This yearâs Week Against the Apartheid Wall came against the backdrop of another round of peace talks doomed to failure, where once again the negotiators give the Israeli Occupation a free hand in dictating terms which would allow it to sustain its racist and illegal practices.
Whilst international Government officials continue endless dialogue which ignores the basic rights of Palestinians, alternative media agencies and activists across the globe came together in a series of actions aimed at reminding the world that there can be no peace without justice, that there can be no effective dialogue whilst Walls are built and de facto ghettoes created which aim to stifle the Palestinian struggle against illegal occupation. The Palestinian popular resistance and civil society around the world will not be silenced â they will continue to take public actions which tell the truth about Israelâs colonialist project.
This has been effectively demonstrated in the 8th Week Against the Apartheid Wall, and in particular the Anti-Apartheid Media Marathon, where dozens of media agencies from Brazil to Italy, from Jerusalem to Australia, published reports, uploaded video footage and broadcast radio segments on the Wall, BDS and the Palestinian struggle. Over 25 media outlets and networks took part in the media marathon, whilst on the streets of cities and towns in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Australia and South Africa activists, student solidarity groups and civil society organisations took part in innovative actions such as flash mobs, protests outside shops selling Israeli settlement produce, film screenings and lively debates. This year also saw the launch of It is Apartheid TV, a joint initiative between Stop the Wall Campaign and ItIsApartheid.org for an online video contest of short films about the Wall and occupation, encouraging media groups and activists alike to vote for the best piece. See ItisApartheid for more information.
We would like to thank everyone who worked so hard in making the Week Against the Apartheid Wall and the media marathon a success. These include alternative media groups such as Ciranda â a vital partner in this initiative who uploaded media pieces on the Wall and apartheid every 2 hours during the media marathon â the web designers behind our new media marathon site, and activist groups who provided us with up to date information, photos and footage of their activities during the Week. We hope next year will be an even bigger success and the anti-apartheid message spreads far and wide!
More information about specific media coverage and actions around the world can be found at https://stopthewall.org/worldwideactivism/2405.shtml and on the Anti-Apartheid Media Marathon Site MediaMarathon.