Thursday, January 1, 2009

World Festival of Dignified Rage



Zapatista Woman from jordi's Flikr site

As part of the 15th anniversary of the Zapatista (EZLN) uprising, a Festival of Dignified Rage began Dec. 26 and continues into January.

Thanks to the folks at KABOBfest for translating this interesting, informative and inspiring article!

The concerned world citizens who have come together for this "international encounter of critique and creativity of rebellious rage" explore creative solutions to counter the “'four wheels of capitalism' (exploitation, dispossession, repression, and disregard)."

I thought that this is critique of the functioning of neoliberal capitalism is so pertinent, especially as it speaks to the root source of the suffering of the Gazan people.

exploitation √

dispossession √

repression √

disregard √

"In this context, the organizations, collectives, and individual participants in the World Festival of Dignified Rage yesterday condemned “the horrific massacre perpetuated by the Israeli army against the civilian population in the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in hundreds of people dead, wounded, the majority of which are civilians.”

They stated: “This crime represents a dangerous rise in the permanent holocaust against the Palestinian people,” with “the world’s silence serving as complicit, hypocritical, and shameful.” What is considered to be “Israel’s largest aerial attack in the past 40 years,” is realized through F-16 Apache helicopters provided by the United States.

This, “while world leaders criticize the ‘provocations’ of the Palestinian government of Hamas and limit themselves in questioning the disproportionate use of force” by Israel. “The ferociousness of this slaughter has provoked the ire of hundreds of thousands of people who are marching and protesting through many parts of the world. We express our dignified rage against this genocidal attack.”

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Interesting. Thank you for all these articles. I just finished reading this eye-opening article about the Hamas - have you seen it?

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article5420584.ece

(I hope you got my email of a few days ago on this subject, Taina) All the best in the New Year!

Anonymous said...

Thanks Taina...we need to be reminded everyday, all the time, about this.

Merche Pallarés said...

Now I know your name is Taina (beautiful, by the way). At the end of your post you mention that millions of people have manifested themselves against this cruel massacre all over the world. Well, not much news about that in the run-of-the-mill press. Every day I'm more convinced that we, the citizens, unfortunately, can't do very much except express our anger in our blogs because we're tied and very well tied by this Zionist-American-Israeli powerful triangle which rule the world; that's why Israel can do whatever it likes ignoring the world's outrage. Very sad, dear Taina, very sad. Love 'n hugs, M.

northshorewoman said...

thank you, Marja-Leena for the link. It is an interesting read for it is important to make complex Hamas. However, I thought the author was not critical of Hamas, and there are problems regarding not only Hamas, but also any group which has a strong patriarchal and reformist ideology, particularly concerning gender, and what is and is not allowed.

This is the big problem that happens in many cases where the dominant discourses create a simple good guy/bad guy or us/them narrative, or when "groups" are labeled and created. This makes it difficult to show the internal conflicts and problems.

For example, the writer writes that during the Hamas reign the streets of Gaza were more free of danger etc, but I wonder what role the increasing conservativism plays on women in the public sphere?

The rates of woman abuse, rape, incest, and killings have increased in Gaza and West Bank. Hamas has not helped to make this better, as the growing rates show. I am not equating Hamas with this violence against women but it does not seem to be addressed through their institution.

no, Marja-Leena, I did not receive your email.

thanks, Gerry, I received New World Finn in the mail and found the article "Mass Incarceration", on the US prison system by Silja Talvi interesting.

Merche, I commented on your blog on your Basque posting. I need to learn more about this. I know that "red" Finnish Canadian men went to fight in Spain but what was their p.o.v. on Basque? I don't know. I have to look that up.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Taina, for your additional comments. I've learned much from you, even as I read a variety of opinions. It's obviously a very complex situation but ultimately I strongly feel that the major world leaders are condoning genocide of the Palestinians.

I'm sorry you did not get my email, I now wonder how many of mine in the past did not reach you, maybe captured by your spam filter. Even my filter sometimes gets my own comments! Ah well...

Merche Pallarés said...

My dear, I'm going to answer your comment on my blog in a few minutes. I was surprised to know that Finnish "reds" went to fight in our civil war. How brave and courageous! Much love, M.