Existence is Resistance presents Hands Off Gaza (Part 2), a fundraising benefit event to raise medical aid for Gaza.
Film Screening, Panel Discussion and Performances from 4pm – 10pm – People are welcome to come anytime – this is a fundraising event and all proceeds raised will go directly for medical aid in Gaza. Complimentary refreshments will be available.
4PM – 6.30PM
FILM SCREENING: “Hip Hop Is Bigger Than The Occupation”
Followed by a Q&A panel of artists and organizers featured in the filmThe documentary revolves around a ten day journey of artists traveling through Palestine, teaching and performing Non Violent Resistance through the arts.The tour included M1 of Dead Prez, Shadia Mansour, Marcel Cartier, Mazzi of Soul Purpose, DJ Vega Benetton, Lowkey, Jody McIntyre and Trinidad, Brandon and Lavie from the South West Youth Collaborative/University of Hip Hop Chicago. Staying in the heart of Balata Refugee Camp @ the Yafa Cultural Center in Nablus the group witnesses night raids, toured places like Hebron where there are roads for the Arabs and roads for the Jews, they meet families of shaheeds as well as young Palestinians who have been jailed, shot, humiliated, the group visits Bi’lin where they get shot at and tear gassed and experience first hand what it felt like living under occupation.
7PM -8.30PM
PANEL DISCUSSION: “Hip Hop, Resistance and Palestine – Views from Global Community”
Panel of Artists discussing global resistance through the arts, especially hip hop and making the connections from the Ghetto to Gaza…some of these artists have been to Gaza and the West Bank.
The panel will include:
IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE
M1 OF DEAD PREZ – Traveled to Gaza in 2009 and the West Bank in 2010
MAINO
HASAN SALAAM
MAZZI (SOUL PURPOSE) – Traveled to Gaza in 2009 and the West Bank in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012
JASIEL- Traveled to the West Bank in 2012More to be announced9PM – 10PM
LIVE PERFORMANCES
Some of the artists from the previous panel will perform as well as poetry from Tahani Salah and DJ Vega Benetton on the Turntables.
NO AGE RESTRICTIONS
$20 SUGGESTED DONATION
PLEASE EMAIL EIR.NYC@GMAIL.COM TO RSVP AND/OR ENDORSE – PLEASE PUT “HANDS OFF GAZA PART 2″ IN THE SUBJECT LINE.HANDS OFF GAZA PART 1 CAN BE SEEN HERE:http://vimeo.com/9003712
Before the screening of Hip Hop Is Bigger Than The Occupation at Georgetown University we were interviewed by Arab Satellite Channel MBC about the documentary and the organization.
UK – Jersey Takes Initiative to Limit Vulture Funds – EIR and Friends of the Congo Applaud Effort
New York City, NY, February 6th, 2012 – Jersey’s Chief Minister, Senator Ian Gorst, announced plans to outlaw vulture funds that have been using court systems to capitalize on the economic vulnerabilities of poor nations. Senator Gorst explained that this initiative “demonstrates Jersey’s commitment to play its part in the global effort to support measures which assist the world’s most heavily indebted poor countries.”
This announcement comes as welcome news to advocates for debt-relief who have been crying out and campaigning against predatory vulture funds, a practice where international debt speculators buy the poorest country’s debts and then sue for 10 to 100 times the amount of purchase, driving countries further into debt and stalling development that would enable them to recover.
Targeting companies that do business with heavily-indebted nations, fund holders attempt to claim profits on the basis of debt collection. The Democratic Republic of Congo, ranking last at 187 on the United Nations Development Programme 2011 Human Development Index, has been a victim of this practice since 1996. The collections are aimed at companies but ordinary citizens clearly bear the cost of economic stress and stalls in development. According to the 2011 Global Hunger Index by the International Food Policy Research Institute, Congo has the highest proportion of undernourished people – about 70 percent of the population – and one of the highest child mortality rates in the world. Vulture funds exacerbate the conditions that entrench a struggling nation further into debt and dependency on international aid.
New York-based hedge fund FG Hemisphere Associates LLC, owned by Brooklyn Financier Peter Grossman, is currently suing the Democratic Republic of Congo (former Zaire) for $100 million in the Jersey courts. The claim is based on a $30 million loan given 30 years ago to Zairian dictator Joseph Mobutu by Yugoslavia’s (now Bosnia) Energoinvest for a failed hydro-electricity project. Energoinvest sold its Congo debt to FG Hemisphere (now FG Capital Management Ltd.). According to the BBC, The Guardian, Democracy Now, and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, Peter Grossman’s hedge fund purchased the loan from Bosnia’s former Prime Minister and former director of Energoinvest, Nedzad Brankovic, for only $3 million. The Bosnian Chief of Financial Police claims that Brankovic acted illegally in selling the debt, which was owned by Bosnia, but sold personally, and has recommended Brankovic be charged.
Since 2005, FG Hemisphere has tried to seize Congo’s assets in the Bahamas, Europe, Hong Kong, South Africa and the United States. In 2009, FG Hemisphere brought the case against Congo to the island of Jersey in the United Kingdom. In December of 2011, the Jersey Court awarded FG Hemisphere $100 million. Senator Ian Gorst’s plan to outlaw vulture funds in Jersey will save the Congo from losing $100 million to FG Hemisphere. The final appeal in the FG Hemisphere vs. D.R. Congo case is expected to be heard in the next few months.
Jersey’s efforts are laudable and have been praised by advocacy groups like Friends of the Congo and Existence Is Resistance, who have undertaken a continuous protest since the end of November to expose the players behind the pilfering of the Congo. Encouraged by Jersey’s initiative, members of these groups are calling for more people to join them as they gather every Sunday at 5 PM at Peter Grossman’s residence in Brooklyn at the corner of Dekalb and Washington avenues in Brooklyn, NY.
