Guess Who is Speaking at the PSM Conference at OSU?

War to Mobilize Democracy ^ | October 30, 2003 | Andrew L. Jaffee

[stevejackson]

Guess Who is Speaking at the PSM Conference at OSU? By Andrew L. Jaffee, October 30, 2003	Home   Search   Forum   Terms

The Palestinian/Palestine Solidarity Movement (PSM) movement has lined up a list of very questionable speakers (list; schedule) for their planned conference at the Ohio State University (OSU) on November 7th - 9th. This is not surprising, given the PSM's and parent International Solidarity Movement's (ISM) known support for terrorism, illegal activities, and sometime enabling of terrorism.

Adam Shapiro, an ISM co-founder, will be speaking on Sunday, November 9th. Here are some quotes Shapiro has made in the past:

• This is no less noble than carrying out a suicide operation.
• …we declare our right on this earth, to be a man, to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being, in this society, on this earth, on this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary.
• ... we accept that the Palestinians have a right to resist with arms, as they are an occupied people ... Palestinian resistance must take on a variety of characteristics – both nonviolent and violent...
• We don't have an official dialogue with armed groups, but we talk to them and they consider nonviolence as a legitimate strategy, but not the only way to resist.

[emphasis added]

Also speaking on Sunday in a panel discussion called "Africans Against Zionism" is Bob Brown. According to OSU English lecturer Yoshie Furuhashi, Mr. Brown is

...a 38-year participant in the student, human rights, national liberation and Black Power, Pan-African, socialist and peace movements, having served as a member of the Congress of Racial Equality, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the Black Panther Party, the All-African People's Revolutionary Party, and the Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania (South Africa).

[emphasis added]

Ashanti Alston will be speaking at the conference. The Columbus PSM admits that Alston

...is a former member of the Black Panther Party and former prisoner-of-war (Black Liberation Army). He is presently a member of Estación Libre/People of Color Zapatista Support Group, a board member of the Institute for Anarchist Studies, and the Northeast U.S. Coordinator for Critical Resistance.

[emphasis added]

WaBun-Inini (a.k.a. Vernon Bellecourt) is a scheduled speaker. According to the WorldNetDaily,

Boasting of a 1991 meeting with Yasser Arafat, at which the two embraced, Bellecourt recalled how he told the leader, "We are the Palestinians. … The Palestinians are we." He accused the U.S. and Israel of carrying out genocide against the Palestinians. Bellecourt referred to elected officials as "these snakes on the hill" and, referring to the Israeli embassy, said: "We must confront them here in America. We must make life miserable for them. Israel out of Palestine! Israel out of the U.S.!"

[emphasis added]

On the agenda will be Rania Masri. She is a member of "Al-Awda," the Palestine Right to Return Coalition. In 2001 she wrote in the International Socialist Review:

We have seen this Orwellian twist in the media’s portrayal of the Intifada in occupied Palestine. The killing of Palestinian children by heavily armed Israeli occupying soldiers is presented as "mothers sacrificing their children," and the Israeli soldiers and settlers–who commit the violence–are presented as individuals with loving families. More so when an Israeli commits a massacre (such as when Baruch Goldstein, a New Yorker, killed Palestinians while they were praying), the media takes lengths in discussing how such an individual could be moved to such "insanity," yet when a Palestinian–forced to become a refugee, living in abject poverty, and struggling for his freedom–resists the occupation and the indignities, he is presented as a terrorist!

[emphasis added]

Finally I'll mention PSM speaker Rafeef Ziadah, a member of Stop U.S. Tax-Funded Aid to Israel Now. In June, she spoke before the "International Convention: In Defence of Palestinian Refugee Rights" in Toronto. The charter of this conference stated:

We reject as illegal and immoral the demand that Palestinians accept a "right" for Israel to exist "AS A JEWISH STATE" or a "right" for it "to retain a Jewish majority" at the expense of Palestinian fundamental and historic native rights.

[emphasis added]

Does this conference sound like a meeting of peace activists? When has the PSM/ISM ever recognized Israel's right to exist in peace and security? Do you think any of these speakers will accept Israel's right to exist at their conference? Need I say more?

[stevejackson]

Sounds like a Klan meeting.

[farmfriend]

ping

[Snoopers-868th]

I thought it was a typo and you really meant "PMS."

[VOA]

Sounds like a Klan meeting.

About the only difference is the Palis hid their faces with table-cloths instead
of hoods.

Otherwise, they drink from the same cup.

[stevejackson]

Have you seen the list of speakers scheduled for the Palestinian Solidarity Movement conference at OSU?

[SJackson]

Thanks for the ping. I'm glad to see Adam has found a job.

[yonif]

Wonderful people /sarcasm