We’re learning to recognise our privileges, flaws and responsibilities. We stand in solidarity with those who fight against systemic oppression. We are researching ways to create and amplify more diversity in our community, structurally, and use our position in a more substantial and helpful manner, structurally. In doing so, we would like to use our platform to shine some extra light on a handful of initiatives doing this already.
Please consider signing petitions, donating and making use of resources to educate yourself and others via the links below. Thanks to all creating and running these initiatives.
As Students for Palestine state: “As international attention is focusing on the ‘unrests’ in Jerusalem, it is important to remember that there never was any ‘rest’ for Palestinians. Join us in protest to clarify to the world that THIS IS NOT A CONFLICT – it’s an anti-colonial struggle against an Apartheid State.” There are several demonstrations you can join. We’re listing some below.
15th of May: 14.00 – Hofplein, Den Haag
16th of May: 14.00 – Dam, Amsterdam
16th of May: 14.00 – Grote Markt, Groningen
16th of May: 13.00 – Centrum, Nijmegen
16th of May: 14.30 – Stadhuisplein, Eindhoven
Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) is a non-profit organization providing meals for children in the Middle East and supporting community projects all over the world to give children in need from the Middle Eastern region a better future. Currently MECA has called for a Palestine Emergency after many attacks by Israel trying to evict Palestinians from their homes in East-Jerusalem. By donating to MECA you can help provide food for Palestinian families and refugees. You can do so here.
With this document you can send a letter to your political party about the happenings in Sheikh Jarrah and show your solidarity with Palestine. In the link below there is a list of e-mail addresses of chairmen and members of the parliament and an e-mail template (in Dutch) you can use to send an e-mail to your political party.
After a national strike erupted in Colombia against a pandemic-related tax reform (that would raise the price of basic foods and widen the tax base to include more middle-class workers) that was answered with police aggresions and state violence. All while “A growing number of Colombians, 42.5% of them to be exact, are living in poverty after 14 months of the COVID-19 pandemic; 16.8% of Colombians have also been unemployed as of March.” NGO Temblores has registered 1708 cases of police violence, 37 deaths, 831 arbitrary detentions, and 10 sexual assaults.
Support from abroad can make a big difference. Find more info on what’s happening in Colombia here. Donate here to get food and protective equipment to demonstrators.
The firm Hadiklaim is mentioned on the blacklist of the UN for their involvement in the violation of human rights in the by apartheid Israels occupied regions of Palestine. They’ve contributed to the illegal settlements, theft and exploitations of Palestinian grounds, especially in the Jordan valley – one of the more fertile areas in the occupied west bank of the river Jordan. The olive, a traditional product of the region, has been wiped out and replaced by dates. These dates are transported all over the world and put money in the pockets of colonial settlers and the Israeli tax system.
In the Netherlands this firm can, of course, do what it wants and is offering a lot of dates under different names in our supermarkets. Examples of these brands are: Jordan River and King Solomon. Remarkable here is the fact that Hadiklaim is not openly linked to the these products and is not as transparent about the origin of the product as one would wish. By collaborating with the dutch company Palmfruits BV they manage to get a code on the packaging starting with 871, indicating that the product is Dutch. By all means: do eat dates, they are delicious but take the time to find out who’s pockets you fill with your purchase.
Can’t wrap your head around the situation in Palestine? Joris Luyendijk wrote a book giving a new perspective on this and other matters. Dutch designer studio Ruiter Jansen used a passage of the book to create the following image.