Click here for upcoming events.
Tuesday 28 October, 6.30pm – 8.30pm
Join us to express solidarity with the civilized people of Shingal and Kobani! Show your anger against the bloodthirsty forces of ISIS!
International Federation of Iraqi Refugees invites you to a meeting hosted by John McDonnell MP. Invited speakers: Jean Lambert MEP; A speaker from Amnesty; And 2 activists from Northern Iraq
The issues to be discussed are:
1. The ISIS threat against the future of Iraq, Kurdistan and the Middle East.
2. Genocide against the people of Shingal both Yazidis and Christian.
3. The situation of displaced people and women kidnapped by ISIS forces.
4. The brave Resistance of the citizens of Kobani and finding a way out of this blazing hell.
5. There will also be a film regarding the plight of displaced people.
By taking part in this meeting you will show your solidarity to all the victims ISIS. At the same time, you will show your anger and contempt against ISIS, its brutal crimes and bloodbath it has created.
For more information contact: 07804891082 or 07856032991 or 07894252708
Venue: Committee room no10, House of Parliament, Westminster, London. Entrance is free
Saturday 1 November, 2pm
Global Rally against ISIS – for Kobanê – for Humanity!
ISIS launched a major multi-front military campaign against the Kurdish region of Kobanê in northern Syria. This is the third ISIS onslaught on Kobanê since March 2014. As the ISIS was unsuccessful on the two previous occasions, they are attacking with larger forces and want to take Kobanê. If the world wants democracy in the Middle East, it should support the Kurdish resistance in Kobanê. Democratic autonomy in Rojava promises a free future for all peoples in Syria. In this regard, the “Rojava Model” – the secular, non-sectarian, democratic position in Rojava is the model which practices unity in diversity. It is high time to give the global players the reason to believe otherwise.
We encourage people all over the world to show their solidarity with Kobanê. Go to the streets and demonstrate.
Venue: Trafalgar Square, central London. Events will be taking place across the country. Keep updated on all the events planned here. Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/807930075930434
Friday 7 November, 8.30 – 9.45am
COMPAS Breakfast Briefing Why are westerners drawn to fight with IS in Syria and Iraq? And what can we do in response?
There has been considerable media attention focusing on the security concerns that foreign fighters pose to not only Syria and Iraq, but also their countries of origin. This briefing will outline the nature and scale of the problem and unpack the motivations of Westerners that are drawn to fight alongside IS and explore their activities on the ground. It will also address responses to this threat, which are constantly evolving. Much attention has been directed towards harder policy approaches, particularly as foreign fighters return to Europe. The briefing will discuss the need for alternative approaches that go beyond prosecution. Speakers: Peter Neumann, International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Rachel Briggs, Institute for Strategic Dialogue.
Venue: Institute for Strategic Dialogue, 48 Charles Street, London W1J 5EN. RSVP: If you would like to attend the November Breakfast Briefing please email communications@compas.ox.ac.uk. Please note that spaces are limited and are allocated on a first come, first served basis.
Saturday, 8 November, 4 – 7pm
Terror Stops On Travellers: An IHRC know your rights workshop
All you need to do to be stopped, questioned for up to 9 hours (soon to be 6 hours), detained, searched and have your property confiscated is to travel to or from Great Britain or just get on a plane within the UK. As a traveller you are liable to be stopped under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism act 2000 – which permits the above. The powers are supposed to allow security personnel to determine whether people appear to be terrorists. You can be stopped without any suspicion that you are a terrorist being required – you just need to be travelling to/from the UK. It is also likely that you will be stopped if you are Asian, Muslim or travelling to/from places with high Muslim populations. Asian travellers from the UK,are 42 times more likely than white UK travellers to be stopped.. It is also highly likely that those travelling to and from Turkey or Syria are likely to be stopped. You have more duties and fewer rights than a terror suspect or any other criminal suspect! If you want to know the rights that you do have so that you are prepared for travelling to and from Great Britain attend this workshop.
Venue: IHRC Bookshop and Gallery, 202 Preston Road Wembley, HA9 8PA, London. You need to book tickets in advance; to do so click here: http://www.ihrc.org.uk/events/11172-autumn-2014-know-your-rights-workshop-series
Tuesday 11 November, 6.30pm-8pm
The Kurdish National Liberation Movement in Iraq: From Insurgency to Statehood
The Kurdish liberation movement in Iraq represents a fascinating example for how liberation movements can adjust to changing global circumstances and regional dynamics. In this lecture and book launch, Dr Yaniv Voller will discuss the evolution of the Kurdish struggle with the aim of providing insights on the broader context of liberation struggle in the Middle East and across the globe. His book will serve as the starting point of the discussion.
Venue: Room 9.04, Tower 2, Clement’s Inn, London School of Economics, Haughton Street, London. More details here
Saturday 15 November, 4.30- 8pm
ASSATA & SUNDIATA! Celebrating the Panther legacy, Assata’s book and freedom for Sundiata and ALL our political prisoners
Zed Books have published a new edition of Assata Shakur’s seminal autobiography. In celebrating Assata Shakur’s and the Black Panther Party’s legacy and the wider connected struggles of the of all oppressed and socialist-oriented peoples liberation movement from neo-colonialism, the Tricontinental Anti-Imperialist Platform are honoured to host this book launch with leading Black Panther. We will also be exploring the importance of defending ALL our political prisoners of the same struggle in the ‘west’ and throughout the world who are being held in dungeons by the neo-colonialists and their agents. Speakers: YASMEEN SUTTON (speaking via internet video link) – New York-based Black Panther Commemoration Committee, and family friend of Assata Shakur; BILLY X JENNINGS (speaking via internet video link) – Chief organiser and archivist for the Black Panther Alumni; CHARLOTTE HILL O’NEAL (speaking via internet video link) – Black Panther Alumni, and resident of Tanzania with her comrade and husband who is also a Black Panther veteran exiled in Tanzania; ZENA EDWARDS – Leading radical political voice and spoken word artist; Carlos Martinez – Agent of Change music producer, Invent the Future; Marcel Cartier – Rapper and media activist; Malia Bouattia – NUS BLack Students President; MEMED AKSOY, Kurdish activist. Chair: Sukant Chandan
Venue: The Flyover, 2-5 Thorpe Close, Ladbroke Grove, W10 5XL. Supported by Zed Books, Intifada Street, NUS Black Students and I am Hip-Hop Magazine
Saturday 15 November, 5-6.30pm
Ciwanen Azad Kobane Event: Understanding the Rojava Revolution
5 – 6pm Debate about the Rojava Revolution & the Constitution
6 – 6.30pm Screening of the ‘Female State’
Venue: Kurdish Community Centre, Haringey, 11 Portland Gardens, N4 1HU
Saturday 15th November, 5.30 – 7.30pm
Kurdistan: Why International Support is Crucial
We hope to initiate and facilitate an in-depth discussion on the Kurdish demand for international support vis-à-vis Kurdistan in light of recent developments in the region. Needless to say, the Islamic States’ violent offensive has grave repercussions for the security and welfare of the citizens both regionally and globally. For this reason, the event aims to shine light on the international communities’ responsibility to further assist the Kurds in Iraq and Syria as a measure of combating the spread of IS and providing relief to the innumerable victims of this unforgiving war. Guest panellists taking part in the debate include:
- Dr Alan Semo – UK Representative of the Democratic Union Party (PYD)
- Bayan Sami Rahman – KRG High Representative to the UK
- Michael Stephens – Deputy Director of RUSI Think Tank in Qatar
- Dr Marianna Charountaki – Author of the critically acclaimed book, ‘The Kurds and US foreign policy: International Relations in the Middle East since 1945′
Venue: SOAS, University of London, Lecture Theatre G2 – SOAS, University of London, Thornhaugh St, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG
Sunday 16 November, 1 – 4pm
Finale event – Re-making Democracy
Ultimate participative event exploring how can we re-constitute a society to create a real democracy for social, economic & environmental justice. With speakers setting the scene from the Scottish Radical Independence Campaign, Iceland’s pots & pans revolution, Spanish Podemos party for democracy , and Kurdish self government (speaker Memed Aksoy), followed by a participative discussion using Open Space Technology. Held in the same venue as the original debates in 1647 when soldiers and officers of Oliver Cromwell’s New Model Army, including civilian representatives of the Levellers, held discussions on the constitution and future of England.
Venue: St Mary’s Church, High St. Putney, SW15 1SN. Part of the New Putney Debates. http://thenewputneydebates.com/programme/
Sunday 16 November, 6pm
Kobane Concert
Koma Zelal
Grup Umut
Hakan Kobane Xan
Ahmed Husseini (kurdish poet)
Slide Show; Food & Drinks; Merchandise for Kobane
All Contributions will go to Kobane through Heyva Sor
Venue: Kurdish Community Centre, Haringey, 11 Portland Gardens, N4 1HU
Sunday 16 November, 8-10.30pm
Stand-Up against ISIS! Charity Comedy Show
Host: Kae Kurd. Comedians on the night: Dane Baptiste; Tez Ilyas; Mo Gilligan; Travis Jay. All proceeds go to Kurdistan Red Crescent helping hundreds of thousands of refugees in aid camps with no food and shelter. Contact standupagainstisis@gmail.com.
Venue: The Flyover, 2-5 Thorpe Close, Ladbroke Grove, W10 5XL. Tickets (£10) can be bought here.
