Several nongovernmental organizations and student societies in the United Kingdom are set to launch the Antiapartheid week in order to protest the Israeli apartheid policies on Monday February 11, 2008. Nearly 30 universities in several UK cities will participate in the event which comes in coherence with similar campaigns in South Africa, the USA, Canada, Mexico and Palestine.Dr. Arafat Madi, the executive director of the Al Awda Palestinian Center, stated that this campaign aims at increasing the public awareness on the racist policies practiced by Israel against the Palestinians and to garner international support for boycotting Israel.
The Al Awda (Return) Center in one of the main centers that organized this activity.
Dr. Madi added that this campaign will witness the participation of several academics, historians, and human rights activists. Several documentaries about Palestine will be presentenced as well as music and theatre shows .
Nonviolent protests will also be carried out as part of the campaign.
Dr. Hafith Al Karmi, head of the Palestinian Forum in Britain, stated that the campaign aims at “highlighting the racism practiced by Israel against the Arab residents, demanding an end to the occupation in Palestine and occupied Arab lands, and protecting the rights of the Palestinian refugee who were forced out of their lands”.
The significance of this activity is that it will be conducted in 30 universities in cooperation of the Palestinian Forum in Britain, several solidarity groups, several Student Senates and the Union of Islamic Student Organizations in the UK and Ireland.
Dr. Madi said that the peoples of this world must practice pressure on decision makers in order to isolate the racist regime in Israel especially after the international community failed in protecting the Palestinian civilians and their rights and failed to hold Israel responsible for its crimes and violations to the international law.
The campaign comes as the Palestinians marks the sixtieth anniversary of the Nakba and as the residents in the Gaza Strip are living under unjust and strict siege while patients are dying to the lack of medicine and the hospitals ran out of supplies.
“Israel is cutting the power supply going to Gaza, it barring the entry of medial and food supplies” Madi stated “these violations, including the shelling and siege, are war crimes and crimes against humanity, the international community and the UN must punish Israel for its war crimes and must outlaw it as a state which practices war crimes”.
more infor about the activties in the link below
