Feature Archives

On June 19th, Checkpoint 303 performed at the Pork Store in SF. With members from Palestine, Tunisia, and France, Checkpoint 303, is a non-profit activist sound art project launched in 2004 by SC Yosh and SC MoCha. It creates experimental electronic music aimed at raising international awareness about the ongoing injustice and suffering of civilian populations throughout the Middle East. Checkpoint 303's was scheduled to play in SF on Tuesday, June 23rd at the Balazo Gallery and on Wednesday, June 24th at Baobab Village.

On June 11th in Tel Aviv, a group of queer Israeli activists protested the cynical use of gay rights by a conservative American group called StandWithUs (SWU). The activists disrupted an event called I-Pride, organized by SWU, exploiting queer issues to support Israel’s existence as an apartheid state and its occupation over Palestinians.

Ten bus shelter billboards advertising the University of California’s “Study in Israel” campaign were remade into “Boycott Israel” ads and placed around Berkeley and San Francisco in May.

On June 5th, a sniper in the Israeli military killed 36 year old Yousef Akil Srour, shooting him in the chest with 0.22 caliber live ammunition. Srour is the 5th Palestinian to be killed by the Israeli army in Ni’lin during a demonstration against the theft of his land for the construction of the Annexation Wall. Israeli occupation forces have murdered five Ni’lin residents during demonstrations against the confiscation of their land and critically injured one international solidarity activist - Tristan Anderson.

On June 6th, the 42nd anniversary of Israel's seizure of Gaza, a protest was held at the UN Plaza (7th and Market) at noon, in solidarity with the people of Gaza. Organized by the ANSWER Coalition, organization and individuals came to show support and to demand an to end the siege of Gaza.

On Saturday May 30th, members of Anarchists Against the Wall, international and Palestinian activists, came to Safa, West Bank, to help Palestinian farmers work their land. In recent years, farmers have been under a constant harassment by settlers who have been violently attacking them and destroying and stealing their crops. After working for a couple of hours, the Israeli military declared the area a "closed military zone" and started to attack and arrest Palestinians and solidarity activists.

On wednesday, May 27, members of "Achoti" (my sister), a feminist organization representing jews of color (Mizrahim-Jews who emigrated from Arab countries) and members of the Democratic Mizrahi Rainbow, came to the Jerusalem Theater to demonstrate a convention about culture in Israel. The activists held signs that looked like bank checks with names of cultural institutions and the amount of money given to each. One check (in the picture below), addressed to "Mizrahi culture" had no money on it and the wording "void" was added.