Wednesday 19 November, 5-7pm
Conference at the European Parliament: Yezidi Kurds and the Middle East
The Representation in Europe of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) and the European Yezidi Federation co-organize a conference at the European Parliament on the following subject: YEZIDI KURDS AND THE MIDDLE-EAST:CURRENT SITUATION & FUTURE PROJECTIONS
Venue: Q2 – European Parliament / Brussels
Wednesday 19 November
Women In Conflict: SOAS Feminist Society
An evening of discussion. With speakers: RIYA HASSAN, Palestinian activist, speaking about how Israeli white-washing abuses feminism – how women’s issues are used to portray Israel as more progressive than the Palestinian and wider Arab communities. Riya will also speak about how women organise politically and in terms of resistance around the Palestinian solidarity; ISABEL MILLAR, an MA student at Birkbeck University; she is developing a thesis on the crisis of gendered identity, nation state-ism and global warfare. Isabel’s talk is titled: ‘Grand Theft Autobiography: The Rape and Pillage of Mother Earth by The Holy Fathers.’; DILAR DIRIK, a Kurdish activist and PhD student at the University of Cambridge. She will be speaking about the development of Kurdish women’s movement ; MARTA GARCIA ALIAGA, law student at SOAS and co-president of the SOAS FemSoc. Marta will show us a short documentary on challenges faced by Internally Displaced Women in Ukraine. She produced it along with videographer Rowan Farrell in July-August 2014.
Venue: B102 Brunei Gallery SOAS, Russell Square Campus
Saturday 22 November, 5-7pm
Feminicide in Sinjar – sexual violence, conflict, and gender liberation in the Kurdish struggle
Three months after ISIS fighters attacked the Iraqi region on Sinjar, the fate of thousands of women kidnapped and sold into sexual slavery following the raids is still unknown and no international investigation into their welfare has taken place. However, just as it has done in the defence of Kobane in Syria, the Kurdish Women’s Movement has mobilised with allied organisations to take action for the missing women. This event will bring together women activists and representatives of the Kurdish women’s organisations to give you first-hand information about how people have responded to the crisis on the ground. We’ll also discuss the unique potential within the Kurdish Women’s Movement for engendering gender liberation in the region and its role in the development of the Rojava revolution. Come and join us for this exciting one-off event!
Speakers: Michelle Allison, KNK UK Women’s Representative; Meltem Ay, Roj Women’s Association; Margaret Owen OBE, barrister and expert on sexual violence in conflict; Ruth Walter, trade union activist and member of a recent delegation visiting refugee camps in North Kurdistan. Chair: Isabel Käser, PhD candidate, Centre for Gender Studies, SOAS
More speakers TBC. With a special recorded message from the refugee camp relief worker in Sinjar.
Venue: Khalili Lecture Theatre, SOAS University, London WC1H 0XG. This event is free and open to all! Organised by Peace in Kurdistan Campaign, Roj Women. Supported by SOAS Kurdish Society.
Saturday 22 November
Radical Independence Campaign Conference
The 2014 Radical Independence Conference will take place all day on Saturday 22nd November in Glasgow city centre at the SECC Clyde Auditorium and the Glasgow Science Centre. More event details on timetable, speakers, childcare and conference agenda will be released shortly. Please check our website and Facebook pages for further updates. More information and tickets can be bought here: http://radicalindependence.org/2014/09/29/ric-conference-2014/Venue: Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow.
Sunday 23 November, 1-4pm
Women of the world unite against ISIS
To mark the international day for the elimination of violence against women (25 November) a demonstration is being organised in London. Coma and you’re your solidarity with the women and girls effected by ISIS violence.
Venue: Trafalgar Square, central London. Organised by IKWRO, KNK, KWP, Roj Women, KMBWO, SKB.
Sunday 23 November, 7.30pm
Comedy Benefit For Kobane and Kurdish Red Crescent
The comedic talent of Jeremy Hardy, Tim Key, Josie Long, Mark Thomas, Andy Zaltzman, Nadia Kamil and Abdulrashid plus specific guests to be announced combine to raise funds for the Kurdish Red Crescent and their work supporting the refugees on the Syrian and Turkish border, fleeing the attacks of Isis and Assad.
Venue: The Bloomsbury Theatre, 15 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0AH. Tickets £15 / £8 conc.
Monday 24 November, 7pm
Inside Kobane: Let’s talk about a Revolution
Film “The Silent Revolution” and a talk through what is happening in the autonomous region of Rojava, Kurdistan as they resist with armed struggle the fascism of ISIS and create a project of direct democracy, environmental sustainability and gender equality from below. Assembly after to look at how we can support and learn from the resistance movement in Rojava. Also Kurdish food, fine ales, friendship and a raffle! Fundraiser for Kurdish Red Moon.
Venue: Wharf Chambers, Ground Floor, 23 – 25 Wharf Street, LS2 7EQ Leeds
Tuesday 25 November, 6.30pm
The Kurdish and Tamil Struggles: Solidarities-Past, Present and Future
Seminar on ‘The Kurdish and Tamil Struggles: Solidarities-Past, Present and Future’ jointly hosted by the SOAS Kurdish Society and SOAS Tamil Society. The event consists of talks by Kurdish and Tamil speakers followed by a 45 minute Q&A session. Kurdish Speakers:
-Dr Janroj Keles – “Stateless Diasporas as Political Actors”
-Dr Alan Semo – “The Rojava/Syrian Kurds and International Relations”
Tamil Speakers:
– Jason Jesuthasan – “Grounding Principles: The Importance of Human Rights in National Liberation Struggles – Tamil Eelam and the Ongoing Quest for Justice and Peace”
– Isai Priya – “The Kurdish & Tamil National Question”
– Virou Rajah – “The British State and its historical complicity in the oppression of Kurds and Tamils”
All are welcome!
Venue: Room 4426 (4th floor, Main Building), SOAS. Find the event on Facebook.
Tuesday 25 November, 7.30pm
Iraq, Syria & Kurdistan – between REACTION AND REVOLUTION
Speakers: Gilbert Achcar – Lebanese academic, writer, socialist and anti-war activist; Sarah Parker – Socialist Resistance; Kamran Matin – Senior Lecturer in International Development, working on the history of the Kurdish national liberation movement. Resistance in Kobane against ISIS and Assad puts the fight for democracy and social justice back on the agenda in the Middle East. It deserves our solidarity. Kobane gives hope that the counter-revolution in Egypt, Syria and elsewhere, supported by imperialism, can be rolled back. The meeting will discuss the regional context, the struggle for Kurdistan, and solidarity with progressive forces. Read more at www.socialist resistance.org
Venue: Community Centre, 62 Marchmont Street, WC1N 1AB. (Kings Cross and Russell Square tubes)
Tuesday 25 November, 7.30pm
Why we need to build a pro-Good Friday Agreement axis
The meeting is hosted by Sinn Fein MPs. The panel will include Conor Murphy MP, Michelle Gildernew MP, former Labour Minister Lord Alf Dubs, former Assembly Speaker Lord John Alderdice and other speakers to be confirmed. The meeting will be an important opportunity to discuss the need to pro-actively support the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement at this crucial time, which has seen growing concerns about the current stalling of progress and an anti-Agreement axis acting to block this. It will also be an opportunity to hear about the current talks process to resolve outstanding issues, and to discuss how the pro-agreement voices in both Ireland and Britain can make a positive contribution to taking things forward. For more information, or to confirm your attendance please email: fisherj@parliament.uk All welcome.
You can also register and share the event via our facebook event page. Please feel free to share the information with friends and colleagues, and via facebook and twitter.
Venue: Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House, House of Commons SW1
29 November 2014, 9.30am – 4.30pm
Latin America Adelante! Conference
Come to the Latin America Conference 2014 to find out first hand about the latest developments in the region and how we can offer solidarity. Featuring contributions from over 50 campaigners, politicians, trade unionists, journalists & academics, from Argentina, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Venezuela and the UK, including: Features films, stalls, music and discussion.
Venue: TUC Congress House, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LS
Saturday, 29th November, 4.30pm
Discussion with UK Delegation to Suruc, Turkey, on the Syrian border
Kobane is still under severe attack by ISIS. Over 50,000 people have been forced to flee Kobane as refugees to Suruc, in the Kurdish province of Urfa city of Turkey. Suruc sits just across the border from Kobane, separated by an arbitrary line that divides Kurdistan into four. Kobane refugees in Suruc have limited food and unsuitable shelter, and are patiently waiting for the end of this brutal war in order to go back to their homeland. A group of activists from London and Edinburgh took part in a recent delegation to Suruc two weeks ago, meeting local officials, relief workers and refugees. They will share their observations about the situation in the region, the impact of the conflict on its people, what they need and how we in the UK can help them. Reporting back from the region this Saturday afternoon will be:
Andrew Penny, Firat News and long-time advocate for the Kurdish struggle
Patrick Smith, freelance journalist
Zaher Baher, Haringey Solidarity Group and Kurdistan Anarchists Forum (in personal capacity)
Ruth Walter, trade unionist, sponsored by UNITE local branch
Aubrey Nunes, member of Stop the War Coalition and member of BECTU (Broadcasting and TV Union).
Come and listen to their first-hand accounts of the situation as it stands and show your support and solidarity.
The discussion will be followed at 6pm by the 36th anniversary celebration of the founding of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) with a programme of music and dance.
