🍉 VanGran4Pal Community Newsletter
This post was imported from Mailchimp. Some formatting may have been lost in translation.
**Neighbours and Friends, **
Bisan tells us “700,000 people are stuck between death and leaving, under a dome of fire and rockets” in the midst of the “most horrific, dire conditions since the beginning of the genocide.”
As the violence and aggression of israel’s war on Palestinians expands beyond Gaza, we are taking the words of Global Sumud Flotilla member Tadhg Hickey to heart, who described attacks this week on the flotilla as “mere distractions” and reminded us that “first and foremost our primary goal [is] breaking the immoral, illegal siege of Gaza.”
With every attempt by israel and its allies to overwhelm, distract, and fatigue, we are refocusing our attention, re-centering Gaza. We are remembering what is at the core of our collective action; together we stand for the people of Palestine, and against genocidal violence, starvation and dehumanization.
Every day Palestinians reach out to tell us what is happening. We encourage you to make it a part of your daily routine to check in with voices on the ground in Gaza. Here is a list of 77 essential voices on Palestine. It was complied in June of this year, and includes some who have been martyred in the short time since then. Uplift and share their stories. Stay focussed on the fight for a Free Palestine.
Below we have a number of events and actions to share; we hope to see you out in the streets, in the inboxes of the powerful, and in joyful community with friends and neighbours.
Nothing is too much when we stand together.
In solidarity,
The Van Gran crew
Action Updates
Remove Israel from Grand Prix de Montreal
Send a letter to Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante demanding the exclusion of Israel Premier Tech from the Grand Prix Cyclistes de Montréal!
A letter demanding that the Israel Premier Tech cycling team not be allowed to participate in the Grand Prix de Montréal race to be held on September 14, 2025 was delivered by bailiff to the office of Mayor Valerie Plante on Friday, September 5. Join in sending your own letter. Click here to send yours ASAP!
Abolish Canada’s anti-Palestinian terrorism list!
As the government raises the possibility of following the UK by criminalizing those who express public support for Palestine Action and other listed groups, it’s more important to challenge a list that undercuts Canadians civil liberties & Palestinians’ legally enshrined rights.
Under international law, colonized people have the right to resist a brutal occupation. Yet, over 10 percent of Canada’s terror list is made up of organizations headquartered in a long-occupied land, representing one-tenth of one percent of the world’s population. Representing much of Palestinian political life, eight of the occupied nation’s organizations are listed. Additionally, two Canadian based organizations (Samidoun and IFRAN-Canada) and have been listed for assisting Palestinians. Now, the government is musing about strengthening the legislation, effectively making it illegal to hold a Samidoun flag.
Click here to email justice minister to end Canada’s anti-Palestinian terror list!
S**ide note: **we have seen our friends in the UK defying the proscription of organisations that support Palestine as ‘terror organisations’, both explicitly, resulting in many arrests, and subversively - such as by wearing t-shirts like the one in the image above. Here’s an idea of how it’s going down: a man was arrested for wearing that t-shirt. It is reminiscent of Russian protestors being arrested for holding up blank signs. The arrested man in this case said after his release “We are just going to mock you for your ridiculous decision to proscribe a protest group. It’s just so important that our rights to protest do not get diminished”. Do not underestimate the power of your presence at protests, or the Palestine pin that you wear on your tote bag. We are always sharing messages with each other (skip to 4:30 in that talk for the part on common knowledge as protest power). Common knowledge is essential for coordination, so let everyone know where you stand. Power to the people!
Back to school: demand Nakba in the the public school curricula
Tell the B.C. Ministry of Education to add the Nakba to the Social Studies curricula. For too long, the history of Palestine, the dispossession of over 700,000 Palestinians, and the ongoing oppression have been ignored, both in classrooms and in our communities. This has led to a rise in anti-Palestinian racism in our schools and worsens the spread of misinformation about the ongoing genocide of Palestinians.
As violence in Gaza dominates headlines, B.C. students are asking critical questions — but classrooms lack the historical context needed to answer. We are calling on you to equip teachers with the tools to teach the history of Palestine — starting with the Nakba.
