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Fundraiser raffle raises £1039 for MAP
 Thanks to everyone who supported our online fundraiser for Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP). It was more than just a raffle - we had a Bach recital by cellist Tibah Saad from the Galilee, a traditional Palestinian folk song from Najlaa Hmeed in Gaza, and a theatre performance by four school children in Gaza.
The event couldn't have gone better. It was our first attempt at such a feat - coordinating participants from 5 different locations in Gaza, Glasgow, Devon and hosted from a village near Rye.
Tibah and Najlaa's performances were made possible by PalMusic which has close links with the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music. Actresses Yara, Samah, Ghazal and Hala, aged 12 -14 from Gaza performed an example of 'remote theatre' which is becoming popular through the Covid period, but well established in Gaza because of 13 years of Israeli blockade. The play was made possible by the Hands Up Project.
A special thanks to all the local businesses and individuals who contributed prizes.
Articles in the Hastings Independent and the Hastings Observer.
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Information stalls
In the run up to Christmas we will be holding weekly stalls in the town centre. Saturday 12 and 19 December 12.00 until 14.00 (weather pending). Please come along to say hello and support.
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28 November Day of Action
  To mark the UN International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, the PSC called for a day of action. The idea was to speak out against Israel's continued gross violations of international law and its ongoing colonisation of Palestinian land by flooding social media with the hashtags #StopAnnexation #EndApartheid #SanctionsNow.
Our guerilla projections on Hastings seafront and around the Old Town were a big hit on Facebook and Twitter. Here's a short video we made.
During the day, we posted images of our banner drops at landmarks around Hastings. The message got through - locally and around the world - with over 27,000 hits throughout social media.
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Diego Maradona - friend of the Palestinian people
 Diego Maradona was a great friend and supporter of the Palestinian people - a fact that the corporate media seemed to miss out in the glowing obituaries of the legendary footballer.
'Maradona always stood with the oppressed, particularly with the people of Palestine. He made sure they were not forgotten, saying in 2018, "In my heart, I'm Palestinian." He was a critic of Israeli violence against Gaza....'
'He also lived a life of passionate, rebel intensity, always standing against imperialism; always standing for self-determination for Latin America and the Global South, always speaking for the children growing up in conditions similar to the abject poverty of his own upbringing in the Villa Fiorito barrio of Buenos Aires.' Diego Armando Maradona RIP.
Palestine Mourns Legendary Footballer Diego Armando Maradona
Diego Maradona: Comrade of the Global South.
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 Investigation into JCB's involvement in 'Israel's illegal demolition and settlement construction'
UK firm JCB (JC Bamford Excavators) is to be investigated over the use of its equipment in the demolition of Palestinian homes. The complaint made by UK charity Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights (LPHR) has been accepted by the UK National Contact Point (UK NCP). Article here.
JCB equipment is regularly used by Israeli forces to demolish Palestinian homes.
JCB is on the UN list of 112 companies that work in Israel's illegal settlements and is a major target of the BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement.
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East Sussex County Council - Stop Funding Israel's war crimes
Thanks to everyone who sent questions to the full county council December meeting: 24 were sent in. We will be publishing a report back in due course. Article in the Hastings Online Times about the campaign: Campaigners keep pressure on ESCC ahead of Full Council.
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'Girls storm the boxing ring in Gaza gym'
Interview with Farah Abu al-Qomsan, 15 and Rita Abu Rahma, 20 who took part in the first female-only boxing tournament in Gaza. Article here.
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 BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) news
San Francisco State student government passes Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions resolution.
100+ Unions, Movements and Solidarity Groups demand inclusion of HPE (Hewlett Packard Enterprises) in UN settlement database.
Video: Update: Abby Martin's Lawsuit Over Israel Loyalty Oath Mandate in US.
US: State Department's attack on the BDS movement violates freedom of expression and endangers human rights protection.
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 News from and about the occupation:
Maher al-Akhras "prevails over jailer," ends 103-day hunger strike.
!sraeli soldiers attack medics treating injured Palestinian in Jordan Valley.
The 'banal' trauma of Israel's nightly raids on Palestinian children.
Israel Gave Them 10 Minutes to Pack Up Their Whole Lives: 74 Palestinians, Including 41 Children, Left Homeless.
Gaza's Great Return March: 234 killed, 17 investigations, one indictment.
Zoom Censorship Of Palestine Seminars Sparks Fight Over Academic Freedom (ref University of Leeds).
Anti-Palestinian Racism Is Behind IHRA's Antisemitism Definition (Ontario).
10 attacks on Palestinian education per month by Israeli authorities and settlers.
Craig Murray: The State You May Not Criticise.
Meet Mohammed Abu Ghanim a lifeguard and one of Gaza's few surfers.
The Israeli merchants of death flying drones off Britain's coastline.
An online learning resource that explores Palestinian revolutionary practice and thought from the Nakba of 1948, to the siege of Beirut in 1982: The Palestinian Revolution.
Sweet treats from Palestine and its India connection.
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 Hastings and Rye PSC online membership and donations
Becoming a member of Hastings and Rye PSC is an important way of supporting our work.The annual subscription is £10 waged, £5 unwaged. We now have an online membership payment form. It can also be used to renew membership. The work of Hastings & Rye Palestine Solidarity could not continue without the generous donations from members of the public. If you would like to support our work without becoming a member please visit our shop page here and see the right hand column: Donate to Hastings & Rye PSC.
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Recent Hastings and Rye PSC newsletters:
11 November 2020
4 November 2020
29 October 2020
Keep up to date with our website, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages:
Hastings and Rye PSC website Hastings and Rye PSC Facebook
Hastingsand Rye PSC Twitter Hastingsand Rye PSC YouTube Channel.
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