Venue: Kurdish Community Centre, Fairfax Hall, 11 Portland Gardens, London N4 1HU
Monday 8 December, 5pm – 7pm
Book launch: The Education System in Pakistan: Discrimination and the Targeting of the ‘Other’
The book examines the nature of discrimination and the targeting of ‘Others’ in Pakistan, particularly within the educational sphere. A multitude of inter-linked themes are explored, including the politics of educational ‘instruction’; the status of girls education in Pakistan; the nature of the targeting of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Christians, Hindus, Baloch and ‘Others’. Twelve authors have contributed essays to this book. Some of the contributors will be speaking at the launch, including: Desmond Fernandes (Genocide Scholar); Faiz Baluch (International Voice for Baloch Missing Persons); Margaret Owen (Director of Widows for Peace through Democracy); Ranbir Singh (Chair of the Hindu Human Rights Group); Fareed Ahmad (National Secretary, External Affairs, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK); Ghalib Lone (former UN legal analyst); Asif Shakoor; Wilson Chowdhry (Chair of BPCA)
Venue: Committee Room 18, the House of Commons, Westminster, London (Nearest Underground: Westminster). Organised by the British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA). All welcome! For further information, please contact Wilson Chowdhry: Tel: 0208 5140861 Email: admin@britishpakistanichristians.org
Saturday 13th December, 2–5pm
Seminar: Gender, Fundamentalism and the New Politics in the Middle East
Nira Yuval-Davis, CMRB, UEL: Some of the gendered aspects of the Israeli/Palestinian current encounters
Zahra Ali, EHESS: Women’s Political Activism in Post-2003 Iraq: dealing with sectarian violence and political crisis
Sara Khan, Inspire #Makingastand: Challenging fundamentalist’s erosion of women’s rights
Magdulein Abaida: Title TBC
Venue: G3, Main Building, SOAS, London, WC1H 0XG. The event is free but space is limited so please reserve a place at: gfnpme.eventbrite.co.uk. For more info on CMRB: uel.ac.uk/cmrb and facebook.com/CMRBuel. For more info on Centre for Gender Studies: http://www.soas.ac.uk/genderstudies/. Hosted by The University of East London’s CMRB (Centre for research on Migration, Refugees and Belonging) and SOAS’ Centre for Gender Studies.
Saturday 13 December, 2-6pm
Institutional Islamophobia Conference
This high-profile conference on Islamophobia will bring together some of the issue’s leading luminaries. Organised by the Islamic Human Rights Commission the gathering will explore and suggest responses to the alarming rise of Islamophobia in them UK. The focus of the event is to analyse institutional and structural forms of prejudice and hatred with some focus on recent events, particularly in education, political activism, the criminalisation of dissent, the role of the media and the UK government’s anti-terrorist Prevent agenda. Speakers include:
* Hatem Bazian – Co-founder of Zaytuna College, UC Berkeley
* Malia Bouattia – Black Students’ Officer at the National Union of Students
* Marie Breen-Smythe – author and academic, University of Surrey
* Ramon Grosfoguel – Author and academic, UC Berkeley
* Les Levidow – Campaign Against Criminalising Communities and Jews for
Boycotting Israeli Goods; Open University
* Richard Haley – Chair of Scotland Against Criminalising Communities
* Arzu Merali – Director of Research at Islamic Human Rights Commission
* Peter Oborne – Chief political commentator of the Daily Telegraph and
associate editor of the Spectator
* Salman Sayyid – Author and academic, University of Leeds
* AbdoolKarim Vakil – Chair of the Research and Documentation Committee of
the Muslim Council of Britain, King’s College London
* Lee Jasper – Co Chair of Black Activists Rising Against Cuts & National
Black Members Officer for the Respect Party
Venue: Rooms MAL 414 and 415, Birkbeck University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX. Nearest tube stations: Russell Square (Piccadilly line); Goodge Street (Northern line); Euston Square (Metropolitan line). For more information, or to attend please contact the Press Office and speak to Nadia on +44 20 8904 4222 or email nadia@ihrc.org.
Sunday 14 December, 12 – 5pm
Rojava: Stateless Democracy & Democratic Autonomy – a Plan C infoday
Come to this info day organised by Plan C to hear from comrades who have recently returned from the Kurdish region and what we maybe able to learn. The social revolution in Rojava involves a radical interpretation of participative democracy, one combined with anarchist and libertarian socialist perspectives. Priority has been placed on developing strong autonomous social institutions and bringing gender to the centre of analysis and daily practice. It is a living example of the kind of changes we think are necessary and that we wish to see.
Programme:
12noon: Shorts Films / Docs
1pm: Lunch
2pm: Rojava – the origins of the revolution
3pm: Eyewitness reports
4pm: How far is Rojava from London? What can we learn from the experiences of struggle in Rojava and our struggles in London.
5pm: Small bar / call for donations
Venue: Common House – Unit 5E Pundersons Gardens Bethnal Green, London E2 9QG. More information here.
Wednesday 17 December, 6pm
“A Federation that Never was: Erbil and Baghdad the End of Federalism”
Speaker: Dr Sardar Aziz. The relationship between Bagdad and Erbil was never ideal. Lately it reached its lowest point. How these two centers of power connect, relate and compete within the Iraqi territory. Nominally a federation arranges Erbil and Baghdad; while in reality the two are related in the balance of power mode of relationship. Thus power is the essence of the relationship rather than a constitutional arrangement. Power is inherently instable. Some argue that ‘the federal government had been “disembowelled,” creating not a federation but an unworkable confederation’. Expanding on this argument I stress that federation hampers the KRG’s growth and stability. What the KRG requires is more and more sovereignty over land, natural resources, use of force and diplomacy. In response Iraq is stiffing on more centralist. If within the federal arrangement Kurds has the rights to govern but not to be the sovereign, now their economic development and the phase of their identity, requires them to have no choice but to demand more sovereignty. The two cities not only represent two different regions and ethnicities but they also vary in their patterns of economic growths, identities, and governing.
Venue: Djam Lecture Theatre, SOAS, University of London, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG. Organised by London Kurdish Institute and KSSO. Organised by London Kurdish Institute and KSSO.
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Sunday, 17 August, 17:00
Welcome Home Talha Summer Rally
OUTSIDE HOME OFFICE
2 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DF
Event covened by Talha’s brother Hamja Ahsan
A rally to celebrate the homecoming of Talha Ahsan and the resilience of his family-led campaign, the justice movement making Free Talha Ahsan campaign , a diverse, multi-faith community of solidarity and resistance uniting so many people from across Britian and Internationally.
US-UK EXTRADITION is ruining the lives of too many British citizens and guest – and must be reform urgently.
Poetry, comedy, music, nasheeds, a visual fest
SPEAKERS:
– Bruce Kent
– Artist Taxidriver Mark McGowan
– Marium Begg (daughter of Moazzam Begg)
– Sheila Coleman (Hillsborough Justice Campaign)
– AL Kennedy
– Father & mother of Talha Ahsan
& many more TBC
See facebook event for more details!
Wednesday, 13 August, 18:30
PUBLIC TALK: THE MEDIA IN THE AGE OF MASS SURVEILLANCE
Venue: The Center for Creative Collaboration, 16 Acton Street, London, WC1X 9NG
Hosted by the Coalition for Media Pluralism
We are excited to host a discussion of the role of the media in the age of mass surveillance next Wednesday 13 August. Following the revelations through documents leaked by Edward Snowden in June 2013 of the unprecedented scale and scope of US and UK government domestic and foreign surveillance, and the subsequent moves by the UK government against the Guardian and those associated with the publication and reporting of the leaks, we will discuss the implications for the effective functioning of a free press and the ability of the media to hold those in power to account.
Speakers:
Sara Oglivie, Liberty
Christian Fuchs, University of Westminster
Richard Keeble, University of Lincoln
Tony Bunyan, Statewatch
Chair: Sally Broughton-Micova, LSE Media Policy Project
For more information click here, or click here to reserve a seat (they’re freee!)
Tuesday, 5 August, 7 -9.30pm
DANGEROUS SURVEILLANCE: Drones, Data and Deprivation of Citizenship
CAMPACC PUBLIC EVENT
Venue: Council Chamber, Camden Town Hall, Judd St, London WC1H 9JE (near Kings Cross tube/rail station)
Revelations over mass electronic surveillance by US-UK state agencies have provoked public outrage at this threat to democratic freedoms. State responses have further revealed its assumptions about the public as a potential source of various dangers. […]
The global expansion of drone attack has been documented by Jeremy Scahill’s book and film, Dirty Wars. This public event will first screen the film, followed by speakers linking various forms of surveillance and their political roles. The discussion will consider how to oppose the state’s dangerous surveillance.
SPEAKERS
Kat Craig,Legal Director of the Abuses in Counter-Terrorism (ACT) team of Reprieve and Vice-Chair of Haldane Society
Alastair Lyon, Solicitor, Birnberg Peirce & Partners
Mohamed Ibrahim, Co-ordinator, London Somali Youth Forum
Chaired by Les Levidow, CAMPACC
Meeting organised by CAMPACC in association with:
Reprieve
Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers
Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom
Kentish Town Community Organisation
London Somali Youth Forum
Somali Voice Community and Justice Centre
Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC)
For more information: http://peaceinkurdistancampaign.com/2014/07/18/dangerous-surveillance-drones-data-and-deprivation-of-citizenship/
Thursday 31 July – 4 August
Peace News Summer Camp
Workshops include:
– Declaring Peace – Another Europe, Another World is Possible
– Solutions for Syria – The Nonviolent Alternative
– Crossing the Line – Preparing for Nonviolent Direct Action
– Chucking the Camo – Countering the Militarisation of Youth
– Death from Above – The Truth about Killer Drones
– Reparations in The Pan-Afrikan Internationalist Perspective of Global Justice
– Policing the Police – Resisting the Repression of Protest
– Effective Strategies for Successful Campaigns
– Dishonesty, Secrecy and Willful Belligerence – How Britain Was Hustled into The First World War
– Selling to Both Sides: The Arms Trade and The First World War
– Justice for Palestine
– Mobilising to Stop NATO!