It is time we teach about the Nakba. Click here to tell BC’s minister of education: I demand that the Ministry of Education add the Nakba to the curriculum NOW.
Upcoming Events
Nationwide virtual sit-in | Sat Sept 13
📅 Saturday Sept 13, 2025 @ 4pm PST
**📍 Location: **online - click here to register
From @gazancanadians: 📅 Saturday, Sept 13: Join us for a Nationwide Virtual Sit-in — a chance to unite across Canada, meet organizers, learn about Canada’s racist immigration policies, and take action together.
💚 Families are in danger right now — we cannot wait. Register today through the link here. Even if you can’t attend, you’ll receive key updates and actions to keep supporting the movement.
Together, we are stronger. Together, we will reunite Gazan families. ✊🏽
Tatreez Workshop | Sept 14
🗓️** Sunday, Sept 14**
**🕣 3-7PM **
📍 Coquitlam City Hall
From @hiyadania: Tatreez 4 Palestine is popping up in Coquitlam this weekend, with @freepalestinetricitiesbc 🇵🇸
Join us from 3-7PM outside of Coquitlam City Hall with your cloth items, join the rally and raise your voice for Gaza while we raise funds for direct aid going Palestinians on the ground.
See you there!
Draw the Line Art Build | Tues Sept 16th
📅 Tuesday Sept 16th @ 5:30-9PM
📍 Location: 1943 East Hastings
From @ijv.vancouver: Join us for a family friendly evening of art and community building. We will have art activities for everyone and some food and refreshments. We will be screen printing on and building kites, painting banners and making shirts and signs for the upcoming cross movement mobilization to Draw the line for people, peace, and the planet on Sept 20th.
Tuesday September 16
5:30-9pm
1943 East Hastings, Vancouver (enter from back alley)
We hope to see you there as we prepare to send a strong, unified, powerful message on September 20th! Share with all your friends.
** Rise Fundraiser | September 18th**
📆 September 18th
⏰ 8 PM
📍 Red Gate, 1965 Main Street
From @universallimbs: ✨GET YOUR TICKETS FOR RISE✨
Doors: 8:00pm
Performances: 9:00pm – 10:30pm
DJs: 10:30pm onwards
Tickets: $20
Universal Limbs needs your support. 💙 We’re creating high-quality, medical-grade prosthetics for children and adults in conflict zones. To keep moving forward, we urgently need funds for ongoing research and development (R&D) — and with more support, we hope to hire and fairly pay local Gaza engineers to be part of this work. We’re hosting a fundraiser event in partnership with the Queer Collective for Palestine on September 18th to make this work possible.
TICKET PROMO: Purchase your ticket by Saturday, September 13th to get FIVE automatic entries in the raffle draw! The raffle features art, merch, gift cards, and tickets to local events from amazing local artists and organizations, including:
Zanjir
The Rio Theatre
JQ Clothing
Moniker Press
Laughs in Queer
Hand Eye Design
Big Joy Barber
Stab It Pretty
The Capilano Review
Big Bros Barber
Massy Books
Sam Nygard
Margaret Joba-Woodruff
…. and MORE! 👀
✨ Can’t attend? You can still make a donation through the Humanitix ticket link!
🎶 The night features an unforgettable lineup of Arabic, Afro-Beats, and House music, spotlighting incredible new local talent you don’t want to miss.
Funds from this event will be shared between Universal Limbs (25%), Uphold Land Defenders (25%), and Venue Admin Fee (50%) — supporting both global and local impact.
Come for the music, grab some cool merch, and know you’re helping change lives.
DRAW THE LINE | Sept 20th
📅 Sept 20th
**🕘 2 PM **
📍 March from VPL Georgia Street
From Draw The Line: On Sept 20, communities across the country are mobilizing.
We refuse to stand by while the government and Canada’s richest corporations hoard wealth, gut our public services, fuel climate collapse, attack migrants, exploit Indigenous lands, and prop up a genocide in Palestine.
They think that if they can overwhelm and divide us, we won’t fight back. But climate justice, migrant justice, economic justice, Indigenous rights, and anti-war movements are uniting to prove them wrong.
