Tristan Anderson's homecoming to Berkeley

Tristan Anderson is a long-time peace and justice activist from Berkeley California. Last year, he was shot in the head by a high-velocity tear gas canister fired at close range by an Israeli soldier, at a non-violent protest in Palestine. This weekend, Tristan made his first big appearance in Berkeley since his injury, and the community came out in full force to show their love and support. Over 500 people crowded into a room at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists on Saturday, filling every seat and lining the walls, spilling out into the streets around the church.

They sang, cheered, laughed and cried as a group, making the event much more than a series of performers in front of an audience. It had more of the feeling of a family, coming together to support a loved one in need. At one point, Tristan spoke, amidst cries of 'we love you brother!' and 'stay strong tristan!'. He spoke haltingly, still far from recovered from the head injury he suffered at the hands of the Israeli military, thanking his supporters for coming out, and telling the crowd that they should “fight injustice everywhere, all over the world”. His partner Gabi, who has been at his side throughout his long ordeal, gave a tear-filled and impassioned speech in which she thanked all of Tristan's supporters, including the Israeli peace activists who gave his family places to stay and support during the long months while Tristan remained in critical condition in an Israeli hospital before his return to the US. Photographs taken by Tristan lined the walls of the Unitarian church, and demonstrated his widespread commitment to combat injustice wherever it is found – from a banner he made condemning Shell Oil for human rights abuses in Nigeria, including the execution of activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, to his photographs of tree-sits in northern California, to patches he designed in Spanish condemning the World Trade Organization.

And the variety of people who came out for the event really set it apart – from Raging Grannies to Food not Bombs to Palestinian and Muslim activists to anti-racist organizers to environmentalists to central America solidarity activists praising Tristan's work to preserve a small radio station in El Salvador, to anti-nuclear activists who reminisced about Tristan's first arrest at a protest against nuclear armament. Tristan Anderson proved this weekend that any person can cut through these artificial divisions of gender, race, class and ethnicity to create a beautiful, loving family that will stand by you even when a foreign army tries to cut your life short, and will breathe life back into you when you need it most.


Tristan Anderson is just one of many people who have been shot in the head by Israeli forces at non-violent demonstrations. Over twenty Palestinians have been killed by Israelis during non-violent demonstrations, including Bassem Abu Rahme, who was killed by the same kind of high-velocity tear gas canister that was shot at Tristan. More recently, 21-year old American art student Emily Henochowicz lost her left eye when she was shot at close range by a high-velocity tear gas canister fired by Israeli troops at a non-violent demonstration in the West Bank this June. Brian Avery, an American who was shot in the face by Israeli troops during a non-violent action in 2003, recently lost a lawsuit against the Israeli government. Tristan Anderson's family has also launched a lawsuit against the Israeli government seeking damages to cover his lifetime of medical costs. The website for updates is justicefortristan.org.