Confirmed speakers include: Paul Rogers, Peter Tatchell, Susan Clarkson, Bruce Kent, Rachel Julian, Emma Sangster, Milan Rai, Kofi Klu, Kat Hobbs, Paul Rogers, Alison Ronan, Cath Ban, Derek Wall, Almudena Izquierdo, Paul Newton, Aneaka Kellay, Michael Albert (via Skype), Clare Cochrane, Cyril Pearce, Emily Johns, Neil Faulkner (No Glory), Sheila Triggs and Valerie Flessati.Entrance to the camp costs £20-£100 depending on income. For those coming from Europe, this is roughly €24-€120. For under 14 year olds the camp is free. The camp is organised on a small budget by a group of volunteers – we are relying on the entrance contributions to break even so please give what you can afford.
You can book your entrance tickets here.
The costs of meals for the camp is £6 – £12 per day (roughly €7.30 – €14.60) for 3 meals a day per adult and children over 14 years. Meals for younger children will be available in the Kids Space and can be paid for by donation.
Venue: Peakhill Farm, Theberton, Suffolk, IP16 4TG. See map.
Thursday 22 July, 7 -9pm
Radical Independence Campaign Lecture with Leanne Wood AM
Leader of Plaid Cymru, Leanne Wood will give a lecture hosted by the Radical Independence Campaign on July 22nd in Glasgow. Wood, a socialist, republican and a proponent for Welsh independence, is the first female leader of Plaid Cymru. Tickets: £2. Organised by the Radical Independence Campaign.
Venue: Mitchell Library Theatre, North Street, Glasgow, G3 7DN
Sunday 20 July, 7 -9.30pm
Selahattin Demirtas Rally
Demirtas: “Our call is to build a brand new life where all the peoples and faith groups in Turkey live together freely without resembling, or being made to resemble each other.”
This Sunday, Selahattin Demirtas, presidential candidate for the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in the coming elections in Turkey, will be in London speaking at a public event at Lee Valley Athletic Centre in northeast London.
Mr Demirtas is the third candidate in the country’s first direct elections for the presidential position, after the AKP’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the CHP/MHP joint candidate, Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu. In his manifesto, which he announced last week at the Şişli Kent Culture Centre, he announced the new HDP proposals for new life: radical democracy, peace, justice and freedom of belief.
This is a one-off event which has been organised by the Kurdish community organisations in the UK. We invite you to join us on Sunday and hope to see you there.
Date and time: Sunday 20 July, 1-6pm
Full address: Lee Valley Athletic Centre, 61 Meridian Way, N9 0AR.
Map: Click here to access
Saturday, 19 July, 7 -9.30pm
Gaza National Demonstration
Venue: Downing Street, SW1A
2100 Israeli air strikes, over 2000 rockets fired, and now the ground invasion has started we can expect a sharp escalation. Over 280 Palestinians have been killed, 77% of them civilians, a quarter ot them children. Over 2000 have been injured and 1800 homes destroyed. Israeli prime minister Netanyahu says, “No international pressure will prevent us from striking.”
Gaza resident, Sarah Ali, described on Twitter what this meant as the invasion began: “Israel is literally bombing Gaza from everywhere: air, sea, and land. Terrifying sounds across the Strip. Sound of gunboat shelling is the most horrible. Drones. Apaches & warships. Tanks on the outskirts of east & north Gaza. Families stuck with injuries. This is a war zone.”
Demonstration called by:
Stop the War Coalition
Palestine Solidarity Campaign
CND
Friends of Al Aqsa
British Muslim Initiative
War on Want
Islamic Forum of Europe
Palestinian Forum in Britain
For more information click here for the event page.
Monday 14 July, 7.30pm
London screening: War Matters plus Q&A with the film’s editor, Ethan Race
War Matters is a new 50 minute documentary which chronicles 10 years of anti-war protest in Britain through the story of veteran peace campaigner Brian Haw, who camped in Parliament Square for over 10 years in protest against the UK government’s policies in the Middle East. The film also examines: the British arms trade and the repercussions of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars including the curtailing of democratic rights. It asks the question “where does democracy end and tyranny begin?”
Trailer: http://www.warmatters.com/
Venue: Rumi’s Cave, Willesden Lane, London, NW6 7ST
More Information: http://www.stopwar.org.uk/events/london-film-screening-war-matters#.U7KoNPldUjy
Tuesday 8 July, 6.30-8pm
Palestine Solidarity Campaign: End Collective Punishment
Alex Cunningham MP is hosting this important meeting calling for an end to Israel’s collective punishment of Palestinian people. Following the disappearance of three Israeli teenagers on Thursday 12th June Israeli authorities have meted out brutal collective punishment against the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza. Five Palestinians have been killed. At the time of writing (Wednesday 25th June) Israeli Forces have arrested almost 500 Palestinians in raids and mass arrests throughout the West Bank. Former political prisoners have been particularly targeted, and at least 52 of the prisoners released in the Gilad Shalit exchange have now been re-arrested.
Speakers include:
Andy Slaughter MP
Richard Burden MP (diary permitting)
Baroness Tonge (diary permitting)
and many others…
Venue:House of Commons, London, SW1H 0XH
Information and Booking: http://www.palestinecampaign.org/events/end-collective-punishment/
Sunday 6 July 12-6pm
The Festival of the Common Weal
The Festival of the Common Weal brings together various left and progressive organisations and campaigns to celebrate left politics, music and culture as we approach referendum day on the 18th of September.
Radical Independence will have a stall at the event and will be speaking in one of the many discussions taking place on the day.
The Festival includes a ‘Live Arch’ for music, comedy, spoken word and film screenings, a ‘Talk Arch’ for debates and Q&A, a ‘discussion arch’ to discuss the ideas of the Common Weal Project, and an ‘Arts Arch’ for producing live art at the event itself. There is also a family are and the event is family friendly.
Venue: The Arches, Glasgow, 253 Argyle Street, G2 8DL
More Information: http://cwfest.com/
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/festival-of-the-common-weal-tickets-11977451881?ref=etckt
Thursday 3 Jul, 6.30-8.30pm
Women resisting the racist ‘security’ state
Public Meeting: All Welcome
What is the experience of BMER women struggling for justice?
What are the corporate and state practices targeting BMER women?
How can BMER women and Women’s organisations get their voices heard and demands met?
We will be sharing experiences and struggles of various communities of women who face persecution by the British state. We will be bringing to the fore voices that are increasingly silenced and ignored by racist mainstream media, politicians, corporates, NGOs and the state.
Speakers include:
Kamila Sheikh: Speaking of her and her family’s struggle for justice against a racist alliance of Police, Court and Neighbours.
Aderonke Apata, Lesbian Immigration support group: Speaking of the struggles women are facing with asylum and immigration systems, detention centres /corporations and the surveillance and control non-British national women are increasingly subjected to
Sarah Lamble: Speaking about the struggle against increasing surveillance and criminalisation agenda of the state is shaped by race, imprisonment and about how the gender, sexuality and disability
Venue: Birckbeck, University of London, Main Malet Street building, Room 417
RSVP at freedomwithoutfearplatform@gmail.com or
https://www.facebook.com/events/659522520801629
Tuesday 17 June, 7pm
Sinn Fein London briefing meeting – next steps after the elections
A Sinn Fein Briefing meeting, to discuss recent political events and the situation following the forthcoming European and local elections.
Venue: Grimond Room, Portcullis House, House of Commons, London SW1A
(Please use the public entrance on Victoria Embankment). RSVP: fisherj@parliament.uk All welcome.
Saturday 14 June, 9.30am-5pm
Unite Against Fascism (UAF) National Conference: Stand up to racism and fascism – No to Scapegoating Immigrants – No to Islamophobia
Themes include: Challenging racist scapegoating of immigrants ● No to Islamophobia and Islamophobic attacks ● Celebrating diversity ● Busting the myths on immigration ● Responding to racism and fascism in Europe ● Stand up to UKIP
Initial speakers include Mohammad Taj (TUC Presdient), Claude Moraes MEP, Dr Tommy Tomescu (Alliance against Romanian and Bulgarian Discrimination) Sabby Dhalu and Weyman Bennett (Joint National Secretaries Unite Against Fascism)
Venue: Trade Union Congress, Congress House, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LS. £12 / £6 students and concs. Registration essential.
Tuesday 10 June, 6-8pm
CAS 2014 Annual Lecture: Civil Disobedience and Non-Violent Direct Action
In this public lecture, Kumi Naidoo will look at what justifies non-violent direct action, and discuss when and why it should be deployed. Dr Naidoo will draw on recent campaigns such as last year’s protest at an Arctic oil drilling rig, which saw activists arrested by Russian authorities and held for 100 days, and the anti-apartheid struggle he was part of in his home country, South Africa. Dr Kumi Naidoo is the Executive Director of Greenpeace International. In addition to leading the organisation to critical campaign victories and augmenting its influence in international political negotiations, Naidoo has been responsible for promoting considerable growth and activity by Greenpeace in the Global South. He has also been influential in fostering further cooperation between Greenpeace and many diverse parts of civil society in the fight to avert catastrophic climate change and promote environmental justice. To attend this event, pleaseregister on Eventbrite.Organiser: The Centre of African Studies, University of London Contact email: cas@soas.ac.uk Contact Tel: 0207 898 4370
Venue: Brunei Gallery Theatre, SOAS, Thornhaugh Street, London WC1H 0XG
Saturday 7 June, 1.15pm-late
Don’t spy on us: Day of Action
One year on since whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed the scale of the NSA and GCHQ’s mass surveillance, the Don’t Spy On Us campaign will host the biggest event on privacy in the UK this year. This major event in London’s Shoreditch Town Hall will be the focus for a global movement to defend the digital rights of ordinary citizens. Cory Doctorow will kick off the day and there will be contributions from high-profile speakers including Jimmy Wales, Alan Rusbridger, Shami Chakrabarti, Bruce Schneier, and Stephen Fry via video, with other big names to be confirmed. This is a Day of Action. By joining us, you will also be able to:
- Work with influential parliamentarians to create a bill to protect our civil liberties at a session with Lord Richard Allan, (Liberal Democrat peer and director of policy for Facebook MENA) and Baroness Helena Kennedy (Labour peer)
- Create an advertising campaign at a session led by Tim Duffy, UK Group Chairman and CEO of M&C Saatchi
- Secure your privacy online at our cryptoparty led by tech experts
Whatever you do, whatever your skills, join us on 7th June to take a stand for real surveillance reform.