About Friends of the Congo and Existence is Resistance
The Friends of the Congo is a grassroots advocacy organization based in Washington, DC.
Existence Is Resistance is an internationalist organization determined to promote non-violent resistance through cultural arts.
For more information or to schedule an interview, contact:
In recent days, protesters demanding civilian rule in Egypt have again been murdered, maimed and tortured by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and the Interior Security Forces (ISF).
The conspiracy, being brutally implemented in Egypt, is part of a global conspiracy to suffocate mass movements for socio-economic justice and is being done with direct assistance of the American government and the private interests which direct that government. We have word from friends in Egypt that SCAF, ISF and their hired thugs — armed by ongoing shipments of $1.3 billion in weapons from the U.S. government — plan to execute one by one all the leaders of the revolution, and as many activists as they can.
Accordingly, we need to ensure that people and organizers in the US and internationally are involved in closely monitoring the events unraveling in Egypt. By keeping track of the atrocities committed by SCAF and ISF, keeping track of those detained, tortured or targeted, and continuously contacting officials in Egypt and the US to demand accountability, cessation of the atrocities and justice, we can add pressure on SCAF, ISF and the forces they represent. In this way we may be able to play a role in helping save the lives of our Egyptian brothers and sisters.
Evidence of the conspiracy to execute the leaders and participants of Egyptian freedom movement, includes in very small part the following:
Sheikh Emad of Al Azhar was killed by a bullet entering his right side from short range. This was seen at first hand by witnesses known to members of our coalition. Sheikh Emad was one of a small number of Azhar Imams issuing decrees in support of the revolution. His murder was no accident.
Sally Tooma, Mona Seif, Ahdaf Soueif, and Sanaa Seif, all female friends and relatives of imprisoned blogger and activist Alaa abd El Fattah, and all known internationally for their political and/or literary work, were detained, and beaten in the Cabinet building.
A woman protesting against General Tantawi, head of SCAF, was detained and then tortured by having the letter “T” in English carved into her scalp with knives.
Detainees are being tortured while in courtroom holding pens. Two men (Mohammad Muhiy Hussein is one of them) were killed in those pens.These are only a small number of the horror stories we are hearing. And we continue to receive reports from Cairo about a massive army presence in Tahrir Square and the constant sound of gunshots.These are only a small number of the horror stories we are hearing. And we continue to receive reports from Cairo about a massive army presence in Tahrir Square and the constant sound of gunshots.
In every way, Egypt’s fight is our fight. Just like us, Egyptians are the 99%, fighting for social, political and economic justice.
The same 1% that arms the Egyptian dictatorship commits systematic violence in this country against the Occupy movement; antiwar and solidarity activists; and Arabs, Muslims, and other communities of color.
As the US Palestinian Community Network recently observed, “the same US-made tear gas rains down on us in the streets of Oakland, Cairo and Bil`in.”
Because of Egypt’s key strategic location, the fate of its revolution echoes across the world. Its success will bring us all closer to achieving economic and social justice. But its defeat would be a major blow to social justice movements everywhere, including Occupy.
In short, Egypt is key to the continued success of the Arab Revolution, and movements she has inspired.
For all these reasons, we ask Occupy and all U.S. social justice activists to join us in mobilizing to defend our Egyptian brothers and sisters by immediately organizing mass convergences on Egyptian embassies, missions, consulates, and at U.S. government offices, to demand:
Cancel all US aid and shipment of military and police materiel to Egypt!
Sunday December 4th from 2-5pm, join Existence is Resistance and Friends of Congo for our second protest against Wall Street Vulture Peter Grossman.
Vulture Fund FG Hemisphere run by American financier Peter Grossman is trying to collect on a $100m debt from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The current debt is based on an initial $30 million loan he purchased from Bosnia’s former Prime Minister Nedzad Brankovic for only $3 million.
Grossman has tried to seize the DRC’s Washington Embassy as down payment on the debt, but this was blocked by US authorities. His company tried to claim the debt once more in the US, and again in Hong Kong, before attempting in Jersey, an island that is a British Crown dependency.
The country is one of the poorest in the world, ranking last at 187 on the United Nations 2011 Human Development Index. Peter Grossman’s Vulture Fund is attempting to deny the impoverished people of the Congo of their right to basic human needs. When questioned whether he thought that his collection of the debt was fair, Grossman replied, “Yeah, I do, actually.” Adding, “I am not doing anything wrong. I am collecting a legitimate debt.”
Meet at Fulton St & Waverly Ave in Brooklyn, NY 11238 (Clinton/Washington Stop off of the C Train). We will march from the intersection to 300 DEKALB AVE to the residence of FG Hemisphere’s Peter Grossman.
For more on Grossman’s theft of Congo’s resources, view these links:
Monday December 5th, Greg Palast, the author who exposed Peter Grossman’s criminal conduct will be releasing his book about this very subject called Vulture’s Picnic.
The event is presented by WBAI and will be held at the Community Church of New York, 40 E 35th Street – between Park & Madison at 7pm. Check out link below on purchasing tickets to the book launch.
The New York City launch of Palast’s brand new book
VULTURES’ PICNIC
Monday, December 5
7pm
Community Church of New York
40 E 35th Street – between Park & Madison
“If you like thrillers, why read fake stuff when the real stories Palast tells are even more amazing, way out and riveting. And the results of the stories are muckraking and exposés that will knock your socks off.” – Rob Kall, OpEd News
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Greg Palast is the author of Vultures’ Picnic: In Pursuit of Petroleum Pigs, Power Pirates and High-Finance Carnivores, released this week in the US and Canada by Penguin.
You can read Vultures’ Picnic, “Chapter 1: Goldfinger,” or download it, at no charge: click here.
