🍉 VanGran4Pal Community Newsletter
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**Neighbours and Friends, **
It has been another busy few weeks in the community. We have continued to collaborate with other groups to bring our message to a greater audience, with events like our “Free Coffee, Free Palestine” afternoon with the Vancouver Tenants Union and our community driven Film Fest & Art Build. We remind all readers that our compassion and support for each other is our strength, especially in times of distress - such as a Zionist attacking the Bike 4 Palestine group and the horrific and violent Israeli escalations on Rafah. We fight together and we grieve together, until we can celebrate together. Let us lift each other up and keep fighting for a free Palestine! If you are struggling, please consider joining the in-person Solidarity Circle for Palestine on June 2nd at 1pm - full event details below in the Events section. You can also check out the** **virtual Grief Cafe for Gaza on June 2nd at 11am that provides a “safe and brave space for people to be with our individual and collective grief in solidarity with the Palestinian people.”
This issue, see how we’ve strengthened our movement in the spirit of solidarity, held each other up during the difficult times and how we can all continue to do so in the future.
Action Updates
Van Bike 4 Palestine Incident
We have had an eventful couple weeks with Bike 4 Palestine, spreading awareness and showing support for Palestinians throughout our beautiful city. Last week we held a solidarity ride for our courageous UBC students, riding from Jericho beach to the UBC encampment. We ended the ride with quality time spent meeting and supporting the students at the encampment and amplifying their calls for UBC to divest from companies complicit in Palestinian human rights abuses, to boycott Israeli universities and institutions, and to publicly condemn the genocide in Gaza. We welcomed this opportunity to connect after our community was shaken on our previous ride when we were physically attacked by two Zionists at Jericho beach. Due to the quick intervention of our community and overwhelming support for our cause, the attackers were non-violently stopped and then fled; no one sustained injuries. The police were informed of the incident, along with the Mayor and City Council, and we are awaiting a response from both. Whilst we may not trust in these institutions to advocate for justice, our Bike 4 Palestine group is connected, diverse, welcoming and growing - we could use your support now more than ever in an effort to show that actions to intimidate us into silence will have quite the opposite outcome! See you on the next ride - follow @VanBike4Palestine for updates.
Community: Film Fest & Art Build
The Vancouver Community Film Fest and Art build for Palestine on May 26th at the Birdhouse was a resounding success! We had special guest speakers Nasser Najjar and Mohammed Zaqout, as well as a reading from a letter from Omar Mansour, Palestinian members of our community in whose honor this fundraiser event was organized. The stories shared were both heartbreaking and inspiring. The financial burden to support the families of Palestinian refugees from Gaza falls on the shoulders of the family members in Canada. While Palestinian families are to be granted special visas, no Palestinians have as yet been evacuated to Canada. The heartfelt demonstrations of resilience and empathy strengthens our own resolve to continue advocating for justice for Palestinians. If you are able, please consider donating to the Gofundme pages of our Palestinian community members by following links on our website.
Participants of the event had the opportunity to admire and purchase traditional artworks from Palestinian artists as well as from Gifts from Gaia and silkscreen artists, view a selection of excerpts from Palestinian films, work on banners for upcoming events and of course to meet the wonderful members of our community. We had the opportunity to network and brainstorm about ongoing actions and events we can organize in support of Palestine. A special thanks to the organizers of the event and to The Birdhouse for its continuing support for Palestinians and Van Gran 4 Palestine!
Free Coffee, Free Palestine!
In a joint effort between VanGran4Pal and the **Fairview Chapter **of the Vancouver Tenants Union, many neighbours joined our successful “Free Coffee, Free Palestine” event to promote building community and education on Palestine solidarity and activism. Folks were able to come together to meet their neighbours and find ways to get involved with the fight to free Palestine!
Members of the Fairview chapter of the VTU reflected on the event, stating: “This event meant a lot to us in terms of solidarity and community building. We wanted to highlight the importance of solidarity between tenant organizing and the fight against displacement in Palestine. We know building local connections between neighbours with shared values is crucial to resisting all forms of state/capital oppression and coercion. Unsurprisingly, VanGran4Pal’s canvassing team has learned that renters in our neighbourhood are more likely to support Palestinian liberation compared to homeowners. So in that sense, our members have lots of overlap. It was really heartwarming to see people from both groups show up with kindness and curiosity about each others’ work. And lots of people got to meet their neighbours, which is what tenant organizing is all about! We plan to co-host more events in the future to continue growing our connections.”
Upcoming Events
Workshop: Palestine in Practice - Skills You Need To Navigate Your Labour Movement
Friday May 31st at the Maritime Labour Centre. Doors open at 6:30pm.
Join Labour 4 Palestine for an interactive event that includes three 30 minute workshops. The workshops are: 1) Finding Your Voice 2) Parliamentary Procedure For Trouble Makers 3) Choose Your Own Adventure: Responding to Barriers & Opponents.
Solidarity Circle for Palestine
Sunday June 2nd at 1pm, Kitsilano. Location shared after registration which is free and required.
Join us for an informal community circle of organizers, neighbours, & parents to build solidarity and hold space for collective grief during the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Tea and light refreshments will be served, and we will have child activities on site.
This gathering is intended for the local Palestinian community and human rights activists that are devoting themselves for the liberation of Palestine and for ending the evils of settler colonialism from Turtle Island to Palestine.
هذا التجمع مخصص للمجتمع الفلسطيني المحلي ، ونشطاء حقوق الانسان الذين يكرسون انفسهم لتحرير فلسطين وانهاء الاستعمار من ترتل ايلند لفلسطين
Please wear a mask and stay home if unwell.
The space is wheelchair accessible, and there are gender-neutral washrooms on site.
Please refrain from wearing scents or heavy perfumes.
Cuba's Struggle for Peace & Solidarity with Palestine
Tuesday June 11, 7:30 – 9:30pmRussian Hall, 600 Campbell Ave, Vancouver, BC V6A 3K1
Join us for a public forum with Leima Martinez, representative of the Cuban peace movement and The Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), discussing Cuba's struggle for peace and solidarity with Palestine. Keep up with us on our new Instagram for more events coming soon!
Community Spotlight
We held the inaugural meeting and jam session of the VanGran Band at Soundhouse Studios! We're establishing regular jam sessions with the goal of playing at fundraising events for a free Palestine. Our current lineup includes rhythm and lead guitarists, bass, drums, and vocalists, with a keyboardist joining soon. We're working on covers of songs about freedom and by artists supportive of Palestine, with plans to add originals. We’d also love to add traditional Palestinian songs. Palestinian community members are welcome to join and bring traditional songs to learn. Non-musicians are also invited to hang out during and after sessions. We look forward to joining musicians worldwide in support of Palestine. Stay tuned for updates and our jamming schedule! If you are interested - join our WhatsApp chat.
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.
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With gratitude and in solidarity,
Your Neighbours
Van Gran 4 Palestine
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