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Published on Tuesday, 12 May 2015 12:00
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Written by editor
Dear friends,
This past week has been an interesting experience for us in regards to the billboard we erected on the Pat Bay highway a week ago.
We have received incredible support with letters and phone calls for our action in putting up the billboard. We also received a great number of copies of the letters that many of us have sent to MLA, Andrew Weaver. We hope that we continue to receive more of them.
We believe that the billboard has given space for open debate on the issue for a wider audience as we had originally intended before erecting the billboard.
We would like to thank everyone who has contributed in writing letters and making calls in support of the billboard, because in turn it is in support of human rights in Palestine. We encourage all of us to keep up our support and for some of us who have not been able to do so to please do.
In the past week we have concentrated on responding to the unfortunate letter we had received from Andrew Weaver. This week we would like to concentrate more on the media so we can reach more people. As we all know the media hardly ever covers this issue much and when it does it's greatly bent to one side. If we could use the unfortunate letter we've received from Mr. Dr. Weaver to write to the editors by linking it to the issue of Palestine we may get some results. At least we hope that we can get them to print a more balanced and truthful picture of the issue. And if not, at least they will know that not everyone is buying their constant lies they throw at us on the issue.
With this note we are including our letter to Mr. Dr. Weaver. Although he has contacted others in regards to our billboard he has never once tried to contact us.
Presently we are expecting that in the next few days we can meet with the responsible officials at Band's office who own the land where our billboard stands. We will explain our side of the matter to them with the hope that our billboard may stay up.
Our many thanks again for all past support with the hope that we may continue to count on all of us.
Randy Caravaggio
for Victoria Friends of Cuba
Dear Dr. Andrew Weaver
MLA, Oak Bay-Gordon Head
219 - 3930 Shellbourne Street
Victoria, BC V8P 5P6
On Thursday, May 7 we received a call from Robert Lynn from the Direct Marketing Group. He had received a letter from you in regards to the anti Racist anti Apartheid Billboard that our Victoria Friends of Cuba along with the Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid committee erected on Sunday, May 3 on the Pat Bay highway. Mr. Lynn told us that your letter demanded that he require our billboard to be removed because it was offensive and hateful. So, I asked him to send us a copy of your letter.
After receiving and reading a copy of your letter we now ask you; on what basis did you send your letter of complaint about the content of our billboard to Mr. Lynn? Mr. Lynn had nothing to do with the content of the billboard. He simply rents billboard spaces to anyone who wants to erect a billboard and makes a living from it.
It is very clear to us that your letter was meant for our committees which designed it, paid for it and erected it and not Mr. Lynn. We believe that the reason you sent it to Mr. Lynn was that you as an MLA thought you could pressure or sway Mr. Lynn to tell us to remove the billboard. If this is the case (if it isn't please explain), we can only say that your action is entirely inappropriate in an open and democratic society. To use your office and position as an MLA to bully someone to silence debate and quash our freedom of speech is abusive to say the least. Why could you not simply have contacted us to discuss it? We are the ones fully responsible for the billboard and its content. Our name and contact are clearly visible on the billboard. We hid nothing. So why use this sneaky unprofessional manner to try to silence us?
We urge that you retract your accusation about Mr. Lynn and apologize to him since you insinuated that it was he who was responsible for the billboard and its content.
In your letter you state that you were contacted "by a constituent who was profoundly troubled by the nature of the advertising displayed on the billboard" and that you share your "constituent’s concerns". We can only wonder why you acted so abruptly about something outside of your constituency based on one complaint. If you are acting on behalf of that one person in your constituency have you forgotten all the others? Our support also comes from many in your constituency.
Your letter continues with "this billboard is offensive as it promotes hatred of a people." Can you please explain to us how it is offensive and promotes hatred of a people?
Our billboard concerns the state of Israel and NOT a people. The Israeli state is not sacrosanct. Criticism of any state for its wrongful actions or discriminatory laws is the right of each of us. As it is our right to criticize actions and policies of the Canadian government or the Liberal government in BC, so it is our right to criticize the actions and policies of foreign governments, including Israel or the USA. Jewish people in our group are in full support of our billboard and are opposed to the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine and the apartheid system Israel has imposed.
You also state in your letter "The accusation of apartheid is a very serious allegation. It suggests the existence of a systemic policy of segregation and/or discrimination on grounds of race. It further promotes the disdain and hatred towards those accused of supposedly practicing apartheid."
We agree, but if, ethnic cleansing of more than 700,000 Palestinians in 1948-9, a more than 400 mile long illegal separation wall, the oppression under military law of Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the illegal imposition of 600,000 Israeli settlers on Palestinian land, the fact that all Palestinians - unlike Israelis - have to carry and show ID cards when they pass through endless check points, ongoing destruction of thousands of Palestinian homes and villages, Israeli only highways, the illegal blockade of Gaza starving nearly 2 million people, the repeated attacks on Gaza with massacres of thousands including women and children, the breaking of over 70 UN resolutions, the racist plan to make Israel a state of the Jewish people, do not constitute Apartheid? Please explain why? Indeed the list of these kinds of discriminatory laws from the state of Israel are too long to list here. These policies and laws constitute apartheid and are based on racism and hatred? Is this not offensive to you?
We will continue to work for an end to the illegal occupation and apartheid system that Israel has imposed against Palestinians. We will continue along with thousands of other organization, NGOs, churches, unions, universities, and people from around the globe to boycott, divest and sanction Israel until all human rights and equality are insured in Palestine for all people.
In trying to muzzle our freedom of speech, asking us to remove our billboard, you abused your power as an MLA. By attempting to obstruct debate on the issue and prevent the truth from coming out, you betrayed your constituents and Canada. We hope that you will retract the statements of your letter and send Mr. Lynn and our committees your apologies for such unacceptable behaviour. This is the least you can do.
Sincerely,
Randy Caravaggio
For Victoria Friends of Cuba
250-743-2994
1584 Strathcona Heights
Shawnigan Lake, BC V0R 2W2
Edwin E. Daniel
For Victoria Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid
778 433 3535
#601 2910 Cook St.
Victoria, BC V8T 3S7
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