Venue: Shoreditch Town Hall, 380 Old Street, London EC1V 9LT. Tickets: Tickets are strictly limited and we expect a lot of interest so please do book as soon as possible. NB: if you don’t wish to use Eventbrite or PayPal, email events@dontspyonus.org.uk. Otherwise, follow this link.
Tuesday 3 June, 6.45-8.30pm
Divide & Ruin, The West’s Imperial Strategy in an Age of Crisis
An evening with Dan Glazebrook, author of Divide and Ruin: The West’s Imperial Strategy in an Age of Crisis. Glazebrook shows the brutality of the West’s racist and exploitative foreign policy against the global South, citing examples from Libya, Syria, and elsewhere in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. He explores in detail the role of AFRICOM as an imperialist force operating on that continent. Economic and social issues in Britain also come under scrutiny, plus the role of the media and social movements there. Divide and Ruin argues for new counterweights to the Empire’s plunder in a winning appeal to reason and humanity.
Venue: Islamic Human Rights Commission, 202 Preston Road, Wembley, HA9 8PA. More informationhere.
Friday 30 May, 10am-5pm
Catalonia and Scotland: New nations in the EU?
An all day conference that will address the important transformations that the rise of secessionism in Catalonia and Scotland could potentially unravel by examining: The key reasons that have prompted the shift from devolution to secession in both Catalonia and Scotland;
• The novel political structures and new social attachments that may emerge as a response to secessionist demands
• The novel instruments and actors leading political mobilisation and social change
• The eventual political consequences of secessionism for Britain, Spain and the EU
Hosted by Queen Mary University.
Venue: People’s Palace 2, People’s Palace, Queen Mary, University of London, Mile End Campus, Mile End Road, E1 4NSRegister here at Eventbrite.
Thursday 29 May, 6pm
The Centre for Kurdish Studies Presents: This Was Hasankeyf
The threat of a Dam. The allure of Progress. The poetics of Citizenship.
A visual journey of enchantment, death and rurality along the Tigris River, through the soul of an ancient town, entangled between its legacy and doom. This was Hasankeyf is a documentary film about the past and the future of a village in southeastern Anatolia, Turkey. The ancient town of Hasankeyf is doomed to be flooded soon as a consequence of the construction of the Ilisu dam. The film is an account of the experiences and emotions of the inhabitants of Hasankeyf who are facing a dramatic challenge in their lives. The researchers and director, through a long ethnographic fieldwork, were able to record and convey in a visual document the affects and effects provoked by this transitional moment on the inhabitants of Hasankeyf. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A with director T. Vitali and researcher F. Marilungo, with the participation of Christine Allison, Professor of Kurdish Studies at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter and W. Higbee, Deputy Director of the Graduate School and Sen. Lect. in film studies, University of Exeter.
VENUE: EXETER PHOENIX AUDITORIUM, Bradninch Place, Gandy Street, Exeter, EX4 3LS
Tuesday 27 May, 6pm
London Palestine Action presents: “Where should the Birds Fly?”
Join Palestinian film-maker Fida Qishta for a showing of her film, Where should the Birds Fly? about the Gaza war of 2009 and young survivor Mona Samouni who lost 48 members of her family including her parents in the invasion. Operation Cast Lead was the most violent Israeli attack on Palestinian territory since 1967. 1400 people lost their lives, including over 300 children. Over 5000 people were injured and 11,000 homes damaged or destroyed. Fida is from Gaza and has worked with the International Solidarity Movement, filming Israeli attacks on her neighbourhood in Rafah and surrounding areas for over a decade. The screening will be followed by Q&A with Fida and then, for those that wish to say, London Palestine Action’s regular action planning and organising meeting. Join us to help plan creative and effective Palestine solidarity actions. The event is hosted by London Palestine Action, a new network of people in London taking creative action against Israeli apartheid through BDS and other effective, participatory Palestine solidarity work.
Venue: Room 3B, University of London Union, Malet Street, London WC1
Tuesday 20 May, 2.30-4.30pm
UN Forum 2014 preview event and launch of Kofi Annan’s new book, We the Peoples: A UN for the Twenty-First Century.
UNA-UK, King’s College London and the Kofi Annan Foundation are delighted to announce that former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan will mark the launch of his new book with an exclusive UN Forum 2014 preview event on Tuesday 20 May at King’s College London. This afternoon event will see Mr Annan deliver brief remarks followed by a discussion with Sir Jeremy Greenstock, Chairman of UNA-UK and former UK ambassador to the UN, after which questions will be taken from the audience. Mr Annan’s new book, ‘We the Peoples: A UN for the Twenty-First Century’, encapsulates his time in office – including the crises over Kosovo and East Timor, and the war in Iraq – through a wide-ranging selection of his key speeches. Copies of the book will be available to purchase on the day, and Mr Annan will sign books for a limited time after the event.
Venue: King’s College London, Strand Campus, London WC2R 2LS. More information here:http://www.una.org.uk/annan. Registration essential. Capacity is extremely limited and tickets will be strictly allocated on a first-come first-served basis.
Saturday 17 – Saturday 31 May
Week of International Struggle Against Disappearances
“A Week of International Struggle Against Disappearances is coming. As the International Committee Against Disappearances (ICAD), we are organising all our events under the slogan of “Do not forget disappearances or let them being forgotten”
As the ICAD British section, we’ve put down these aims for organisation of this year’s events:
1- Organisation of the events in an international scope. To bring together and organise the events with the institutions and individuals who are concerned about disappearances and human rights and masses who are subjected to disappearances such as Tamils, Kurds, Baloch etc.
2- To organised various events during two weeks.
As the British ICAD section, we have embraced the idea of opening a “Disappearances Tent” for two weeks, organising a different event every day. We have targeted down these events to take place on the tent during 17th May to 31st May at Manor House.” For more information contact: icadgb@icad-int.org
Tuesday 13 May, 4.30pm
Green MEP’s Jean Lambert and Ska Keller meet Kurdish community
A community meeting with Jean Lambert MEP and Green MEP from Germany Ska Keller, will meet with members of the Kurdish community, where people can raise concerns before the upcoming European elections.
Venue: KCC, 11 Portland Gardens, London.
Monday 12 May, 5.30pm
Justice Alliance organising meeting
A meeting to discuss the next stages of the campaign.
Venue: NUJ Headquarters, Headland House, 308-312 Grays Inn Road, London WC1X 8DP
Sunday 11 May, 2-4pm
Organising meeting of the Syria Solidarity Movement
The Syria Solidarity Movement is a newly formed coalition of activists, academics, trade unionists, socialists, doctors, nurses, students committed to solidarity with the Syrian Revolution. In their statement they say: We support the popular revolution against the Assad regime. We ask for real solidarity with the Syrian people. We oppose all support for Assad and the regime, which is unjustifiable in light of their crimes. We are critical of the actions of the imperialist powers in relation to Syria and the revolution. We are committed to the principle of international solidarity from below, which supports the struggles of the oppressed against their oppressors. This organising meeting will discuss protesting the upcoming election in Syria, a protest for Syria’s refugees, and discussions about the SSM’s statement and name.
To join the meeting contact: syriasolidaritymovement@gmail.com.
Venue: SOAS, Russell Square campus, London.
Saturday 10 May, 10-5pm
Hugo Chavez’s legacy and the transformation of Venezuela
With guests from Venezuelan Government & social movements plus: Alvaro Sanchez, Venezuelan Embassy – Henry Suarez, Venezuelan writer & historian – H.E. Esther Armentreros, Cuban Ambassador – H.E. Alicia Castro, Argentinian Ambassador- Guissell Morales-Echaverry, Nicaraguan Embassy.
And: Richard Bagley, Editor Morning Star – Christine Blower, NUT General Secretary – Colin Burgon, Venezuela Solidarity Campaign – Tony Burke, Unite Assistant General Secretary – Jeremy Corbyn MP – Dr. Mark Dineen, University of Southampton – Dr. Francisco Dominguez, Latin American Studies, Middlesex University – Sian Errington, VSC Women for Venezuela – Neil Findlay MSP, observer to Venezuelan elections – Lindsey German, Convenor, Stop the War Coalition – Billy Hayes, CWU General Secretary – Kate Hudson, CND General Secretary – Bethan Jenkins AM, Plaid Cymru – and many more.
