Report from Mercy College Woodford Students on a Year of Activism

Report from Mercy College Woodford Students on a Year of Activism
By Megan Mulcahy and Catriona Patience

Students at Mercy College Woodford recently won an award from the Bank of Ireland for “Best Group”, beating off stiff competition from the many other groups in the many other schools in the area, including EVERY sports group.
With this in mind, we have put together a summary of what we did last year, which helped us to win the award. This is just a snapshot summary of some of the things that we got up to during a very active year.
In November we started a practical project. At the time we had been sending many letters to many important people, especially regarding the situation in Israel/OPT protesting against the so-called ‘defence wall’. We decided to inform our fellow students about what was going on. We made our own ‘wall’ in the school, made up of ‘bricks’ cut from paper. On these we wrote, printed, and painted our messages of solidarity with the Palestinian people, and expressing our hope for the future. Mr Conroy, our teacher, also made copies of films that were relevant to the issue and stuck them on to the ‘bricks’ for people to take and distribute and put back up again. We did not ask for permission from the school authorities to put up this wall, symbolising how the Israelis built their wall without Palestinian consent. The wall was erected during class time, when no one was suspecting (again mirroring the Israeli approach). This was a very effective project – many students got really engaged with the issues and lots joined our group.
During March our Amnesty group did a photography-based project against Guantanamo Bay detention facility. We dressed up in orange jump suits, like the ones worm by Guantanamo inmates, and wore white masks. We took pictures outside the school with a huge wire fence in the background, which symbolised the prison. Each picture featured one student and each student held up a letter. When we put all the photographs together on a wall of the school it spelt out the message AMNESTY @ MCW SAYS CLOSE GUANTANAMO. The singer Gary Dunne (www.garydunne.com) later used these pictures in one of his music videos, ‘Simple Truth’. With the arrival of Barach Obama as president of the United States, it looks like our message was successful.
In May we were invited by Amnesty Ireland to meet Brian Cowen on his first day in office. We had, with us, 250 postcards signed against the treatment of people in China. This is more signatures than we have students in the school – every teacher also signed up. On arrival outside the Dáil we met up with about 5 other schools, mostly from Dublin, and we all put on our Amnesty bibs and t-shirts. With lots of placards and enthusiasm, we grouped together for photographs in front of the Dáil. We were later on the 5 o’clock news on TV3. Unfortunately we did not get to meet Mr Cowen as he was in Northern Ireland. However, between all of us we did get to hand in over 4,000 postcards for Mr Cowen to read on his return.
We’re looking forward to a very active year again next year.

Gaza Crisis - Demonstration

Dear Friends,

I know you are all very concerned at the humanitarian and human rights crisis in Gaza.

Amnesty International has unequivocally criticised the Israeli authorities and Hamas and is proactively lobbying the Irish Government, the Israeli Ambassador to Ireland and Hamas.

On Friday at 6pm outside St Stephen’s Green we will be inviting members of the public to light a candle to commemorate every person who has been killed since December 27th in this conflict.

We have also created a series of actions for our online Action Centre, www.amnesty.ie that you can take:

• Email the Israeli Embassy to call for an end to the unlawful targeting of civilians in Gaza

• Call on Hamas to cease firing from behind residential homes in Gaza and stop the unlawful targeting of Israeli civilians

• Call on the US Embassy to recognise the responsibility of the US Government

• Call on our Taoiseach to use all diplomatic measures at his disposal to end the crisis

Every voice raised in protest matters. We live in hope that a ceasefire will be forthcoming, but until then, make sure you play your part.

Sincerely


Kieran Clifford
Campaigns Team
Amnesty International Irish Section

Irish Government must summon Israeli Ambassador – Amnesty

Amnesty International Ireland has again condemned indiscriminate attacks on civilians by all parties to the conflict in Gaza and southern Israel. The organisation went on to call on the Irish Government to summon the Israeli Ambassador to stress Irish opposition to indiscriminate attacks by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.

Amnesty International is also calling on for a suspension of talks on the EU-Israel Action Plan, designed to deepen social, economic and political links, until concrete measures to address the human rights and humanitarian catastrophe are agreed.

Amnesty International Ireland Executive Director Colm O’Gorman said:

“In March of last year we published The Gaza Strip: A humanitarian implosion. At the time we described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as worse ‘than it has ever been since the start of the Israeli military occupation in 1967’.

