was signed by dozens of non-profit organizations working in Lebanon with both the Lebanese and Palestinian communities.
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For more photos and the complete statement, click here.
Buenos Aires, Argentina
The Palestinian Federation of Argentina joined the February 10, 2011 global actions in memory of Jawaher Abu Rahmah, mobilizing against Israel’s embassy in Buenos Aires. The embassy was under heavy police guard, and various social organizations attended the event. Federation. Ms. Tilda Rabi read words of struggle, solidarity and strength to support the heroic Palestinian people.
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Montreal, Canada
50 people demonstrated on a freezing night in solidarity with Palestinian women and their struggle. Women from the Tunisian Collective, No One Is Illegal, Gender Equality 2110, Pinay (Philippino), SAWCC (South Asian Women Committee), Femmes Rebelles and Federation des Femmes Quebec gave speeches linking the day of action to other feminist struggles.
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For more photos, click here.
London, Liverpool and Lambeth, United Kingdom
In London, boycott campaigners staged a Valentineâs Day picket outside Ahava. Shop staff quickly called the police and displayed a closed sign thus even further discouraging custom during the time we were there. Many people were attracted to our brightly coloured broken heart-shaped signs that read âAhava: Stop Breaking Palestinian Heartsâ, âSettlements are Heartlessâ, âApartheid is Heartlessâ and âOccupation is Heartlessâ.
The picket not just attracted attention to the boycott of plundered goods that Ahava sells and the crimes that are being perpetrated continuously upon Palestinians by the Israeli government, but also our presence recalled the murder of Jawaher Abu Rahmah in the Palestinian village of Bilâin by the Israeli army of occupation who died on 31 December after succumbing to fatal injuries after inhaling tear gas, fired by the Israeli military during one of the villageâs weekly protests against the apartheid wall and Israelâs illegal occupation of Palestine. [MORE].
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The Liverpool Friends of Palestine’s also paid tribute to Jawaher, and members of the group leafleted in the city centre and laid flowers at the place where the group holds its monthly vigil.
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The Lambeth and Wandsworth branch of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (LWPSC) and the Lambeth branch of UNISON (LU) having been organising fortnightly joint street stalls for over a year in support of the BDS campaign. The stalls take place during the lunch-hour in Brixton high street and have consistently attracted much interest and sympathetic support. On this occasion, they dedicated their action to Jawaher, leafleting and raising awareness about her killing and the struggle in Bilâin.
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Berlin, Germany
The BDS-Group Berlin informed visitors and bystanders at the opening of the Berlin Film Festival with flyers about Jawaher Abu Rahmah.
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Various cities, United States
CODEPINK organized events in several cities in the United States. In Washington, D.C. activists participated in an AHAVA action at a local Bed Bath and Beyond. Check out the video here
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