ELSC Newsletter: July 2024
Published on Thu Aug 01 2024 - modified on Tue Aug 20 2024Dear friend,
In the past month, we’ve fought some crucial battles and secured a number of victories, which we bring to you in this month’s newsletter, along with some useful resources to continue mobilising for Palestine.
VICTORIES
NETHERLANDS: A VICTORY AGAINST ANTI-PALESTINIAN RACISM IN THE WORKPLACE
The Dutch Human Rights Board (College voor de Rechten van de Mens) ruled that software company Speakap discriminated against N. A., an IT specialist from Gaza, when it fired him for condemning Israel’s crimes on LinkedIn. N. A. reached out to the ELSC, and we connected him with lawyer Şeyma Arikan. The Human Rights Board found that Speakap directly discriminated against N. A. based on political affiliation. This decision is an important step towardsholding companies accountable that silence and deploy punitive measures against employees speaking out for Palestine.
BRITAIN UPDATE: KAMNA PATEL RESIGNS FROM UKRI
ELSC proudly supported Dr Kate Sang of Heriot-Watt University, and Kamna Patel of UCL, throughout the UKRI’s shameful suspension and investigation procedure, which was concluded in March 2024.
Last month, in June 2024, Dr Patel resigned as Chair of UKRI’s Expert Advisory Group on equality, diversity and inclusion, taking a firm stance against the UK government’s authoritarian attacks on academic freedom and shameful attempts to silence dissenting voices. She writes:
I’m mindful that in all this what is lost are my original words (misquoted by the Secretary of State), which I said from a deep sense of civic responsibility and rooted in postcolonial scholarship – there is an ongoing genocide and practice of apartheid against Palestinians, a reference to a 76-year project of elimination by the Israeli state, now taking a most deadly turn. Since the Secretary of State’s claim these words constitute “extreme views”, the International Court of Justice concluded genocide of Palestinians in Gaza is a plausible risk, a view supported by renowned scholars of genocide, including Israelis. To this I add, it is emboldened by disgraceful efforts by the UK government to silence all dissent, including those rooted in scholarship and evidence. Over the past few months, we have seen the playbook of lobbing unfounded allegations and stoking an investigation into anybody critical of the Israeli state’s policies as a sufficient action to malign and silence them, irrespective of any evidence underpinning the charge or the outcome of any investigation. It is to this playbook that you have (been) played.
Dr Patel resigned
Together with BRISMES Campaigns and London Region UCU Reps, we put together a toolkit for higher education employees in Britain. If you work at a university in Britain and have questions about your rights, or concerns when advocating for Palestine, this guide will offer some helpful answers!
STUDENTS IN AMSTERDAM GOT THEIR SANCTIONS WITHDRAWN
In February 2024, Amsterdam University College (AUC) imposed sanctions (including suspension and formal warnings) on six students for their involvement in Palestine student protests on campus. The Public Interest Litigation Project (PILP) and ELSC assisted these students with sending objections to the university’s management. AUC has now informed the students that all sanctions have been withdrawn. This is an important move for the broader student movement. Freedom to demonstrate and freedom of expression do not stop at the entrance to the university building!
ONGOING CASES YOU CAN SUPPORT
LLOYDS CASE UPDATE: EMPLOYMENT TRIBUNAL
We are proud to have supported prominent activist Michel Legrand (President of ECCP and treasurer of CPJPO) in his case creating a promising precedent for the freedom of speech of Palestinian rights defenders in Luxembourg.
We are proud to be supporting Afra Sohail and Aunngbeen Khalid, who are now standing their ground at the Employment Tribunal. The hearings will continue until 17 July. Follow us for more updates on the hearings soon
OUR COLLECTIVE PUSH BACK AGAINST THE DEFUNDING OF PALESTINIAN ORGANISATIONS AND THEIR ALLIES
One of our missions at ELSC is to support organisations whose funding is cut or restricted. Together with EuroMed Rights we provide an insight into the European context in a new FAQ published on our website
The defunding of Palestinian organisations is a deliberate tactic to suppress Palestinian voices and shield Israel from accountability for its genocidal onslaught on Gaza and continuous attacks against Palestinian life and land. We at ELSC are committed to monitoring the working of this tactic and supporting defunded Palestinian organisations. If you’ve faced similar issues, contact us elsc.support/intake
BOOKING: MAJOR ORGANISATION TERMINATES ITS BOOKING.COM SPONSOR DEAL
Last month, the COC, the oldest interest group for the LGBTI+ community in the world, has officially terminated its Booking.com sponsor deal, due to Booking.com’s continued profiteering from illegal Israeli settlements.
Your support of our legal action, along with other recent initiatives to raise awareness against Booking.com’s illegal practices, has had a notable impact, and the pressure on Booking.com is mounting. Together we can end the corporate impunity and complicity with Israel’s colonial enterprise
NO MORE WEAPONS FOR GENOCIDE: FURTHER LEGAL ACTION AGAINST GERMANY’S WAR WEAPONS DELIVERIES TO ISRAEL
The Lawyers Collective (Anwält:innenkollektiv) supported by the European Legal Support Center (ELSC), Law for Palestine, Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy (PIPD) and Forensis (Forensic Architecture Berlin) has paved the way for further legal action against Germany’s deliveries of war weapons to Israel. We will now dedicate our resources to prevent Germany from illegally selling weapons to Israel.
Using legal avenues implies huge financial costs for the solidarity movement. Legal fees are unfortunately infamously sky high; we ask you to please consider putting aside whatever amount you’re able to contribute to the steadfast movement’s efforts to hold Germany accountable. Funds raised will be used to cover court and lawyer fees amongst other administrative costs related to how the case progresses.