Venue: University of London Union, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HY. Register online today here to reserve your place
Thursday 8 May, 6.30pm
Turkey’s Municipal Elections: Implications for the Kurdish-Turkish Peace Process
Join us for a timely discussion about the recent Turkish municipal elections with two international observers who witnessed the election in Istanbul. Peace in Kurdistan campaign delegates David Morgan and Father Joe Ryan will speak about their three-day visit to Istanbul, where they learned of electricity outages and burned BDP ballots in critical towns in Turkey’s predominately Kurdish southeast, as well as the internationally condemned shut down of social media sites Youtube and Twitter in the days before the vote. They will present an analysis of what the outcome of the election means for the stalled peace process. Has the AKP lost its legitimacy? What do BDP victories in the southeast mean for the democratisation of Turkey? What does the outcome mean for the ongoing peace process with Ocalan and the Kurdish movement?
This event is free and open to all.
Venue: Room L67, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), Thornhaugh Street, London WC1H 0XG
Friday 2 May, 6-8pm
From Euro-fatigue to Euro Denialism: Turkey-EU Relations in the Context of the Gezi Event
THe Centre for Policy and Research on Turkey (Research Turkey) is holding a public conference entitled “From Euro-fatigue to Euro Denialism: Turkey-EU Relations in the Context of the Gezi Event” in which Assist. Prof. Dr. Başak Alpan of Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Middle East Technical University (Ankara) will give a talk.
Venue: Main College Buildings, Room G3, SOAS, University of London, WC1H 0XG. Register here.
Thursday 1 May, 7pm
War on Want comedy gig
The War on Want Comedy Gig is back with its seventh annual comedy fundraiser and this year’s line up is shaping up to be more amazing than ever!
Top class comedians supporting the charity include the “brilliantly funny” Stand Up for the Week starAngela Barnes; Cutting Edge team member and co-creator/writer of No Pressure to be Funny Alistair Barrie; The Now Show and Just A Minute regular Marcus Brigstocke; legendary alternative stand-up comedian Arnold Brown; Actor and comedian of stage and screen Kevin Eldon; Comic master Stewart Lee; “sharp satirist and superb comic” and co-creator of topical satire podcast No Pressure to be FunnyNick Revell; Brilliant comedian and political activist Kate Smurthwaite.
Venue: Bloomsbury Theatre, 15 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0AH.Tickets: £20.00, concessions £17.50
Thursday 1 May, 6-9pm
Book launch: “The Threat of Liberation: Imperialism and Revolution in Zanzibar” by Amrit Wilson
The Threat of Liberation: Imperialism and Revolution in Zanzibar returns to the tumultuous years of the Cold War, when, in a striking parallel with today, imperialist powers were seeking to institute ‘regime change’ and install pliant governments. Amrit Wilson is a writer and activist. Her earlier books include US Foreign Policy and Revolution: The Creation of Tanzania, Pluto Press, 1989; Women and the Eritrean Revolution: the Challenge Road, Africa World Press, 1991; The Future that Works, Selected Writings of A.M. Babu (co-edited with Salma Babu), Africa World Press, 2002; Dreams, Questions, Struggles: South Asian Women in Britain, Pluto Press, 2006.
Venue: Room G3, SOAS University, Russell Square Campus, Thornhaugh Street, London. More information.
Wednesday 30 April, 6pm
Mumia: A long Distance Revolutionary, a film by Stephen Vittoria
A screening and discussion on the recent documentary Mumia: A long distance revolutionary, which follows the extraordinary journey of the journalist and revolutionary Mumia Abu- Jamal, who was imprisoned in solitary confinement on death row in Pennsylvania, USA for 30 years. A discussion will follow the screening, with Peter Hodgkinson OBE, Director, Centre for Capital Punishment Studies, University of Westminster will comment on the death penalty. Sara Callaway, Global Women Strike and Jailhouse Lawyers’ project will comment on the issue of political prisoners. Esther Stanford-Xosei, Community Advocate, Co-Chair of Pan-Afrikan Reparations Coalition in Europe (PARCOE) will comment on racism and criminal justice. Chaired by Dr Radha D’Souza, University of Westminster, School of Law. Organised by The Development & Conflict Group at the School of Law, University of Westminster in association with Campaign Against Criminalising Communities (CAMPACC), Centre for Capital Punishment Studies, Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers, Human Rights Committee Law Society, Newham Monitoring Project, Campaign for Press & Broadcasting Freedom (CPBF). To register and find our more information, check the Eventbrite notice.
Venue:School of Law, University of Westminster, 4 Little Titchfield Street, London, W1W 7UW. The event is free, but RSVP is essential: Nicola Laing at N.Laing@westminster.ac.uk.
Saturday 26 April, 2-4.30pm
Tony Benn – Assessing his Legacy for the Left
A Socialist History Society event, with speakers Keith Flett, Duncan Bowie, Willie Thomson, Stan Newens, Kate Hudson and more.
Venue: Brockway Room, Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London Wc1R 4RL
Saturday 25 April, 6pm
Religion, secularism and the idea of public sphere in Kurdistan – Iraq
A seminar with DrDara M. Salam, fellow at the Centre for Ethics and Global Politics. He will argue that we cannot read the concept of the public sphere in Kurdistan – Iraq and the Middle East, more generally, in a secular manner. It is, rather, best understood as a multi-layered sphere where convergence, but not consensus, is reached and religion is highly represented in it. The significance of this argument is twofold. First, it addresses the deficiencies of the concept of the public sphere understood as a singular sphere. Second, it argues that secularism requires the cultivation of a political culture in which secular values can take roots. Organized by London Kurdish Institute, Kurdish Studies and Student Organisation and Kurdish Society at SOAS.
Venue: School of Oriental and African Studies, Room TBC
Tuesday 15 April, 6.30pm
Ukraine: What’s behind the crisis
Speakers: Jonathan Steele; John Rees; Carol Turner. Chair Jeremy Corbyn MP.
The crisis in the Ukraine has made the world a much more dangerous place. There is a continuing danger of war in the Ukraine itself and it has the potential to destabilise countries from Moldova to the Baltics. The crisis has to be seen in the context of a decades long push eastwards by the EU and NATO. Western diplomats and politicians have been deeply implicated in the Ukrainian events since January and the result has been a government of oligarchs and fascists. Stop the War is organising a series of meetings on the subject including this meeting in London.
Venue: The Wesley Hotel, Euston Street, London. More info on the event here:http://www.stopwar.org.uk/events/london-public-meeting-ukraine-what-s-behind-the-crisis#.Uz1HYMeLmcc
Saturday 12 April, 5-10pm
A Basque Event
A big day with four Bertsolaris; Alaia Martin, Jokin Uranga, Xamoa and Benat Gaztelumendi at the Welsh Centre This event is part of the 8th International solidarity week with the Basque Country.
Venue: Welsh Centre, 157-163 Grays Inn Road, London WC1X 8UE
Friday 11 April, 7-9pm
Open Debate with Igor Zulaika
Igor Zulaika, member of Sortu in Brussels, will be in London to speak about the current situation in general about the Basque Country and the intentions for the future. This event is part of the 8th International solidarity week with the Basque Country.
Venue: 406 Morehouse Terrace, London Fields, E8 3PH
Thursday 10 April 2014 13:00 – 14:00
Foreign Fighters in Syria: A Threat at Home and Abroad?
A Chatham House Members event with Richard Barrett CMG OBE, Senior Vice President for Special Projects, The Soufan Group; Coordinator of the Al-Qaeda and Taliban Monitoring Team, United Nations (2004-12); Shiraz Maher, Senior Research Fellow and Head of Outreach, The International Centre for the Study of Radicalization, King’s College London; Raffaello Pantucci, Senior Reseach Fellow, Royal United Services Institute. Chair: Frank Gardner OBE, Security Correspondent, BBC. The level of foreign fighters flowing into Syria has become a major concern for the international community. The expert panel will consider the motivations and aims of foreigners travelling to fight in the Syrian conflict and the security implications that this poses to the region. They will also consider the potential threat of ‘radicalized’ foreign fighters returning to their home countries, and how this could be countered.
Venue: Chatham House, 10 St James’s Square London SW1Y 4LE
Thursday 10 April, 5.30pm
The Armenian Genocide in Literature
Two papers will be presented this evening: Eghishe Charents’ Dantesque Legend and the Armenian Genocide, by Prof. Theo M van Lint, Calouste Gulbenkian Professor of Armenian Studies, The Oriental Institute, University of Oxford; and The Politics of Remembering: Massacres against Armenians (Non-Muslims) in Kurdish Novels, by Dr Ozlem Galip, Lecturer at the Institute of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford. Organized by London Kurdish Institute, Kurdish Studies and Student Organisation and Kurdish Society at SOAS.
Venue: School of Oriental and African Studies, Room TBC
Tuesday 8 April, 7-9pm
Turkey’s Kurdish Question: Past, Present and Future, with Dr. İsmail Beşikçi
The Turkish sociologist İsmail Beşikçi is one of the most prominent scholar in the field of Kurdish studies. He started his academic career at Atatürk University in Erzurum as an assistant professor where he conducted an anthropological study on the last nomadic Kurdish tribes, the Alikan in the 1960s. At that time, Beşikçi was the only scholar in Turkey to dare to research on the Kurds and challenge the ethnic centred Turkish state policy of systematical denial of the Kurdish existence, identity, culture and language. He has paid a heavy price for speaking out against the institutional racism, discrimination and repression of the Kurds and the colonisation of Kurdistan. He has spent more than seventeen years in prison and wasreleased from jail in 1999. He becomes a veteran for defending collective and self-determination rights of the Kurds and academic freedom in Turkey. 32 of the 36 books that he has published have been banned in Turkey.
