ONGOING EVENTS
Organising Meetings (Monthly)
We meet on the second Saturday of every month (unless there is a public holiday) from 1pm at the Kathleen Syme Library in Carlton. If you are interested in organising with us for a free Palestine, please come along to a meeting and see what we’re about. All welcome.
We usually provide a zoom option too, for those unable to physically attend. Please forward any enquiries to: info@fpmelbourme.org
Stay tuned by subscribing to our newsletter and our socials. In the works: Palestine National Day and more.
CURRENT EVENTS
‘No Place to lay my head’!
Where: St Paul’s Cathedral, Cnr Flinders St & Swanston St, Melbourne
When: 16 September – 28 October, 2023
During church opening times, excluding services.
A multimedia exhibition using historical images, cultural artefacts, maps, poems, installations, artworks, and video will tell the story of Al Nakba and its ongoing impact on generations of Palestinians.
This exhibition coincides with the World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel and has taken up their theme for the title, ‘No Place to Lay My Head’!
Al Nakba occurred when the modern State of Israel was formed in 1948. In their quest to find a homeland, the establishment of the State of Israel came at the expense of the destruction of the Palestinian homeland, resulting in the permanent displacement of approximately 750,000 Palestinians. Successive Israeli governments have continued to expand their homeland by confiscating and demolishing Palestinian land and homes.
The atrocities of the Holocaust and genocide perpetrated against the Jewish people is well documented and rightly condemned. What is less commonly known or understood is what the last 75 years has meant for Palestinians. An understanding of Al Nakba is essential for understanding Palestinians connection to land and their struggle for self-determination and return.
Sponsored by Free Palestine Melbourne & Palestine Israel Ecumenical Network
PAST EVENTS
Human Rights and the Palestine Laboratory in the Age of Surveillance
Tuesday, 5 September 2023
6:30 pm
Where: RMIT Building 80, Level 2, Room 7, 445 Swanston St (next to the Oxford Scholar pub)
How is the struggle for Palestine connected to wider struggles against racism and injustice? How has Israel managed to leverage its “battle-tested” weapons and surveillance technology to forge strategic partnerships with repressive regimes around the world? How does the experience of intergenerational trauma affect the work of Jewish and Palestinian human rights advocates in the modern era?
On Tuesday 5 September, Free Palestine Melbourne and the Australian Jewish Democratic Society will be hosting a joint forum at RMIT University in which journalist and writer Antony Loewenstein and poet and human rights activist Sara Saleh will discuss their work, writing and activism with APAN educator and community organiser Noura Mansour.
Both Antony, whose latest book The Palestine Laboratory was published in May, and Sara, whose debut novel Songs for the Dead and the Living, is being published in August, will be available to sign copies of their books, which be on sale after the forum.
Vigil to Commemorate the Nakba
Sunday, 7 May 2023 / 2pm
Where: State Library of Victoria, Swanston St, Melbourne
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Protest to Commemorate the Nakba
Saturday, 13 May 2023 / 1pm
Where: State Library of Victoria, Swanston St, Melbourne
75 years of longing, 75 years of resistance, and 75 years of Palestinian Identity.
Join us on Saturday 13th of May to commemorate 75 years of the Palestinian Nakba (The Catastrophe) – details at facebook event.
Film Screening: Jews Step Forward
Sunday, 7 May 2023 / 6pm
Free virtual screening of the film “Jews Step Forward” directed by Marjorie Wright.
Screening will start at 6:00 PM Melbourne, Run Time 112 minutes, English language.
In collaboration with Palestine Museum US (for further details)
Registrations required – please register at link below:
Film Screening: Ghost Town – The Hebron Story
Sunday, 30 April 2023 / 6pm
Free virtual screening of the documentary film “Ghost Town – The Hebron Story,” by Ellie Bernstein, narrated by Martin Sheen.
Screening will start at 6:00 PM Melbourne, Run Time 80 minutes, Arabic and English with English subtitles as applicable.