On Saturday, September 20th, we’re drawing the line— for People. For Peace. For the Planet.
From rallies to strikes, marches to gatherings, this September 20th, communities will mobilize across the country and demand that Prime Minister Carney and the Canadian government pick a side: injustice, violence, and climate destruction— or a just and safe future for all of us.
📍 In Vancouver, we meet at 2pm @ VPL (W Georgia and Homer) / Dilawri Square.
We will be marching to Science World Park for a community gathering.
We’re drawing the line — for people, for peace, for the planet. 🌍✊🏽
RSVP + join us 👉 drawtheline.world
Flood Vancouver for Palestine | October 4th
📅 October 4th
🕘 1:00pm
📍 Vancouver Art Gallery
From @alawdavancouver: October 2025 marks two years of Israel’s catastrophic ongoing war on, and genocide of, Gaza. With this anniversary, we remember the martyrs, honour the survivors, and reaffirm that the people of Gaza — and of all Palestine — cannot be erased.
With more than 60,000 Palestinians killed according to Gaza’s Health Ministry — independent estimates being far higher — Palestinians in Gaza continue to face cataclysmic suffering, forced starvation and displacement, disease, and relentless bombardment by Israel. Whole families have been murdered. Life expectancy has dropped by 35 years to 40.5. Yet the people of Gaza continue to teach the world what steadfastness, courage, and dignity are.
As we mark two years of genocide, we uplift that the struggle for the liberation of Palestine is one of joint liberation, inextricably intertwined with the struggles for Indigenous sovereignty, climate, migrant, food and health justice, and the struggle of workers; of people facing and fighting fascism, oppression, exploitation, and racism in all of their forms, worldwide.
On October 4, we will flood the streets and occupy the bridges to show our unity and determination. We will not rest until freedom, justice, and return are achieved, in Palestine and everywhere.
🔗 If you’d like to endorse this action or organize in another city, visit alawdavancouver.com/flood.
✍️ Illustration by @joeymasonart
Tatreez Night | Oct 26th
📅 October 26th
**🕘 4-7 PM **
📍 Shared with registrants
From our friends at @parentsforpalestineyvr: 🧵✨ Join us for Tatreez Night: Balat w Bizr / Tiles and Seeds with artist Lubna Al Samman 🌿
Together we’ll stitch, share stories, and celebrate Palestinian resilience through the intricate art of Tatreez embroidery. No experience needed — just come ready to connect, create, and learn.
📅 Sunday, Oct 26 | 4–7 pm
📍 Metro Vancouver (location shared with registrants)
💚 Every participant will take home a bag of Palestinian Za’atar — the sack itself becomes your Tatreez canvas by the end of the evening.
✨ Limited spots — register now
Community Spotlight
Shopping and dining with Watermelon Maps
A member of our community recently travelled to Montreal and was met with many businesses openly supporting Palestine, with stickers in their windows and visibility on the widely-used website, watermelonmaps.com. Check it out today and help inspire the movement to grow in Vancouver! You can use the map to work out how to shop and dine safely in local businesses that you know stand with Palestine. Where you spend your money matters. You can also submit businesses that you know support Palestine, or encourage your local business owners to show where they stand themselves, and get a window sticker. Collective consciousness matters.
Local Fundraiser
FPBC is running a fundraiser for AHMAD & SHAMS AL-NAJJAR. The family has 14 surviving members and are in Khan Younis, Gaza.
📍Pickup Location: At Rallies/Marches
📿** DM the @freepalestinebc page to reserve necklaces.**
Contribute to the Newsletter
Do you have something you would like to share with your neighbours? We welcome submissions of all kinds — stories, poems, art, and event info. Simply reply to this email to send in your contribution.
Forward to a Friend
Feel free to share: click here** **to subscribe or share this edition as a webpage by clicking this link. Share using our QR code.
With gratitude and in solidarity,
Your Neighbours
Van Gran 4 Palestine
PS. If you no longer want to receive emails from us, please use the unsubscribe button below. If you welcome these, please add us to your contact list.