Venue: V211, Vernon Square Campus, SOAS, University of London, Vernon Square, Penton Rise, London, WC1X 9EW (NOT Russell Square campus). Organised by London Kurdish Institute, Kurdish Society at SOAS and Kurdish Studies and Student Organisation. For more information: info@londonkurdishinstitute.org
Wednesday 9 April, 5pm
Seminar: Kurds, Identity and future perspectives
Featuring prominent scholar Dr. İsmail Beşikçi . Please note this event is primarily for Turkish and Kurdish speakers, no English translation will be provided. Organized by London Kurdish Institute, Kurdish Studies and Student Organisation and Kırkısraklılar Solidarity Centre.
Venue: Kırkısraklılar Dayanışma Merkezi , 4-6 Derby Road,Enfield EN3 4AN.
Monday 7 April, 7-8.30pm
Destruction of the Near East and the Kurdistan Issue
The Centre for Turkey Studies (CEFTUS) is delighted to invite you to a Westminster Debate on Turkey’s Kurdish issue with Dr Ismail Besikci, a Turkish sociologist, critic of Kemalism, and Kurdologist. Dr Ismail Besikcihas written extensively on Turkey’s Kurds and their rights. He is regarded as an icon for freedom of speech as he was imprisoned for 17 years on propaganda charges stemming from his studies on the Kurdish population in Turkey. For many years, he was the only prominent non-Kurdish academic who spoke against the oppression on Kurds. He was a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987. He is a PEN Honorary Member. Ismail Besikci Foundation of which Ismail Besikci is honorary chairman was established in 2012.This CEFTUS Westminster Debate is kindly hosted and chaired by Jeremy Corbyn Labour MP for Islington North. Known for his long standing campaigns for human rights, Corbyn is a prominent Amnesty member, a member of the Socialist Campaign Group, a supporter of a United Ireland and has campaigned against Gaza-Israel conflict.
Venue: Committee Room 9, House of Commons, SW1A 0AA London. Organised by The Centre for Turkey Studies (CEFTUS). Please note that security checks are required to enter the House of Commons, so we kindly ask you to arrive at 6.30PM.
Thursday 27 March, 6-8pm
Performative Encounters between Kurdish and Turkish Youth in Diyarbakır, Muğla and Berlin
In this presentation, Prof Leyla Neyzi will reflect on an international multidisciplinary project, “Young People Speak Out: The Contribution of Oral History to Facing the Past, Reconciliation and Democratization in Turkey” carried out in 2011-2013. Project output based on a large oral history archive include multimedia products such as a website in Kurdish, Turkish and English (www.gencleranlatiyor.org), exhibition, film and book. The presentation will focus on the research process, the participation of young people in the project, and reflect on the experience in light of the Gezi events and the current context in Turkey. SHORT BIO OF PROF LEYLA NEYZI An anthropologist and oral historian, Professor Leyla Neyzi teaches at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Sabanci University. Her publications and research projects can be viewed on her website. More details about the event, and event registration here.
Venue: SOAS, University of London / Brunei Gallery; Room: B102. Organized by London Kurdish Institute, Kurdish Studies and Student Organisation and Kurdish Society at SOAS. For further information, please contact us at info@londonkurdishinstitute.org or Dr Janroj Keles at J.Keles@mdx.ac.uk
Sunday 23 March
NEWROZ: Main celebration in Finsbury Park
Venue: Finsbury Park, London, N7.
Thursday 20 March, 6-8pm
Venue: MacMillan Room, Portcullis House, Westminster, Victoria Embankment, SW1A 0AA
Saturday 15 March, 2-4pm
Workshop on Stop & Search: Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000
Schedule 7 empowers police, immigration officers and designated customs officers to stop and question travellers at ports and airports. No prior authorisation is required for the use of Schedule 7 and the power to stop and question may be exercised without suspicion of involvement in terrorism. The use of stop and search by police can have an invasive impact on individuals’ lives, especially when they are travelling for social or family reasons. It is important to equip those affected by these powers with the knowledge and confidence to challenge its rules. Speakers will inform individuals and members of the community on the use of Schedule 7 Act powers to search and detain, they will explain what Schedule 7 is, how it works and what rights individuals have. Speakers: Susan Bryant (Director of Rights Watch UK), Les Levidow (CAMPACC), Sarah Kellas (Birnberg Peirce & Partners Solicitors).
Venue: Kurdish Community Centre, 11 Portland Gardens, London N4 1HU
Wednesday 12 – Tuesday 18 March
LGC speaking tour with Omar Khadr’s lawyer Dennis Edney QC
Dennis Edney QC is the Scottish-Canadian lawyer of Omar Khadr, the former Guantánamo prisoner who was arrested aged 15 in Afghanistan, tortured at Bagram, and held in Guantánamo where he is the only person since WWII to be convicted as an adult for war crimes committed as a minor under a secret plea bargain. Omar returned to Canada in September 2012 where he remains in prison and has recently launched an appeal against his US conviction; he also has several cases ongoing in Canada.
First event: Wednesday 12 March, 6.30-8.30pm
Omar Khadr and the Betrayal of International Law: a public meeting chaired by Professor Bill Bowring. Jointly organised by CAMPACC, the Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers and the London Guantánamo Campaign www.campacc.org.uk
Venue: Garden Court Chambers, 57-60 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A
View all details of the speaking tour here: http://londonguantanamocampaign.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/12-18-march-2014-lgc-speaking-tour-with.htm
Wednesday 12 March, 5pm
The Muslims Are Coming! Arun Kundani introduces his new book
Join Arun Kundnani as he presents his groundbreaking new critique of the War on Terror and resulting discriminatory surveillance. The Edward Snowden revelations have highlighted the extent to which national security agencies carry out global surveillance. But the resulting public debate has ignored the actual impacts of such surveillance on “suspect communities” targeted within the US and the UK—especially young Muslims—and the resulting restrictions on dissent. In this talk, New York-based scholar Arun Kundnani introduces his new book The Muslims are Coming! Islamophobia, Extremism, and the Domestic War on, publishing in March. Based on several years of research and reportage from Texas and New York to Yorkshire, it is the first comprehensive critique of counter-radicalization strategies.
Venue: Goldsmiths, University of London, NAB 302 (new academic building), Goldmiths, University of London, Lewisham Way, London SE14 6NW. Free and no need to register. More details here: http://www.versobooks.com/events/825-the-muslims-are-coming-book-launch-and-discussion
Wednesday 12 March, 6.45pm
International Women’s Day 2014: Universal Federation for Peace UK
We are very happy to invite you to the annual commemoration of International Women’s Day 2014. Each year International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8. Annually Universal Peace Federation participates by holding an event to focus upon the inclusion and equality of women in our modern world. Violence against women, domestic abuse, trafficking, as well as women’s political and economic participation are issues that have featured in a series of UPF meetings. Hosted by Baroness Verma.
Venue: Committee Room 3, House of Lords, Westminster, SW1A 0AA. RSVP essential: pa@uk.upf.org
Saturday 8 March, 10am-2pm
International Womens Day 2014: Tamil Women’s Development Forum
To commemorate International Women’s Day, TWDF is holding this Conference as a show of strength and solidarity for women survivors of war in Sri Lanka. There will be sessions during the day for discussion on a variety of topics, and will be a platform for human rights and humanitarian activists and other participants to discuss the current situation, challenges and advancements relating to the situation of women in particular those who live in the northeast Tamil homeland and upcountry in Sri Lanka. The event will focus on how to change the status of women.
Venue: Canons High School, Shaldon Rd, Edgware, Middlesex HA8 6AN. You attend you must confirm your attendance with Shanthi Ramesh, TWDF coordinator: twdf.ccd@sangu.org
Friday 7 March, 10am
Save Legal Aid demo
The Justice Alliance continues its campaign against legal aid cuts with a morning demonstration outside Parliament. All welcome! Speakers include Paddy Hill (Birmingham 6); Shami Chakrabarkti (Liberty) and Ian Lawrence (NAPO).
Venue: Old Palace Yard, Westminster, London SW1
Friday 28 February – 2 March
RADICAL THINKING FROM THE WOMEN’S PERSPECTIVE – JINEOLOGY
This conference will share and discuss alternative concepts of women’s sciences, which can contribute to the establishment of a free, democratic and ecological society. An alternative understanding of science is not only a theoretical approach but also linked to the struggle for liberation and social transformation. It means to rebuild our societies from the women’s perspective. One of these approaches has been described by the Kurdish women’s movement as “Jineolojî” (Kurdish terminology for Women’s Science). Cenî – Kurdish Women’s Office for Peace (Germany), Women’s Meeting and Education Centre UTAMARA (Germany), International Free Women’s Foundation (Netherlands), Women’s Research Foundation for the Middle East (Netherlands), the union of female students from Kurdistan YXK Jin and others have thus come together to organize this conference and formed a preparation committee to realize it.
Venue: University of Cologne, Germany
Thursday 27 February 2014, 6.30pm
Campaign Opposing Police Surveillance Launch Meeting
We invite you to the launch meeting of the Campaign Opposing Police Surveillance (COPS) Speakers: Baroness Doreen Lawrence; Imran Khan, solicitor to the Lawrence family; Lois Austin, Youth Against Racism in Europe and Socialist Party; Harriet Wistrich, solicitor to eight women bringing legal action against the Metropolitan Police Service; Dave Smith, Blacklist Support Group; Robbie Gillett, Drax protester
Venue: Diskus Conference Centre, Unite House, 128 Theobald’s Road, Holborn, London, WC1X 8TN. Free admission. Places are limited, so please book by email to cops@haldane.org
Wednesday 26 February, 6.30pm to 8.30pm
Narendra Modi & the rise of “Hindu Fascism”
The “Parliamentary Briefing & Forum” will discuss the politics of Narendra Modi. Modi is the current Chief Minister of Gujarat and is the Prime Ministerial candidate for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance coalition for the upcoming 2014 national elections in India. He is also a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak, supremacist and fascist by scholars, journalists and human rights commentators. The meeting will examine his role as the Head of the State Government during the Gujarat 2002 communal violence and pillage against the Muslim minority population that led to over 1500 deaths, hundreds of rapes against women and displacement of over 200,000 of people from their homes. The meeting will bring together a rich mix of eminent speakers, including MPs, families of victims, academics, human rights lawyers & activists and community leaders.
