Protests, hunger strikes in Palestine and Bahrain

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SOCIALIST ACTION APRIL 2012 3 Every year on March 30, Palestinians and supporters rally to commemorate Land Day, the anniversary of the 1976 ral­ lies inside the 1948 borders of Palestine in which the Zionist authorities gunned down six protesters fighting to save their land from ethnic cleansing. This year the demonstrations were coupled with a “Global March to Jerusalem,” a worldwide effort aiming to draw attention to the deepening ethnic cleansing in that city.

Marchers gathered in many locations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and in ’48 Palestine. Two young Palestinian protest­ ers were executed in Gaza, and hundreds injured there and at other rally sights.

In addition, there were solidarity dem­ onstrations around the world organized by Global March, which also sent contin­ gents from other continents to countries bordering Israel. The GMJ was intended to be evocative of the spirit of last year’s “Marches for Return,” in which Palestin­ ians marched right up to the borders de­ manding to be allowed back to their land (and in which dozens were gunned down in cold blood by Zionist soldiers). In the end the GMJ rallies mostly stopped well short of the borders.

These protests occurred two weeks af­ ter several days of attacks by Israel on Gaza had left at least two dozen dead, at­ tacks which began with the assassination of two resistance leaders.

Meanwhile, throughout March activ­ ists around the world were publicizing the hunger strike of Palestinian political prisoner Hana Shalabi. As we go to press there is news that she ended the hunger strike after 43 days when Israel agreed to free her from administrative detention— the cause of her protest—and to deport her to Gaza. Addameer, the Palestinian political prisoner rights group, pointed out that Gaza has inadequate medical fa­ cilities to handle her now severely weak­ ened body, and that in any case, her home is in the West Bank.

Supporters also noted that, as in the recent case of Khader Adnan, who ended his hunger strike after 66 days, Shalabi was released from administrative deten­ tion without any charges ever being filed against her and no evidence being offered of the alleged “terrorist” actions that she was supposedly jailed to prevent. This proves once again that administrative detention is simply a tool to intimidate political activists (a point made during protests against the Obama-approved in­ definite detention bill recently passed in the U.S.).

Of particular note in the movement in solidarity with these hunger strikers have been statements from families of the martyrs of the H-Block hunger strik­ ers in Ireland.

Meanwhile, at the end of March, Am­ nesty International issued a strong state­ ment demanding the immediate release of jailed Bahraini human rights activ­ ist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who began a hunger strike on Feb. 8. Al-Khawaja is protesting the life sentence he received in June for allegedly plotting against the state. The sentence in fact was meted out by the regime, a key U.S. ally in the region, simply for his exposure of human rights abuses in the context of a growing move­ (continued on page 11, in “Shakespeare on war & rebellion”)

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way in Black Agenda Report, in a report titled: “An rael.” He wrote: “A renewed antiwar movement is under construction, one that breaks decisively from the Cult of Obama, demands an end to all U.S. aid to the Israeli ‘apartheid regime,’ and calls for ‘immediate, total and stan, and the immediate closing of all U.S. bases in those minating in a march to a local mosque. This was the first time that an alliance was forged between antiwar alition was organized and a new civil liberties group, the National Coalition to Protect Civil Freedoms, was war movement was considered half dead. We, in UNAC, believe that, along with other types of actions, periodic, ing a powerful and inclusive movement. Mass actions bring new people into political action, demonstrate our power, and give heart to people around the globe that there is a movement demanding change in the United 10, 2011. Some 13,000 people marched last year in New York and San Francisco, and for the first time, there was the largest and most visible coalition in the country. We the profit-making demands of the 1%. We are proud Photos this page: Tony Savino / Socialist Action countries.’”

States. Anti-War Movement That Won’t Cave to Obama or Is­ unconditional withdrawal of all U.S. troops, mercenar­ ies and contractors from Afghanistan, Iraq and Paki­ A highlight of the conference was a focus on Islamo­ phobia and the targeting of Muslims and Arabs—cul­ and Muslim activists. From that, the Muslim Peace Co­ formed—and leaders and members of those organiza­ tions are here with us today.

Before the conference, there had not been national mass actions for a long period, and as a result, the anti­ visible, mass actions in the streets are critical to build­ We called for bicoastal demonstrations on April 9 and