October Updates on the Defence of Palestine Solidarity in Europe
Published on Tue Oct 29 2024 - modified on Wed Oct 30 2024Dear Friend,
In the past month, we’ve fought some crucial battles and secured a number of legal victories, which we bring to you in this month’s newsletter, along with some useful resources to continue mobilising for Palestine.
CASE UPDATES
We are suing the Dutch state for failing to prevent genocide in Gaza
On 10th October, we announced that we, together with a coalition of Palestinian and Dutch civil society organisations, are suing the Dutch state for failing to prevent genocide in Gaza and other Israeli violations of international law long before October 2023.
We are calling on supporters like you to join us in this fight for justice. Your donation, no matter how small, will make a difference in supporting our efforts to hold the Dutch state accountable for violating its Genocide Convention obligations and for failing to take effective measures to bring an end to Dutch trade and investment relations that help maintain Israel’s ongoing colonisation of Palestinian land.
LEGAL VICTORY for Dr. Shahd Abusalama
Palestinian academic, activist, and artist Dr Shahd Abusalama has secured a major settlement against Sheffield Hallam University (SHU), which suspended and investigated her! After Zionist lobby groups led a smear campaign against her.
Shahd’s victory stands as a powerful testament against the unjust repression of advocates for Palestine in Europe initiated by our institutions. Liana Wood represented Dr. Abusalama at Leigh Day, who instructed Michael Sprack. The European Legal Support Center also supported her.
Solidarity Demonstrations and Legal Support for the Palestine Solidarity Movement in Italy
On October 5th, demonstrations in solidarity with the Palestinian and Lebanese people were held across Europe. However, Italy stood out as the only country where the national demonstration organised by the Palestinian Youth Movement was banned by the government. Police carried out several arrests, issued travel warrants, and conducted searches. Dozens of buses en route to the demonstration were stopped, preventing many from attending.
At the demonstration site, the situation was no less tense. The area was heavily fortified by police, who restricted access to the square and subjected the majority of attendees to intense scrutiny. Despite these attempts to suppress the protest, more than 10,000 people gathered in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
At ELSC, we have been closely monitoring the situation and providing legal assistance. We remain committed to ensuring the protection of the Palestine Solidarity Movement and will continue our efforts in this regard. We also encourage everyone to consult our “Know Your Rights” toolkit, which offers crucial advice for those participating in street demonstrations and beyond.
#BlockTheBoat: MV Kathrin
In collaboration with BDS, we worked on delaying the arrival of military explosives to Israel through the Kathrin ship. We have sent letters to different governments including Portugal, Malta, Montenegro, Slovenia, and Croatia to remind them of their international and domestic legal obligations to not aid the genocide in Gaza. Successfully, Portugal has de-registered Kathrin from using its flag, and the the remaining countries rejected Kathrin from docking at their ports.
University of Milan Suspends Ties with Israeli Institutions Amid Student-Led Boycott Calls
In response to growing student demands for an academic boycott, the University of Milan has announced it will suspend its relations with Reichman University. This decision follows a meeting between the university’s rector, Marina Brambilla, and a delegation of Giovani Palestinesi d’Italia who had protested against continued ties with Israeli universities. Earlier this year, the University of Milan also ended its agreement with Ariel University, another Israeli institution. As ELSC we supported the students with legal research about the nature of the agreement between the University of Milan and Reichman University.
This suspension is a significant outcome of the tireless mobilisation of student activists, who have been pushing for the university to take a stand against Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza. We will continue to monitor this important development and share further updates with you as they emerge.
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 all-time-high number of repression cases. We cannot do this alone, and we need your help to continue supporting the movement!
ELSC EVENTS
Join Us for Our First National Community Event of 2024 in Italy!
We’re excited to invite you to our upcoming event on Monday, November 6th, at 6:00 p.m. at BASE Milan. Titled “Palestine, Freedom of Expression, and the Future of Protest: Strategies to Protect Solidarity Movements”, this event will bring together activists, journalists, lawyers, and researchers to reflect on the past year’s events and discuss strategies to defend the Palestine solidarity movement from increasing repression and criminalisation. We hope you’ll join us for this vital discussion on how we can stand together and protect our rights to protest and mobilise in solidarity with Palestine.
Our Senior Legal Officer in Germany Nadija facilitated a Know Your Rights workshop in Bremen, where we reflected collectively on current political and legal developments in Germany and answered questions around protest rights, police violence, student organising, migration law and some of the ELSC’s ongoing cases, such as the legal action against Germany’s delieveries of war weapons to Israel. The event was organised in collaboration with Seeds of Palestine Bremen.
In collaboration with Arci Porco Rosso, Voices in Silence and Giovani Palestinesi d’Italia – Palermo, the ELSC organised a public Community event in Palermo on “The criminalisation of the Palestinians and the Palestinian movement in Italy’’.
One of our Germany lawyers and expert on migration law, Alexander, participated at a discussion organised by Berlin Left about the state of affairs in Germany in the past year, reflecting on the mobilisation and experiences of the Palestine solidarity movement. The discussion covered historical context, German military support, activist’s personal experiences, and the legal framework employed by the German state to maintain Israel’s impunity and criminalise and silence those who stand in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle.
ELSC IN THE MEDIA
ELSC Executive Director Giovanni spoke to Al-Jazeera about the conflation of anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism as a tool to facilitate the crackdown on and criminalisation of support for the Palestinian cause, highlighting developments in the context of Israel’s ongoing genocidal onslaught on Gaza.
Our case against the Dutch state was announced by Wout Albers, lawyer of the coalition, at the memorial protest organised by Dutch civil servants at the entrance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague. These civil servants have been protesting their government’s failure to comply with international law for almost a year. The announcement was widely covered by international media, such as Al Jazeera and Middle East Monitor, and Dutch media, such as in the most-watched daily national news broadcast.
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, and trial support or financial aid. You are not alone in this, and we will not let the state repression get us down.
For more legal support in Germany, get in touch with 3ezwa, a newly founded association that is supported by allied groups across the country, including the ELSC, to help streamline the process of getting legal support, provide free and accessible consultations in Arabic, German, and English, raise funds to strengthen existing legal support structures in Germany, and cover at least 50% of the legal fees for criminal offenses and residency law procedures in relation to solidarity with Palestine.
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,
The ELSC
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If you are interested in empowering the Palestine solidarity movement in Europe, we welcome your one-time or monthly donations to the ELSC. For any inquiries, contact us at info@elsc.support.
If you would like to put your skills (whether legal, editing, artistic, communications, or any other skills) at the service of our movement in support of Palestinian rights advocates, please contact us at info@elsc.support.