Venue: Committee Room 10, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA. Please note that is an invited only meeting. To confirm your attendance and seat/s, please email office@tmg-uk. or ring 0207 4302869.
Wednesday 26 February, 4.30-7pm
British Tamil Forum Demonstration
A demo outside Downing Street to call on the Prime Minister to push for an International Independent Investigation into war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of genocide against Tamils in Sri Lanka. Please join in solidarity with Tamils around the world and to find justice for our people.
Venue: Opposite Downing Street, London.
Thursday 13 February, 6.30pm
Haldane Society Human Rights Lecture: UK human rights violation in Afghanistan and Iraq – the present picture.
Speaker: Phil Shiner, Public Interest Lawyers.
Venue: University of Law, 14 Store Street, London WC1A 7DE
Tuesday 4 February, 6-8pm
‘Holocaust Commemoration and Genocide Awareness’
Hosted by Mr. Virendra Sharma MP
The Universal Peace Federation (UPF) holds this event annually to promote awareness of Genocide. Speakers Include: Rev. Dr. Marcus Braybrooke, President of the World Congress of Faiths, will comment on the role of people of good conscience when other communities are targeted for persecution. Ruth Barnett, a Holocaust and Genocide educator and Kindertransport child, will explain the significance of the Armenian Genocide as the first of the 20th century and sadly not the last. Edwin Shuker, Vice President of the Sephardic Congress and Vice President of the European Jewish Council, will speak on the plight of migrants and displaced people as a consequence of Holocaust, genocide and conflict situations worldwide. Desmond Fernandes, who is a Genocide scholar, an Author and a member of the Peace in Kurdistan Campaign. Nadhim Zahawi MP, has been invited to speak about the genocidal massacre of Iraqi Kurds especially in Halabja. (To Be Confirmed) We are also looking to have an expert on genocide in Africa.
Venue: House of Commons, Committee Room 16, Westminster, SW1A 0AA. Kindly RSVP to pa@uk.upf.org <mailto:pa@uk.upf.org> as places are limited.
Monday 3 February, 630-8.30pm
What sort of democracy do we need?
An event organized by the newly formed People’s Parliament, with Owen Jones; Caroline Lucas MP; Mark Serwotka (PCS); David Graeber; and chaired by John McDonnell.
Venue: Committee Room 10, House of Parliament, Westminster SW1A 0AA. More information here: http://thepeoplesparliament.me.uk/themes/democratic-engagement/
Friday 31 – Saturday 1 February, 10am-1pm / 9.30am-5.30pm
International Conference on State Grabs of Tamil Land in the Island of Sri Lanka – London 2014
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Tamils (APPGT) and the British Tamil Forum are jointly holding an international conference on the issue of land grabs in the Tamil homeland of the Sri Lankan state. An inauguration and reception to open the conference will take place on Friday 31st January, at 10am in the Jubilee Room at the House of Commons BY INVITATION ONLY. The conference will take place the following day at University College London.
Venue: (Of Conference) The Kennedy Lecture Theatre, University College London, 30 Guildford Street, London WC1N1EH. RSVP to confirm attendance is essential. Contact S. Saaranan: admin@tamilsforum.com
Tuesday 28 January, 6.30-8.30pm
CAMPACC Strategy Review: invitation to discuss our strategy
Our decade-old slogan ‘We are all terror suspects’, has become even more relevant. Likewise the state culture of suspicion has been persecuting more communities under anti-terror powers. What should be our strategic priorities in the next year? All these attacks may provide a common basis for resistance by groups being targeted within this country and abroad. How can we best use this opportunity? We invite all our supporters to discuss this. Speakers include: CAMPACC presentation on recent developments and future prospects; Speakers from associated organisations and representatives of suspect communities
Venue: Garden Court Chambers, 57-60 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A . For member organisations of CAMPACC. Please RSVP to Estella Schmid estella24@tiscali.co.uk Tel 020 7586 5892
Tuesday 28 January, 5-6.30pm
Security and Women’s Political Participation in Egypt, Libya and Yemen
Since the 2011 Arab uprisings, Yemen, Egypt and Libya have been caught in an unpredictable and often volatile political transition. This event will explore the impact of this ever-changing political landscape on women’s public and political participation. The speakers will discuss the ways in which fear of escalating violence, crime, harassment and slander have reduced women’s ability to mobilize and organize. They will also highlight initiatives and responses by activists, women’s groups and civil society to address these challenges. Participants: Joshua Rogers, Egypt and Libya Programme Coordinator, Saferworld; Sara Khorshid, Egyptian Women’s Rights Activist and Journalist; Intisar Aladhi, Yemeni Women’s Rights Activist; Founder, All Girls Foundation For Development; Rida al-Tubuli, Libyan Women’s Rights Activist; Founder, ‘Together We Build’ Movement. Chair: Helen Twist, Manager, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House
Venue: Chatham House, 10 St James’s Square, London SW1Y 4LE.
Saturday 25 January, 2pm
International Crime and Punishment, Corin Redgrave Memorial Lecture 2014, delivered by Philippe Sands QC
Philippe Sands QC, a leading expert in international law, will deliver the 2014 lecture in memory of Corin Redgrave. This lecture will be an opportunity to remember a much missed fighter for human rights and to continue our own dialogue and learning on issues close to his heart.
Venue: Friends’ Meeting House, Euston Road, London, NW1 2BJ
Organised by Peace and Progress – to attend, please e-mail: peaceandprogressevents@gmail.com
Saturday 25th January, 2pm
MARCH / YURUYUS! Saluting the Establishment of Ciwanen Azad & the Rojava Revolution!
The Kurdish Freedom struggle is currently being carried out over Rojava. All Kurds are aware that if the West Kurdistan so Rojava revolution reaches success, it will positively affect and increase the democratic struggle in other areas of Kurdistan. Therefore the Kurdish people should use their energy to demonstrate support for this honourable battle. At this vital period we must do our best to carry out our part to support the Rojava Revolution. Lets be the voice of the ROJAVA REVOLUTION! We all hope to see YOU there!
Venue: March starting point: Edmonton Angel Corner @ 14:00, March Ends: At Halkevi (Dalston Lane)
24 – 26 January 2014
11th International Symposium against Isolation
2-day conference organised by the International Platform Against Isolation, featuring sessions on new forms of imperialism; new expressions of democracy such as Occupy; and a screening of Mumia Abu Jamal’s film the Long Distance Revolutionary. Featuring speakers from all over the world involved in struggles in support of political prisoners, landless movements, and self-determination. See the draft program here: http://www.ipai-isolation.info/wp-content/symposium_programen.pdf
Venue: IIRE Conference Centre, Lombokstraat 40, 1094 Al Amsterdam
Friday 24 January, 6.30-8.30pm
Day of the Endangered Lawyer
This yearly event is an initiative by the European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and Human Rights (ELDH); the European Democratic Lawyers (AEL-EDL); and the European Bar Human Rights Institute. This year the focus will be on Colombian lawyers at risk. Rommel Durán Castellanos, Colombian Human Rights Lawyer and member of the Colombian Association of Human Rights Lawyers (Acadehum), the ‘Pueblos’ Legal Team, and the Committee for Solidarity with Political Prisoners, will speak in London on the serious risk situation for lawyers in Colombia, and the role that the international legal community can play in this situation. Following Mr Duran’s presentation, there will be a short panel discussion with Professor Bill Bowring, President of European Lawyers for Democracy and Human Rights, and Carlos Orjuela, Haldane Society, (Further speakers to be announced). The event will be chaired by Professor Sara Chandler, Chair of the Law Society Human Rights Committee and of the Colombian Caravana UK Lawyers’ Group. To finish the event, we will show a new documentary entitled “Gotas que agrietan la Roca“, about the José Alvéar Restrepo Lawyers’ Collective (Cajar).
Venue: The Seminar Room, Garden Court Chambers, 57-60 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3LJ. RSVP: colombian.caravana@gmail.com to secure your place at this important event
Sunday 19 January, 14.30-7.30pm
Annual Genocide Memorial Day
The IHRC has lined up a raft of acclaimed speakers and guests for its upcoming Genocide Memorial Day. Inaugurated by the IHRC five years ago as a more inclusive alternative to Holocaust Remembrance Day, GMD aims to highlight and help prevent genocidal actions all around the world, irrespective of race, ethnicity or religion. Speakers include Michel Warschawski, founder of the anti-Zionist Alternative Information Centre; Ramon Grosfoguel, Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.
Venue: University College London, Cruciform Lecture Theatre, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT. Organised by the Islamic Human Rights Commission.
Monday 13 January, 6.30-8pm
Syria’s Age of Revolution: Peaceful Protest to Armed Struggle
Speaker: Professor Yezid Sayigh. Professor Yezid Sayigh will give an in-depth, comprehensive view of the state and nature of the Syrian ‘revolution’ and armed rebellion and explore what comparisons can be drawn with the Palestinian experience of revolution and armed struggle.
Venue: Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building, LSE, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE. This event is free and open to all on a first come first served basis.