Activism and BDS Beat 17 February 2012
Campaigners for Palestinian rights are again gearing up for the BDS Global Day of Action, an annual wave of protests, creative actions and media outreach in support of the movement for boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel until it complies with international law.
The BDS National Committee (BNC), the Palestinian civil society coalition that leads the BDS movement, has also called on activists to use the BDS Global Day of Action to mobilise for the World Social Forum Free Palestine, a potentially historic gathering of the international solidarity movement due to take place in Port Alegre, Brazil, in November 2012.
First initiated in the wake of the 2008-09 Gaza massacre, the BDS Global Day of Action takes place each year on March 30 to coincide with Land Day, the anniversary of the 1976 killing by the Israeli army of six Palestinian citizens of Israel involved in popular protest against theft of Palestinian land.
In a call for action released on February 10, the BNC stated:
In the past year we have continued to witness a historic outburst of people power motivated by the desire for justice and freedom from tyranny and corporate greed. There is renewed belief in popular struggles as a means to achieve human emancipation and empowerment. Ordinary people have bravely stood up to the decades-old regimes of the Arab region, overcoming their fears and challenging their longstanding subjugation. Largely inspired by the Arab popular upheavals and earlier, similar uprisings across Latin America, people across the world have vocally “occupied” the centers of corporate exploitation or otherwise mobilized to demand social justice and an end to devastating wars. The ‘Arab Spring’ has given new impetus to the ongoing struggle against imperial hegemony in the global south and a new reach for the alternatives to neoliberalism. The global 99% are further uniting and connecting their struggles for justice, rights and dignity.
In this spirit of shared struggle, we invite Palestine solidarity activists and all those active in social justice and human rights causes worldwide to use this day of action to launch a far reaching mobilization effort towards the upcoming World Social Forum Free Palestine to be held in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in November 2012 and to take action to highlight and develop the key campaigns of our global movement.
The BNC is inviting campaigners to focus on actions in support of long term and strategic initiatives such as existing campaigns and the World Social Forum Free Palestine.
Jointly organised by Palestinian and Brazilian civil society, the WSF Free Palestine is intended to serve as an opportunity for the entirety of the solidarity movement to come together to show its strength and set in place the strategies and actions for the years ahead. The BNC is suggesting that campaigners initiate national mobilisation committees and begin public and media outreach for the WSF Free Palestine on Land Day.
The 2011 BDS Global Day of Action saw 60 actions take place across 21 countries, including flash mobs, demonstrations and the official launch of the international campaign to Stop the Jewish National Fund.
For more information on how to get involved and for ideas for action, check out the BNC call for action.