“Over 1.5 million Palestinians are now living in a humanitarian disaster zone. Even before Israel’s offensive began, almost two weeks ago, supplies of food, water, power and medicine were completely inadequate. Heavy bombing and indiscriminate shelling have pushed what was already a desperate situation over the edge.

“The announcement by Israel of a three hour suspension of attacks every day to allow Gazans to get supplies falls well short of what is necessary and ignores the dire shortages of basic essentials in Gaza.

“Indiscriminate attacks by Hamas on Israeli civilians are illegal. Amnesty International has repeatedly condemned any and all such incidents. We will continue to do so and reiterate our demand that Hamas cease all such attacks immediately.

“But Israel’s policy of collective punishment is a clear and explicit violation of international law. The refusal to allow humanitarian aid or observers into Gaza is a simple violation of basic notions of humanity.

“We have written to the Taoiseach asking him to summon the Israeli Ambassador to stress Ireland’s opposition to the continued disproportionate and indiscriminate use of force by Israel and to reiterate the Government’s demand that Israel allow urgently needed humanitarian aid into Gaza.”

Amnesty International Ireland is also calling on the Irish Government to:

• Publically support calls for the deployment of international monitors to verify compliance with international law by both Israel and the Palestinian administration in Gaza.
• Offer leadership in Europe by working to agree a common EU position calling for a strong UN Security Council resolution condemning attacks against civilians by both Israel and Hamas and demanding that such attacks cease immediately.
• Call for a suspension of bilateral talks with Israel on the specific details of the future EU-Israel Action Plan pending agreement on concrete measures to address the human rights and humanitarian catastrophe. Ireland should also commit to pushing for the final Action Plan to contain human rights action points and benchmarks for Israel.
• Support a meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs to discuss how Ireland can best assist international efforts to end attacks on civilians and get humanitarian aid into Gaza.

“The solution to this lies in dialogue between all parties and with the international community,” added Mr O’Gorman.

“Our members will be targeting both the Israeli Ambassador and the Hamas administration along with the Irish Government urging them all to take action to end attacks on civilians in Gaza and southern Israel and to alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe.”

Find out more about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza

Take action to end human rights abuses in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories

Get involved and join our Israel – Occupied Palestine Campaign Group

Amnesty calls for immediate truce in Gaza

Amnesty International today urged the UN Security Council to demand that Israel, Hamas and Palestinian armed groups observe an immediate truce in Gaza to allow desperately needed humanitarian assistance to the beleaguered civilian population, evacuation of the wounded and safe refuge for civilians wishing to flee the conflict zone.

“Civilians in Gaza are trapped in an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe, and need immediate respite,” said Malcolm Smart, Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme.

“It is abundantly clear that the parties to this conflict are failing to respect international humanitarian law, and that the civilian population of Gaza is paying a very heavy price.”

“Eleven days into the conflict and amid a mounting toll of civilian casualties in Gaza, calls for a ceasefire have as yet gone unheeded by both Israel and Hamas.

“In the absence of a ceasefire, an immediate humanitarian truce is urgently needed to protect the civilian population. The fighting must stop long enough so that humanitarian assistance can reach those in need and so that those who want to leave can be evacuated.

“An immediate pause in hostilities would at least make it possible for basic assistance to be got to civilians in dire need, permit the evacuation and treatment of the wounded and the burial of the dead,” said Malcolm Smart. “It would also allow civilians trapped in Gaza an opportunity to leave the conflict zone safely to seek refuge with the assistance of neighbouring states where necessary, allow emergency repairs to essential infrastructure, and ensure that humanitarian workers can provide protection and assistance in safety.”

Amnesty International has repeatedly urged Israel, Hamas, and other Palestinian armed groups to end attacks on civilians and other violations of international humanitarian law, and to allow access to humanitarian assistance. The organization has urged the UN Security Council and the international community to ensure compliance with international law.

However, civilians -- particularly the 1.5 million Palestinians trapped in Gaza -- continue to both be targeted and suffer disproportionately in this conflict.

Backgound

More than 500 Palestinians have been killed since 27 December, including more than 100 unarmed civilians. This includes scores of children. Over 2,000 have been injured. Israeli air strikes continue to be launched in a reckless manner, resulting in high civilian casualties. The use of artillery – which is notoriously inaccurate in pinpointing its target and should never be used in densely populated areas – is leading to further deaths and injuries to civilians. The invasion by Israeli ground forces into Gaza (since 3 January) brings the fighting into the midst of residential areas. The division of Gaza by Israeli forces into three sections is further exacerbating the humanitarian situation.

Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups have been firing hundreds of indiscriminate rockets into towns in southern Israel, in violation of international humanitarian law. Three Israeli civilians have been killed in these attacks.

The Israeli ground incursion into Gaza that began on 3 January has taken the fighting even further into the heart of residential areas, increasing the risk for the civilian population.

Even with fighting continuing, Israel has clear obligations under international humanitarian law to allow humanitarian assistance for civilians and must do so immediately. Instead, Israel has been actively blocking essential medicine, food, fuel, and electricity in violation of its duties as the Occupying Power.

There is a critical shortage of food, medicine and most of the necessities required to sustain life in Gaza. According to the ICRC, hospitals are now completely dependent on unreliable generators that cannot be repaired due to Israeli restrictions on the import of spare parts. The fighting has prevented ambulance crews from responding to some emergency calls, resulting in preventable deaths.

Many water supply lines have been severed during bombardments, making it very difficult for families in certain areas of the Gaza Strip to get hold of safe drinking water. Necessary repairs have been impeded by bombings. This lack of clean water supply is a disaster in waiting.

Find out more about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza

Take action to end human rights abuses in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories

Get involved and join our Israel – Occupied Palestine Campaign Group

Israel must allow access to Gaza

As the number of casualties continues to mount, civilians in Gaza are in increasingly dire need of food, medical and other emergency assistance. Demanding access to Gaza for humanitarian workers and observers, Amnesty International also named the civilian victims of a number of Israeli attacks.

International humanitarian and human rights workers, as well as journalists, have not been allowed into Gaza by the Israeli army since the beginning of November, with the exception of a few journalists who were allowed in for a couple of days earlier in December.

“Humanitarian workers, journalists and human rights monitors are urgently needed to assess needs, report violations and publicise the reality of the situation on the ground,”said Amnesty International.

Amnesty International believes that risk to civilians is increased by artillery attacks on Gaza launched from Israeli gunboats off the coast. In the past, such artillery fire into densely populated areas has been inaccurate, causing Israel to desist from such firing after attacks caused high numbers of civilian casualties.

As attacks continue, Amnesty International called on the Israeli authorities, the Hamas de-facto administration and all other Palestinian armed groups to stop all unlawful attacks. They must not target civilians and buildings not being used for military purposes, whether through air or artillery strikes or home-made rockets, and must take all precautions necessary to protect civilians from the dangers caused by military operations.

Amnesty International also expressed great anxiety that a ground incursion into Gaza by Israeli forces could greatly increase civilian casualties.

“Israeli forces must bear in mind that there are no ‘safe’ places in Gaza for civilians to seek shelter. They know how densely populated the Jabalia Refugee Camp is and that the homes are mostly light structures with flimsy asbestos roofs and not able to withstand the effect of strikes. Strikes are virtually sure to kill and injure civilians,” said Amnesty International.

"The Israeli army must not carry out attacks which pose a disproportionate risk to civilians. They must always choose means and methods of attack that are least likely to harm civilians.”

"We urge all parties not to target civilians and not to carry out indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks that put civilian lives in danger.”

Examples of civilian casualties:

On 27 December seven students from a school run by the United Nations were killed outside the school, just after lessons finished as they were trying to get home. The Israeli bombardment had first started at about 11.30 am on a Saturday, a day and time when the streets are very busy, particularly as children finish school just after midday, just as the initial bombardment was at its most intense. Seven students from a UNRWA school were killed outside the school just after lessons finished and they were trying to get home.

On 27 December Muhammad al-Awadi finished his exam and left the al Carmel School in the Rimal district of downtown Gaza City, a school located near the al-Abbas police station in a residential district, at about 11.30 am to return to the orphanage where he lived with his brother Ahmed. He was fatally wounded when a bomb was dropped on the Police station, just as he

came out of the school. Muhammad was treated in the ICU unit of Gaza City Hospital but died in the evening of 30 December.