Registrations required – please register at link below:
Rally: Hands off Al-Aqsa
Sunday 16 April 2023 / 1pm
Where: State Library of Victoria, Swanston St, Melbouren
Please join FPM to protest against the deplorable actions inflicted upon Palestinian worshippers by the occupying power inside the holy site Al Aqsa.
On 4-5 April 2023, the scenes of Israeli occupation forces invading Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan and brutally attacking Palestinian worshipers were displayed around the world on video. The beatings, the mass arrests, the vicious assault on Palestinians gathering in the mosque or in prayer once again exposed the reality of the Zionist colonial project in Palestine — that of the most vicious colonial assault that aims to strip the land, identity and holy sites away from the Palestinian and Arab people in order to make way for an invasion by a few fanatical settlers a few hours later. More information here >
PALESTINEMUSEUM.US
Free virtual screening of the documentary film “Deir Yassin Village and Massacre,” directed by Sahera Dirbas. Australia Time Zone Stream — Palestine Museum US
Please click here to register for this event. Please click here to watch the film trailer. Screening will start at 6:00 PM Melbourne Australia Time, Run Time 72 minutes, 2012, Arabic language with English subtitles.
The film introduces five Palestinian survivors of the Deir Yassin Massacre during the Nakba war of 1948. They recall their lives in the Deir Yassin district of Jerusalem and tell how they survived the massacre of 9 April 1948.
Please support this collaboration with Palestine Museum US. Register (for the Australian screening), spread the word and watch to learn about the history of the occupation.
In March 2003, the American university student and peace activist Rachel Corrie was run over and killed by an Israeli bulldozer while opposing the demolition of Palestinian homes in the Gaza Strip. Despite numerous eye-witness testimonies that the killing was deliberate, no one has been held accountable for her death.
This month, Free Palestine Melbourne and Students for Palestine (Victoria) will commemorate the twentieth anniversary of her murder by screening Rachel, a film by French-Israeli film maker Simone Bitton, which examines Israel’s policy of home demolitions, the role of international activists in the Palestinian freedom struggle, and the impunity enjoyed by Israeli soldiers when they commit crimes against non-combatants in Palestine.
The film screening will take place at 6.30pm on Thursday March 23rd, at the Public Lecture Theatre in the Old Arts building of Melbourne University.
Palestine Solidarity Conference 2023
End of Year Activist Picnic
Palestine National Day 2022
6pm Tuesday 15th November at Federation Square, Melbourne
Nakba Day 2022 Vigil
12pm Sunday 15th May at the State Library, Melbourne
“The Nakba, or catastrophe in Arabic, is the common designation given to the hostilities and tribulations that began after the approval of the UN Partition Plan for Palestine in 1947. They led to the uprooting of some 750,000 Palestinians from their homes and communities – about 85% of those living within the borders of what became the State of Israel. Most of these deportees and their descendants still live as refugees without citizenship throughout the Middle East, in the West Bank, in Gaza and all over the world, and are still prevented from returning home. A few have remained in the area that became the State of Israel and were forced to become Israeli citizens, however, they are actively disallowed from returning to their destroyed towns and villages, let alone repossessing their lands, which have been expropriated by the State for Jewish-only settlements.”
from https://www.zochrot.org/articles/view/17/en?Who_Why_and_How
View a map of all the lost villages here: https://www.zochrot.org/villages/nakba_map/en
Nakba: The man reconstructing Palestine’s lost villages
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/5/19/nakba-the-man-reconstructing-palestines-lost-villages
EMERGENCY RALLY FOR PALESTINE, 1:00 PM SATURDAY, STATE LIBRARY
Israel is once again attacking Al-Aqsa Mosque in the holy month of Ramadan. Hundreds of prayer-goers have been brutalized and arrested by the Israeli Offense Force, and air strikes have hit Gaza. Israel is an aparthied state that commits crimes against huminaty and breaks international law, and this must be opposed.
Calling on all Palestine activists to come out this Saturday for an emergency rally to stand in solidarity with the Palestinians fighting back against Israeli terror and oppression.
End of Year Activist Picnic
ALL WELCOME
Especially if you support, or are interested in supporting activism for a free Palestine.
Double vaxxed pls!
We will be raising funds for Sustain Australia and GUPAP’s solidarity action for women agripreneurs in Gaza.
More information on the campaign here
BRING: we will have BBQ food, we ask you to bring a plate of something to share, a cup and something to sit on.
WHEN: 12 noon to finish, Sunday 19 December 2021
LOCATION: Darebin Parklands
(east end of Separation St, Alphington)
DONATIONS: note if you cannot attend but can donate gifts for our raffle, please get in contact
2021 Palestine National Day *online celebration*
Join us online to celebrate Palestinian National Day and showcase Palestinian culture. The event will include poetry, music, Dabkeh performances, short speeches and videos from young Palestinians, as well as a live-stream of the raising of the Palestinian flag!
This event will be streamed on both Zoom and facebook live.
It will be held at 6pm (ADST) {5.30 SA; 5pm QLD; 4.30pm NT; 3pm WA}.
This event is hosted by Palestinian community and advocacy organisations in Melbourne – Australia Palestine Advocacy Network; Palestinian Community Association; Beit Jala Palestinian Association; Australians for Palestine; Casey Friends of Palestine; Free Palestine Melbourne; Hirak.
When: November 15th, 2021 6:00 PM through 7:00 PM
Location: *Online* Australia
Food Sovereignty in Palestine – 16 October, 2021
Webinar in support of the campaign for Urban Women Agripreneurs in Gaza with Sustain: The Australian Food Network Global Gardens of Peace منتدى غزة للزراعة الحضرية Gaza Urban Agriculture Platform GUPAP
https://www.facebook.com/sustainaustralia/videos/1953923018117383/
Funding Campaign: https://www.gofundme.com/f/food-sovereignty-in-palestine
Forum: When Prison is a Weapon: the Palestinian Reality
With Palestinian ingenuity and a rusty spoon six Palestinian prisoners escaped Israel’s much heralded security apparatus. The escapees became instant heroes to all Palestinians – while Israel launched a massive manhunt to mask their fallibility.
This forum “When prison is a weapon – the Palestinian reality” will explore what it means to be a Palestinian prisoner of the state of Israel – the loss of liberty, the abuse and torture, the impacts on families, children and communities and what it tells us about the nature of occupation.
Join us and our speakers to get an insight into the realities of life for prisoners and prison’s role in the continuing occupation and oppression of Palestinians.
Pursuing Justice: Human Rights in an Age of Crisis
This event originally scheduled to take place on Thursday 22 July was postponed in response to current health advice and restrictions on public events. This will now be an online only event.
Join us for Free Palestine Melbourne’s next panel discussion at 6:30pm on Monday 26 July 2021.
Pursuing Justice: Human Rights in an Age of Crisis In the midst of intersecting global crises, how can we address the escalating humanitarian and environmental challenges of the twenty-first century?
Free Palestine Melbourne is proud to partner with The Wheeler Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas in presenting barrister and refugee advocate Julian Burnside QC, and founder of the Sydney Peace Foundation Professor Stuart Rees AO, as they discuss how the most significant human rights questions of our time have shifted – and intensified – under the impact of Covid-19. The discussion will be hosted by the inaugural Ambassador for Women of Colour and Australian Human Rights Commission “Anti-Racism Champion” Tasneem Chopra OAM.
Professor Rees, who has been a steadfast supporter of Palestinian human rights since he was targeted by the Australian Israel Lobby for refusing to withdraw the award of the 2003 Sydney Peace Prize to Palestinian peace activist Hanan Ashrawi, will be available to sign copies of his latest book Cruelty or Humanity, which will be sold at the event.
Details are as follows:
Venue: The Wheeler Centre, 176 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne.
Date: Monday 26 July 2021.
Time: 6.30pm
Pursuing Justice: Human Rights in an Age of Crisis
Monday, 26 July 2021 at 18:30 (AEST)
Recording
Conversation with Dr. Toufic Haddad: Birth of a new resistance in Palestine
Join us in a conversation with Dr. Toufic Haddad, Palestinian American writer, activist and academic resident of the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem which has become the frontline of the struggle against ethnic cleansing by the Israeli occupation.
Toufic Haddad is the author of ‘Palestine Ltd. Neoliberalism and Nationalism in the Occupied Territory‘, co-author and editor of ‘Between the Lines: Readings in Israel, the Palestinians, and the U.S. ‘War on Terror’‘ and ‘Towards a New Internationalism: Readings in Globalization, the Global Justice Movement and Palestinian Liberation’.
He has worked as a journalist, editor and researcher in Jerusalem and will share with us grass-roots insight into the current unified, local and global Palestine uprising. Come prepared with questions as there will be valuable time for discussion.
Free Palestine Melbourne in conversation with Toufic Haddad.
Sunday, 13 June 2021 at 19:00 (AEST)
Recording: TBC
Nakba Forum
Returning to Palestine (liberated)
Free Palestine Melbourne forum with Dr. Sary Zananiri and Dr. Jordy Silverstein in conversation with Tasnim Sammak (PhD Candidate). More details here: https://fb.me/e/1k5ZcC28K
Wednesday, 19 May 2021 at 19:00 (AEST)
Webinar recording
#SaveSheikhJarrah Nakba rally
Israeli colonisation must end
Join us as we commemorate and resist 73 years of Israeli colonisation, marked by Israel’s declaration of Independence on the 14th of May, 1948 and the events of Nakba, or Catastrophe.
More details here: https://fb.me/e/2hkyslO6E
State Library of Victoria
Saturday 22nd May 2021, 1pm (AEST)
FORUM – Freedom or Normalisation? Palestine, Israel and the Arab World
Wednesday 10 February 2021, 8pm to 9.30pm (AEST)
Webinar recording
العربي في الأسفل
ABOUT:
In the dying days of the Trump administration, three Arab states have “normalised” relations with Israel – the UAE, Bahrain, and Sudan. While a fourth, Morocco, is in the process of normalisation thanks to quid pro quo agreements.
The opportunism is obvious to even the most casual observer. But the size of the betrayal for Palestinians and the deeper ramifications for Palestine, Jerusalem and the broader region are less so, with the schism between the Arab people and the elite of their regimes increasingly stark.
Join us for an in-depth round table with Palestinian experts from the region and Australia, to discuss this and the implications of a Biden administration on these developments.
SPEAKERS:
** Dr Khaled Hroub: Palestinian academic, professor of Middle Eastern studies at Northwestern University in Qatar, a senior research fellow at the Centre of Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge, and an author of several books including: Hamas: A Beginners Guide.
** Dr. Ahmed Jamil Azem is a Palestinian academic, in the Political Science Department, at Birzeit University in Palestine. He is the Chief Editor of Shuun Falistinyyah (PLO Journal). He was a visiting fellow at the school of Arab and Middle Eastern studies at Cambridge University, worked for almost 10 years at the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research in Abu Dhabi, and was awarded his doctorate from University of Edinburgh for a thesis entitled Jerusalem and the Middle East Settlement Policy. He is also a member of the Palestinian Central Council and advisor to the Palestinian Prime Minister.
** Dr Samah Sabawi is a Palestinian-Australian playwright, author and poet. Outside the realm of art, she is a policy advisor to Al-Shabaka, the Palestinian Policy Network and the host of the new podcast and web series In The Book Room with Samah Sabawi.
FORMAT:
We will have a dynamic roundtable discussion, followed by 30-45 mins of audience Q&A.
DATE:
Wednesday 10 February 2021
TIME:
Palestine: 11am to 12.30pm
Australia:
* Melbourne (Naarm), Sydney (Eora nation), Canberra (Ngunnawal country) – 8pm to 9.30pm
* Brisbane (Meanjin) – 7pm to 8.30pm
* Adelaide (Kaurna country) – 7.30pm to 9pm
* Darwin (Larrakia nation) – 6.30pm to 8pm
* Perth (Boorloo) – 5pm to 6.30pm
New Zealand/Aotearoa: 10pm to 11.30pm
Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur): 5pm to 6.30pm
Indonesia (Jakarta): 4.30pm to 6pm
Timor-Leste / West Papua: 6pm to 7.30pm
United Kingdom: 9am to 10.30am
في الايام التي كانت تحتضر فيها إدارة ترامب بادرة أربعة دول عربية بتطبيع العلاقات رسمياً مع الكيان الصهيوني وهي الإمارات العربية المتحدة، البحرين، السودان والمملكة المغربية.
حيث الإنتهازية الغير مسبوقة التي مارستها الإدارة الإمريكية كانت واضحة للقاصي والداني من المراقبين والمهتمين بالشأن الفلسطيني والدولي. بينما حجم الخيانة وتداعياتها الكارثية على القضية الفلسطينية والقدس وجميع المناطق المحتلة كانت بالغة الأثر وليس أقل أهمية من تداعيات الإنقسام بالرآي بين النخبة من إبناء الأمة العربية وإنظمتها المطبعة.
نرحب بكم جيمعا للأنضمام معنا في ندوتنا التي نستضيف فيها خبراء في الشأن الفلسطيني من فلسطين وأستراليا والمنطقة، للنقاش حول التطبيع وتداعياته، وكذلك أثر وصول الرئيس بايدن لسدة الرأسة في الولايات المتحدة الإمريكية.
الضيوف:
الدكتور خالد الحروب، أكاديمي فلسطيني وأستاذ في جامعة نورث ويست لدراسات الشرق الأوسط، رئيس أبحاث في مركز الدراسات الإسلامية / جامعة كامبردج. وله عدة مؤلفات منها: حماس الفكر السياسي والممارسة.
الدكتور أحمد جميل عزم، أكاديمي فلسطيني، أستاذ مساعد في العلاقات الدولية في جامعة بيرزيت، ورئيس تحرير مجلة شؤون فلسطينية. زميل كلية الدراسات العربية والشرق أوسطية بجامعة كامبردج. عمل لمدة عشر سنوات في مركز الإمارات للدراسات والبحوث الاستراتيجية في أبو ظبي، حصل على الدكتوراه من جامعة إدنبرة عن أطروحة بعنوان القدس وسياسة التسوية في الشرق الأوسط. كما أنه عضو في المجلس المركزي الفلسطيني ومستشار لرئيس الوزراء الفلسطيني.
الدكتورة سماح سبعاوي شاعرة وكاتبة مسرحية فلسطينية – أسترالية. أكاديمية ومعلّقة. عملت مستشارة سياسية للشبكة (شبكة السياسات الفلسطينية) ومقدمة للبودكاست الجديد كما كتبت سلسلة “في غرفة الكتاب مع سماح سبعاوي”. من اعمالها المسرحية “حكايات مدينة على الشاطئ” ، وهي قصة حب تدور أحداثها على خلفية قصف غزة في عام 2008 ، حائزة على جائزة الغرفة الخضراء لعام 2020 لأفضل كتابة
Palestinian National Day – live stream
Sun 15 Nov, 5pm (AEDST)
Join us online to celebrate Palestinian National Day and showcase Palestinian culture. The event will include poetry, music, Dabkeh performances, short speeches and videos from young Palestinians, as well as a live-stream of the raising of the Palestinian flag!
This event will be streamed on both Zoom and facebook live. Below is Zoom registration link. You can also join and share the facebook event.
It will be held at 5pm (AEDST) {4.30 SA; 4pm QLD; 3.30pm NT; 2pm WA}.
This event is hosted by Palestinian community and advocacy organisations in Melbourne – Australia Palestine Advocacy Network; Palestinian Community Association; Beit Jala Palestinian Association; Australians for Palestine; Casey Friends of Palestine; Free Palestine Melbourne. When November 15th, 2020 5:00 PM through 6:00 PM Location *Online*
Australia
Virtual Tour Webinar:
Facts on the Ground: Annexation from Jerusalem to the Jordan Valley
Wednesday, Oct 7, 2020 07:30 PM in Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney
Webinar Recording
Join FPM as we take a virtual tour from Jerusalem (al Azariya checkpoint) to the Jordan Valley to see the facts on the ground in this era of Annexation.
Following our very successful July forum The Palestinian Struggle in the Era of Annexation, Free Melbourne Palestine are partnering with 24 Palestine Tours to present a virtual tour from Jerusalem through Jericho to the Jordan Valley. The tour will be conducted by Palestinian film-maker and activist Ehab Ghafri, who will show us how the policy of annexation is being carried out and its effect on Palestinians who are losing their lands, water and freedom of movement to Jewish settlers in the West Bank. This will be a unique tour, conducted especially for an Australian audience, that will also bring some much-needed economic relief to Palestinians afflicted by the twin evils of Israel’s Occupation and the Covid pandemic.
The tour will screen for approx. 45min-1hr, followed by a 30 minute live Q&A audience discussion with our tour guide, Ehab Ghafri.
Forum: The Palestinian Struggle in the Era of Annexation
Free Palestine Melbourne invites you to join our roundtable discussion on “The Palestinian Struggle in the Era of Annexation”. In the context of the recent furore around Netanyahu’s express intention to annex up to 30% of the West Bank the Palestinian, Israeli and international discourse has reached new levels.
Join us on Wednesday 22 July 2020 with Diana Buttu, Dr Yara Hawari and Maher Mughrabi to better understand what it all means for Palestinians, the future of the Palestinian state and our international advocacy, activism and the ongoing support for the Palestinian struggle.
WHO (includes):
** Diana Buttu, Palestinian-Canadian lawyer and a former spokesperson for the Palestine Liberation Organization who is best known for her work as a legal adviser and participant in Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.
** Maher Mughrabi, Palestinian Australian Journalist. Features editor at The Age. Foreign Editor of both The Age and of the Sydney Morning Herald from 2014 to 2017.
** Dr Yara Hawari, Activist and Senior Palestine Policy Fellow at Al- Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network.
DATE: Wednesday 22 July
SCREENING TIMES: Palestine: 12.30pm to 2pm
Australia:
* Melbourne (Naarm), Sydney (Eora nation), Brisbane (Meanjin), Canberra (Ngunnawal country) – 7.30pm to 9pm
* Adelaide (Kaurna country), Darwin (Larrakia nation) – 7pm to 8.30pm
* Perth (Boorloo) – 5.30pm to 7pm
New Zealand/Aotearoa: 9.30pm to 11pm
Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur): 5.30pm to 7pm
Indonesia (Jakarta): 4.30pm to 6pm
Timor-Leste / West Papua: 6.30pm to 8pm
Gaza Fights For Freedom – Film Screening
After the success of our first action as Free Palestine Melbourne screening this film, we have decided to organise a second online screening, this time in conjunction with solidarity groups around Australia.
Abby Martin’s film Gaza Fights for Freedom is both an inspiring and thought-provoking film about Gaza and the Great March of Return, that we encourage all to watch to get a sense of the struggle and resilience of the Palestinian people, and the justness of the cause.
We will screen the film (1.5hrs) followed by a panel discussion.
We have now confirmed that Abby Martin, the film’s director from The Empire Files will join us, alongside friends from We Are Not Numbers in Gaza and CANADIAN Boat to Gaza.
| Saturday, 25 April 2020 from 10:30-13:00 Abby Martin – Film made available for free: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnZSaKYmP2s |
2023-08-16 01:47:33.000000