New Orleans Protest Against War on GAZA

From New Orleans Indymedia (http://neworleans.indymedia.org/):

After hundreds have died and thousands have been injured in Israel's latest attack on the Gaza strip, people in New Orleans responded by taking to the streets of the CBD and French Quarter.

The Demonstration was sponsored by:

• the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee of New Orleans
• INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence - New Orleans
• The Women's Health & Justice Initiative
• the New Orleans Women's Health Clinic
• The New Orleans Chapter of Malcolm X Grassroots Movement
• New Orleans Palestine Solidarity
• Mayday Nola
• PATOIS: The New Orleans International Human Rights Film Festival
• Artists In Action
• and many other organizations and individuals concerned about justice and human rights

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This very helpful list was posted by Bint Alshamsa, who has a blog called My Private Casbah (click here to view)

Hat Tip to R.

1) First get the facts and then disseminate them. Here are some basic
background information
http://www.btselem.org/english/Gaza_Strip
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article4933.shtml
http://www.mepeace.org/forum/topics/the-true-story-behind-this-war The
true story behind this war
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/downloads/If%20Gaza%20falls.pdf If Gaza
Falls
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10055.shtml Gaza massacres
must spur us to action

2) Contact local media. Write letters to editors (usually 100-150
words) and longer op-eds (usually 600-800 words) for local newspapers.
But also write to news departments in both print, audio, and visual
media about their coverage. In the US http://www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/media/
You can find media listings in your country using search engines like
google

3) Contact elected and other political leaders in your country to urge
them to apply pressure to end the attacks. In the US, Contact the
State Department at 202.647.5291, the White House 202-456-1111 the
Egyptian Embassy 202.895.5400, Email (emba ...@egyptembassy.net) and
the Obama Transition Team 202-540-3000 (then press 2 to speak with a
staff member).

4) Organize and join demonstrations in front of Israeli and Egyptian
embassies or when not doable in front of your parliament, office of
elected officials, and any other visible place (and do media work for
it).

5) Hold a teach-in, seminar, public dialogue, documentary film viewing
etc. this is straightforward: you need to decide venue, nature, if any
speakers, and do some publicity (the internet helps).

6) Pass out fliers with facts and figures about Palestine and Gaza in
your community (make sure also to mention its relevance to the
audience: e.g, US taxpayers paying for the carnage, increase in world
instability and economic uncertainty)

7) Put a Palestinian flag at your window.

8) Wear a Palestinian head scarf (Koufiya)

9) Wear Black arm bands (this helps start conversations with people)

10) Send direct aid to Gaza through the United Nations Relief and
Works Agency (UNRWA). http://www.un.org/unrwa/

11) Initiate boycotts, divestments and sanctions at all levels and
including asking leaders to expel the Israeli ambassadors (an
ambassador of an apartheid and rogue state). See Palestinian call
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10056.shtml

12) Work towards bringing Israeli leaders before war crime courts
(actions along those lines in courts have stopped Israeli leaders from
traveling abroad to some countries like Britain where they may face
charges)

13) Calling upon all Israelis to demonstrate in front of their war
ministry and to more directly challenge their government

14) Do outreach: to neighbors and friends directly. Via Internet to a
lot of others (you can join and post information to various listservs/
groups).

15) Start your own activist group or join other local groups (simple
search in your city with the word Palestine could identify candidate
groups that have previously worked on issues of Palestine). Many have
also been successful in at bringing coalitions from different
constituencies in their local areas to work together (human rights
group, social and civil activists, religious activists, etc).

16) Develop a campaign of sit-ins at government offices or other
places where decision makers aggregate

17) Do a group fast for peace one day and hold it in a public place

18) Visit Palestine (e.g. with http://www.sirajcenter.org)

19) Support human rights and other groups working on the ground in
Palestine

20) Make large signs and display them at street corners and where ever
people congregate.

21) Contact local churches, mosques, synagogues, and other houses of
worship and ask them to take a moral stand and act. Call on your
mosque to dedicate this Friday for Gaza actions.

22) Sign petitions for Gaza, e.g.
http://www.avaaz.org/en/gaza_time_for_peace/98.php?cl_tf_sign=1

23) Write and call people in Gaza

24) Work with other groups that do not share your political views
(factionalism and excessive divisions within activist communities
allowed those who advocate war to succeed).

25) Dedicate a certain time for activism for peace every day (1 hour)
and think of more actions than what is listed above.