HELP US BUILD OUR MONITOR DATABASE
All forms of repression that are reported to us helps us in developing our legal and communication strategies to defend the Palestine solidarity movement. Your story is important, we cannot allow these patterns of repression to be normalised. Let’s expose those responsible for our repression and hold them accountable together!
SUPPORT THE LEGAL AID FUND
Setting up a small monthly donation to our legal aid fund can go a long way to ensure ELSC’s stability and security at this critical time where we face an unprecedented all-time-high number of repression cases. We cannot do this alone and we need your help to continue supporting the movement!
As a member of our community of supporters, you will also get early access to ELSC volunteer opportunities and community events and an opportunity to brainstorm with us in the future about how to scale up the ELSC and better serve the Palestine solidarity movement.Click here to join our community of supporters with a monthly contribution!
MORE VICTORIES FOR THE MOVEMENT
MORE AND MORE CITIES CUTTING TIES
Last month, new localities made steps to comply with their obligations to uphold international law. Following the City Council of Bologna, the Legislative Assembly of the Emilia-Romagna Region also voted for the adoption of an ethical procurement policy to exclude contracts with companies involved in violations of human rights and international law. This paves the way to target companies complicit in Israel’s genocidal onslaught on Gaza and its crimes all over Palestine.
The Municipality of Copenhagen cut ties with companies involved in Israeli settlements, including Booking.com, Expedia Group and Airbnb. Mayor Sophie Haestorp Andersen stated: “As a large investor, we have a responsibility for things like human rights. That’s why I don’t think we should invest in companies that have to do with illegal settlements.”
Lasty, the Province of Utrecht decided not to award their profitable contracts to Dutch company EBS Public Transportation. ELSC, among others – including BDS activists – had called on the province to cut such ties because of the involvement of its parent Israeli company (Egged) in serious human rights abuses in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
ELSC IN THE MEDIA
Widespread media coverage on our criminal complaint against Booking.com continues, with a recent piece published by ABC News Australia where our Senior Legal Officer Daan recalls that colonies established in the West Bank are war crimes and that Booking.com is profiting from war crimes by listing accommodations in these settlements: “So our argument is that any money derived from those settlements is also indirectly derived from those war crimes”.
Our Monitor Project Officer for Germany Tobias provided research and commentary on the policing of solidarity with Palestine during the Euros 2024.
One of our Germany lawyers and expert on migration law, Alexander Gorski, talks about the most recent developments in Germany’s racist legislation and their implications with regards to surveillance and attacks on freedom of expression. Read more about it in German here, and here.
Share the related AlarabyTV reportage on X
ELSC EVENTS
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS SESSION AT UNIVERSITY OF MILAN
In June, we held our first ‘Know You Rights’ session in Italy at the university of Milan. Two lawyers from our legal network provided Palestine solidarity activists with advice on how to protect themselves from increasing repression as they continue to mobilise for divestment and an end to complicity with Israel’s most recent genocidal onslaught on Gaza and the ongoing colonisation of Palestine.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS SESSION WITH STUDENTS IN BERLIN
Together with three lawyers from our Solidarity Lawyers Network in Berlin, we organised a Know Your Rights Session with about 40 students mobilising at universities in Berlin. We provided legal advice and strategies to collectively move against the growing repression of student activism in Germany.
COMMUNITY EVENT IN BERLIN
We held our second Berlin Community Event on Saturday, 22nd June, at Haus der Demokratie, to collectively reflect on the current political context and to think through strategic collaborations and needed priorities for the ELSC to effectively support the Palestine solidarity movement in Germany. The event was attended by over 50 activists including student activists, journalists, and movement lawyers.
At our event this year we also presented our unique, extensive Monitoring Database on anti-Palestinian repression across Europe which is soon to be launched. In the past years, our Monitor Team has collected, documented and exposed forms of repression, policies, legislation and case law related to the criminalisation of the Palestine solidarity movement in Europe.
PALESTINE SOLIDARITY ONLINE
Watch our Germany Senior Legal Officer Nadija speak at the United Nations about the intensifying repression against Palestine solidarity in the country and the importance of continued collective mobilisation (12min40):
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Our Senior Legal Officer Kiran and Advocacy & Communications Manager Alice gave a workshop to the “community of practice” of Systemic justice where we presented our work and our vision for Movement lawyering in the context of the Palestinian struggle for liberation
USEFUL RESOURCES
GERMANY: RESOURCES OF SUPPORT AGAINST FINES & TRIALS
If you are facing fines or trials for speaking out and mobilising for Palestine, here are some organisations that you can reach out to for support! Resources include free legal advice, open consultation hours for people experiencing racial profiling and racist police violence, contacts with lawyers in solidarity, trial support or financial aid. You are not alone in this, and we will not let the state repression get us down.
For more recourses of support, get in touch with Palestine at the Forefront: Fighting Repression in Germany
BRITAIN: PROTESTING AT UNIVERSITY? Here’s what you need to know
EXPOSING TIES BETWEEN THE FILM INDUSTRY AND THE ISRAELI STATE & MILITARY
Camera4Palestine, a film industry initiative investigating links between the film industry and the Israeli state, has published a new report, which investigates the international supply routes for Israeli state propaganda. Read More
CALLS FOR APPLICATIONS
Would you like to join our team? We are currently seeking an Advocacy & Communications Officer for the Netherlands. The deadline for applications is 18 July 2024. For more details about the position and how to apply, please follow the link below!
Our comrades at The Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy (PIPD) are seeking an Advocacy & Campaigning officer. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Find out more here
We are proud to be in community with you. As you continue to organise and take action, make sure to visit our Know Your Rights resources and continue to report any form of repression
In solidarity,