On 28 December five sisters from the Baalousha family aged four to 17, (Jawhir, 4; Dina, 8; Samar, 12; Ikram, 14; and Tahrir, 17) were killed in their home in Jabalia Refugee Camp, located north of Gaza city in Gaza’s most densely populated area. Four other siblings were injured when the mosque near their home was bombed, and theirs and several other homes were destroyed and damaged.

In the night of 28-29 December three bothers from the al-Absi family aged three to 14 yrs (Sedqi, 3; Ahmad, 12; and Muhammad, 14) were killed along with their mother while several other siblings were injured when their home was destroyed by a strike in a refugee camp in Rafah, south Gaza.

Since the beginning of the offensive on 27 December, more than 360 Palestinians have been killed, including scores of unarmed civilians, including some 70 women and children. Some 1,700 Palestinians have also been injured.

Four Israeli civilians have also been killed and scores injured as all Palestinian armed groups in Gaza, including the armed wing of the Palestinian Authority’s President Mahmoud Abbas’ al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, have continued to launch rockets from Gaza into southern Israel.

Find out more about Amnesty International's work for human rights in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories

Take action to end human rights abuses in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories

Get involved and join our Israel – Occupied Palestine Campaign Group

News from the Youth Leadership weekend.....

Wow my first amnesty week!
Where to start?
Well after arather long-winded journey we finally managed to make it to Donegal, Bundoran (Please don’t ask me where it is, after trying to get several people to explain the geography of the area I still have no idea!), when we got to our restaurant, we met our southern allies.

Although during the first meal we didn’t get much talking done with them, as we were all far too hungry to bother ourselves with being social.
But the first evening was spent happily, doing ice-breakers and just generally getting to know the people we were going to spend the next two days with!

We were woken up bright and early on the Saturday morning (well it was only 8 o’clock, so it felt bright and early for a statuary morning!),we all had breakfast at the ad venture centre next door to our accommodation,which involved several hundred thousand pieces of toast, and as far as I couldtell a lot of butter and jam!

But we were al thrown into our first activity of themorning, which was a role play exercise involving eight of us being certaincharacters you might have in social situations (or in this case an amnesty weekend).

Then we had quite a few hours of a drama workshop, I think Iheard a few complaints later of ‘If I ever have to shake an other persons andor ask them their favourite colour it will be the last thing I’ll ever do!’ butnone the less, our representations of the death penalty, domestic violence andwrongly treated prisoners got everyone hot under the collar.,

We all settleddown to a lunch of soup before finding out more about campaigns and watchingseveral videos, which showed us (and inspired me) of the campaigns which hadbeen run by young people like ourselves and in their amnesty groups.

Our evening was spent watching the DVD ‘Perspholis’ and just generally having good ‘Banter’ and ‘Craic”
Most of us were evening more tired on the Sunday morning as they were on the Saturday, as the staff found out, but our shouting that more coffee and toast was need before we were going to leave the breakfast table!

Dan’s photographs of earlier campaigns gave us all inspiration for our next challenge, which was to design placards for a campaignfor womens rights in Iran. I don’t think the people of Bundoran had really seenany thing like it before but as we marched steadily onwards with all the girls(and boys!) in tradition hijab head wear, with our banners and placards, we waked along the beach, trying to look as grim and impressed as possible but most of us failed at that!)

And so our weekend came to a nice close. I had made newfriends, got loads of advice on how I was going to start up an amnesty group at school and had had a really good weekend1 Thank-you!

News From the Youth Leadership Weekend- Rebecca and V'cenza

We’ve really enjoyed our weekend on Saturday we took part in a drama workshop were we learnt about forum theatre, this helped us find new ways to come up with solutions to major problems.

We learnt new ideas on how to campaign effectively, and get others involved.
On Sunday we took part in out own Amnesty demonstration, campaigning for womens’ rights in Iran, we thought this was the most enjoyable part of the weekend an also the most inspirational. We learnt a lot about theses issues on Saturday night as we watched a short animated film based on Iran.

We really enjoyed meeting new people from all over Ireland, who share our ideas surrounding Human rights. In learning all these new methods on how to campaign it has really inspired us to go back to Newcastle and put them to work as the weekend has really opened our eyes to the reality of people being deprived of their fundamental Human Rights.


Rebecca and V'cenza- Amnesty International weekend