We are a group of people residing on the Lekwungen and WSANEC territories (also known as the city of “Victoria, BC”) who all share the belief that every human deserves to live safely and freely, regardless of their religion, country of origin, or skin colour. The people of Palestine have been living under a violent occupation for far too long, and now they are facing a live-streamed genocide. Every Saturday at 2:00PM (1:00PM in the winter) we gather together on the front lawn of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia to stand in solidarity with the People of Palestine and to protest our government’s complicity in the ongoing genocide being carried out by the apartheid state of Israel. If you want to get involved or contact us, that’s where you can find us. We hope to see you there.
The following is from Sumud1948 substack:
Purpose of the rally:
Speak Truth
People of conscience cannot stand by when lies are the norm. The rally is two hours where we hold up a candle of Truth to a sea of lies. Prophet Muhammad was once asked, “Which struggle is best?” to which he replied, “A word of truth before a tyrannical ruler.”
Build Community
The first step towards decolonization is to build a community that embodies the principles of decolonization. The rally is our weekly ritual gathering, where we bring the community together and reiterate our vision for a free Palestine – and a free Turtle Island, and a free World.
Raise Awareness
At the rally, we provide the latest news pertinent to Palestinian liberation and decolonization. With speeches and lectures, we sharpen our analysis of today’s reality and deepen our knowledge of our enemies, our friends, and the work ahead of us.
Many people have stepped up to take on roles which they’ve never been comfortable in, and they have built the needed skills by using the rally as their training ground. Whether it’s public speaking, community outreach, writing letters, performing music, making signs and banners, or whatever else the process of change requires, the individuals in our community have indeed grown both in political outlook and skillset.
Change the Narrative
For two hours a week, the Legislature grounds, the seat of colonial power, is turned on its head, painted with the colors of Palestine and liberation. The rallies and marches attract the attention of the people of “Victoria” and normalize the phenomenon of being pro-Palestine. The more kuffiyehs and Palestinian flags embroider the streets, the more people take courage in calling for Palestinian liberation, and the less the weaponization of anti-semitism has an effect on Western, and Westernized, minds.
Mobilize
The rally will become a stepping stone to something bigger, something we’re not ready for yet, which is to enter the political process as a serious, real force for change. This will come with persistence, dedication and maturity as vigilant and engaged citizens.
Principles of the Rally:
The Message is Solidarity, and Nothing Else
We hold the rally to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, and the Indigenous peoples of these stolen lands.
Not to stand with Hamas or Fatah. Not to propagate our own interpretations of what’s going on in Palestine. We are there to echo the narrative of the Palestinian people, whose land has been stolen by the zionist settler-colonial project, and whose struggle is to liberate that land.
This is true solidarity.
George Erasmus, Dene nation (testimony to the Berger commission in 1974, in response to pipelines being built across indigenous territory in “Canada”): “We were simply stating the same position that our people have always had. Our people have never given up the right to govern themselves, Our people have never given up the right to this land.”
Chief James Gosnell of the Nisga’a nation (in 1983, answering Pierre Trudeau after he says, “You have to sit down and discuss with someone what that [Aboriginal] title is.”):
“We are the true owners of the land, lock, stock and barrel.”
The Message of Solidarity is Adapted to our context in “Canada”
When addressing “our crowd”, we are comfortable in calling for the dismantlement of the zionist entity called “Israel”, and its replacement with a free, secular, democratic Palestine where all its inhabitants live under the equality of the law.
But the focus remains on what we can do here as citizens of “Canada”. Think globally, act locally.
And so, we focus on three main points:
- “Israel” is committing, has been committing genocide
- “Canada” is complicit, has been complicit in this genocide
- It is our duty as citizens of “Canada” to end our state’s complicity in the genocide by cutting off any and all involvement with the genocidal state of “Israel”
“Palestinians know how to liberate themselves. It is your [allies in the West] job to stop feeding the killing machine” – Ashira, Where Olive Trees Weep
“We don’t need you to help heal us, we need you to fix yourselves… What are you doing to get rid of that violent vocal force that is holding us back… holding us all back?” – Justice Murray Sinclair, chief commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission