June 25 is the kick-off date for Freedom Summer, a
campaign of non-violent protest and direct action
by Palestinians and international activists to
promote freedom and justice for Palestine.
Participants plan a number of non-violent direct
actions, including removing roadblocks, rebuilding
destroyed homes, providing cover for ambulances
and emergency workers, and replanting uprooted
trees.
2002.06.16
June 25 is the kick-off date for Freedom
Summer, a campaign of non-violent protest and
direct action by Palestinians and international
activists to promote freedom and justice for
Palestine.
Based in New York City, Direct Action for a Free
Palestine is working in coordination with the
International Solidarity Movement and, through the
ISM, with the 60,000-member network of Palestinian
NGOs (PNGO) to organize, train, and in some cases
fund US activists for the 54-day campaign.
Since last year, 13 members of Direct Action for a Free
Palestine have spent a total of over nine months
in the Occupied Territories, three of them aided
by scholarships the group provided.
They were among 100 other Americans and 1,000
internationals who stood with the Palestinians.
Delegates provided desperately needed humanitarian
aid and, by their presence, helped to prevent an
escalation of Israeli Army violence in countless
situations.
The delegation that starts out on
June 25 is expected to number in the hundreds.
Fundraising is making a larger number of
scholarships possible as well, aided by
international outrage over Israel’s campaign of
terror in the Territories.
Participants plan a number of non-violent direct
actions, including removing roadblocks, rebuilding
destroyed homes, providing cover for ambulances
and emergency workers, and replanting uprooted
trees.
“Like the Civil Rights Movement in
the U.S., India’s National Liberation Movement,
and the Anti-Apartheid Movement in South Africa,
Freedom Summer will utilize non-violent direct
action strategies to overcome oppression,”
says Kristen Schurr, who spent April and May in
the West Bank and Gaza Strip as a delegate from
Direct Action for a Free Palestine.
“This is not a cause of Palestinians against
Israelis or Arabs against Jews. Rather, it is a
cause of humanity against injustice, against
oppression for freedom.”
Members of Direct Action for a Free Palestine who have
already been delegates in the Occupied Territories
will be available for interviews about their experiences
in the weeks ahead.
Once they have arrived in the Occupied
Territories, many Freedom Summer delegates will be
available for regular contact with the press by
cell phone.
Contact:
Amanda Ream, (212) 541-4226, x241
Eric Laursen, (917) 806-6452
Kate Cooper, (917) 374-7087
Author:
News Service: Direct Action for Justice in Palestine
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