#boycottZim #desinvestir4Palestine #blocktherails #FreePalestine #PalestineLibre
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Montreal, 29 June 2024 – Anti-colonial activists are blocking rail lines south of Montreal, near St-Bruno 45.514021810669405, -73.3430849486683, shutting down a vital artery for trade between Canada and the zionist state. Goods travel between Montreal and Halifax on Canadian National (CN) freight trains and then on to Haifa aboard ships owned by Zim Integrated Shipping Services Ltd..
“The zionist state could not continue its violent occupation without material support from Western states. Not just weapons exports, but all trade with so-called Israel supports the genocidal violence and must be stopped. Canadian goods and capital are enabling genocide in Palestine: from industrial products sent to make up for lower production as factory worker reservists are called up to fight in Gaza; to capital sent to purchase oranges sold across Quebec. This blockade aims to temporarily interrupt trade, draw attention to Canada’s material support, and inspire further boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) direct action,” said Fadwa Tuqan
“In May, we saw Montrealers take the BDS struggle to new heights as students created camps to pressure their universities to divest and boycott. The camp movement has now expanded to demand that the CDPQ divest and that Quebec close the Quebec-Israel office,” stated Dominique Gagnon from the blockade. “As we continue to strategically pressure the state and institutions to adopt BDS, we also take direct action to enforce the boycott ourselves.”
“The whole world is standing by and watching as zionist aggressors bomb, shoot, bury, starve, and deny life-saving medical aid to Palestinians while simultaneously destroying all infrastructure and poisoning the land. We need to support Palestine in real-world, concrete ways,” said Dominique Gagnon, a blockade organizer. “We’ve done petitions and statements and resolutions, it didn’t work. We’re blocking the rails used to transfer goods between Canada and the zionist entity today because the entire political class in Canada has failed Palestine.”
CN was and still is a key player in establishing and maintaining Canadian colonialism. Zim was founded in 1945 as a zionist project to support the colonization of Palestine and creation of a zionist state, three years before so-called Israel was recognized by Western states in the aftermath of their slaughter and displacement of European Jews. Until the early 2000s, Zim was still partly state-owned. In the context of the current escalation, its CEO pledged that its ships, “will be directed, as a first priority, to transfer cargo from anywhere in the world to Israel according to the requirements and needs of the Ministry of Defense and the government of Israel.”
“Canada supports the genocide and occupation diplomatically and materially,” Hannah Omini said. “Its firm alliance with Israel is hardly surprising given that it is also a colonial state and relies on resources, land and labour stolen from colonized peoples here and around the world. We call for more BDS direct actions to stop the genocide, end the occupation, and liberate Palestine.”
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