The United Jewish People’s Order is 100 years old and the Winnipeg chapter celebrated this milestone at the Ukrainian Labour Temple last week. In keeping with UJPO’s social justice mission, the committee members who advised the Canadian Museum of Human Rights on its new Nakba exhibit (Palestine Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present) were honoured guests. Here’s my video of the festivities.
Archive for the ‘Human Rights’ Category
They refuse to kill for Israel
Posted: March 24, 2025 in Human Rights, Peace, WarTags: antiwar, conscientious objectors, Gaza, Israel-Palestine, pacifism
On March 20, 2025 I recorded the Winnipeg segment of the cross-country tour of Israeli refuseniks Tal Mitnick and Einat Gerlitz. The venue, Home Street Mennonite Church, was packed. The speakers were impressively articulate, poised and wise beyond their years.
In 2023, Tal Mitnick became the first conscientious objector to refuse military service after the October 7th attack by Hamas. After serving 185 days in military prison, Mitnick became a leader in the movement of young Israelis who are now refusing military service.
Einat Gerlitz was sentenced to 87 days in prison in 2022 for her refusal to join the Israeli army. An advocate for climate justice and LGBTQ+ rights, Gerlitz brings a feminist and queer perspective to her activism.
The pair were on a 12-city tour of Canada co-sponsored by Independent Jewish Voices Canada and the Mesarvot Network. Local sponsors in Winnipeg included the United Jewish People’s Order, Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba, Students for Justice in Palestine – University of Manitoba, Peace Alliance Winnipeg, MCM Palestine Israel Network, and the local chapter of Independent Jewish Voices.
Israel’s unlawful occupation of Palestine
Posted: October 24, 2024 in Human Rights, Nibbling on The EmpireTags: Human Rights, Palestine
Professor Michael Lynk, who teaches law at the University of Western Ontario, served as the United Nations “Special Rapporteur for the human rights situation in the Palestinian Territories occupied since 1967” from 2016 to 2022. He spoke in Winnipeg on October 18, 2024, about the occupation of Palestinian territory by the State of Israel, why this has been judged illegal under international law and why Israel stands accused of the crimes of genocide and apartheid.
Professor Lynk’s appearance was co-sponsored by Canadian Muslims for Palestine, Peace Alliance Winnipeg, Independent Jewish Voices Winnipeg, Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba, University of Manitoba Muslim Students’ Association, Diversity for Palestine and Faculty for Palestine.
Gaza Stories
Posted: March 21, 2024 in Human Rights, War, WinnipegTags: Gaza, Israel-Palestine, War
“Gaza – Stories of Grief, Resilience and Hope” was hosted by the Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba and Independent Jewish Voices Winnipeg at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg on March 16, 2024. As the title suggests, members of the Palestinian diaspora in Winnipeg share the impact this war has had on them and their family members and friends in Gaza.
Winnipeggers mark the 50th anniversary of the Chilean coup
Posted: October 7, 2023 in Human Rights, Nibbling on The EmpireTags: Chile, Human Rights, imperialism
On September 11, 1973, Popular Unity Government of Salvador Allende was overthrown in a violent coup d’état carried out by the Chilean military with the backing of the government of the United States. The coup leader, General Augusto Pinochet, implemented a bloody campaign of torture, imprisonment and murder. Thousands were killed; thousands more imprisoned; perhaps 200 thousand more were forced into exile. Several hundred found a safe haven in Winnipeg, Canada.
These political exiles, along with friends and supporters in Winnipeg, came together at the Franco-Manitoban Cultural Centre on September 11, 2023 to remember those dark, terrifying days from half a century ago and to honour the many brave men and women who resisted Pinochet’s tyranny. Here is the video I recorded of this commemoration.
A Winnipeg Vigil for Palestine
Posted: August 14, 2023 in Act Locally, Human Rights, Nibbling on The EmpireTags: Israel, Palestine
Professor Hassan Diab is a Canadian citizen and academic who is facing extradition to France to stand trial in connection with the 1980 bombing of a Paris synagogue. This even though Diab was in Beirut, Lebanon at the time of the attack, writing university exams.
This is the second time France has tried to hang this crime on Professor Diab. In 2014, he was extradited to France and held for three years, mainly in solitary confinement, before a French judge ruled that there was not sufficient evidence to put him on trial. Professor Diab’s case is explored in detail at justiceforhassandiab.org. Among other things, it reveals serious flaws in Canada’s extradition system and France’s judicial system.
Roger Clark and Candice Bodnaruk discuss the case, Canada’s role in Mr. Diab’s extradition, and actions people can take now to prevent further injustices against Professor Diab.
Roger Clark is a former national Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada and has been active in Hassan Diab’s support group for the past seven years. He has led several human rights investigations, including research missions to Cambodia, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Nepal, Guatemala and Algeria. In 2001 he was awarded the Order of Canada for his human rights work, both in Canada and internationally.
Candice Bodnaruk is an executive member of Peace Alliance Winnipeg. She has been active in Palestinian Solidarity work for many years and is the Canadian Columnist for the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs magazine.
Free Julian Assange!
Posted: September 9, 2021 in freedom of the press, Human Rights, Nibbling on The Empire, PeaceTags: freedom of the press, solidarity
Dimitri Lascaris is an accomplished lawyer, journalist and activist. Among his many achievements, Dimitri ran for the leadership of the Green Party of Canada in 2020, finishing second out of eight candidates and demonstrating that there at least 10,000 eco-socialists in the Green Party of Canada.
Dimitri spoke at the Sept. 7, 2021 launch of “Through Pluripolarity to Socialism – A Manifesto.” He chose to focus on the struggle of Wikileaks leader and political prisoner Julian Assange, who continues to be imprisoned and oppressed by the British government (at the behest of the American state.)
The launch itself was live-streamed and can be watched here. You can read and sign the manifesto here.
The Nakba Continues – Palestine and Turtle Island
Posted: July 15, 2021 in Aboriginal Peoples, Human Rights, In SolidarityTags: Canada, Human Rights, indigenous rights, Palestine
There are many parallels between the struggles of Palestinians and the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Chandni Desai and Ali Abunimah reflect on some of these in this presentation.
Chandni Desai teaches at the University of Toronto. Her research and writing focus on Palestinian resistance culture and the politics of internationalism. A community organizer who works for justice in Palestine, she hosts the Liberation Pedagogy Podcast.
Ali Abunimah is director of The Electronic Intifada, an independent nonprofit publication focusing on Palestine. He is the author of “One Country, A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse” and “The Battle for Justice in Palestine.”
This presentation is part of a longer discussion in a webinar sponsored by the International Manifesto Group entitled “Palestine, Unifier of All Struggles” that was held July 11, 2021. Video of the entire webinar will be available at the YouTube channel of the Geopolitical Economy Research Group.
Canada’s Mining Industry Bullies
Posted: June 12, 2021 in Environment, Human RightsTags: Canada, Environment, Human Rights, mining, pollution
Canadian mining companies dominate the sector in many parts of the world. Largely unregulated, they are able to profit from weak protection for the environment, workers, indigenous peoples and human rights in many countries.
Two-thirds of the value of Canadian mining assets is overseas, in 96 countries, and the Toronto Stock Exchange is home to almost half of the world’s mining corporations. Despite the efforts of activists in Canada and around the world, some of Canada’s best known companies are implicated in environmental destruction and shocking human rights abuses.
In this webinar, hosted by Peace Alliance Winnipeg, Catherine Coumans, of Mining Watch Canada, talks about the struggle to make Canadian mining companies accountable.
Paul S. Graham 