Broad Coalition of Different Currents Comes Together in Palestine Solidarity
17.03.2025
On Saturday night from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm right in the middle of Port Louis in Lari Legliz, Sir William Newton Street, there was a Palestine Solidarity event that brought together some of the varied strands of the Palestine solidarity movement against the genocide, the Apartheid and the occupation of Palestine by Israel. The event called “Iftar for Palestine” was structured around a meal to break the fast with a festival of traditional Palestinian cuisine, thus here in Mauritius Palestinian women keeping Palestinian culture alive, even as the Palestinians in Gaza are being starved by the Israeli State and threatened with extinction.
The event was jointly organized by Lea’s Cafe with Lea giving a warm description of Palestinian culinary culture, and the group “Never Again – Olive Resistance” – represented inter alia by Tania Haberland, who presided over the event with a light touch. Both the Cafe and the group, in their different ways, are part of the broad movement to stand with Palestinians as they suffer continued and accelerated genocide.
The event was also to raise funds through donations, given there-and-then to two benevolent organizations that rely on volunteers to do their work, organizing donations that directly benefits Palestinian families in Gaza, in particular children. One raises money and goods to send to Palestinian families in Gaza. The other organizes for individuals to support a child in Gaza – not only in terms of money but as a sign of external support, as if one’s child. This reminds me of the saying that was popularized in Mauritius during the struggle against Apartheid in South Africa, “Any Child is My Child”.
Another man present at the event took the microphone to speak on the importance of boycotting Israeli products when at the Supermarket, and encouraged use of the Apps like “No thanks”. A woman present spoke of her niece who is right now incarcerated in the UK awaiting bail – with a Bail Hearing fixed for next year, making the judiciary in the UK sound as bad in Mauritius for unacceptable delays. Her niece is one of the brave participants in the direct action against the Israeli arms and technology factory Elbit in Filton, Bristol. Their direct action was to oppose the genocide that Israel is perpetrating against the people of Palestine, in particular in Gaza in a hands-on way, by breaking into the factory that makes the killing technology, and breaking the weapons as best they could. They were known as the “Elbit Nine” or the “Filton Nine”, but there are now many more activists being charged so they are the “Filton 18” now. Yet another current was represented by the UN-official Bruno Donat, present with his father, the former Bishop of Mauritius, Rev Rex Donat. And Tania, presiding, spoke about their next event planned for May. Before May, she said, there will be a street march in early April, based on the platform of the petition signed by 18 influential organizations to close the Diego Garcia base, and also on the Platform of the Women’s Peace March against the genocide, held exactly one year ago. At the table where we sat for the Iftar, “we” meaning the two Lalit members present Ragini Kistnasamy and I, there was a young school girl, whose brother was at the next table. She follows events in Palestine, and discusses them at school with her friends. There was even a Government Minister present, taking the appropriate role of an ordinary citizen taking a stand. Touria Prayag, long-time a pro-Palestinian activist, was there, too, with a friend. So, over time, and over many events, including this one, it is a broad coalition being constructed to support the people of Palestine and to oppose the genocide being inflicted upon them by the state of Israel and with the military, financial and geo-political support of the West.
As The Times based in London put it, referring to the petition to close the Diego Garcia military base, which at the same time took a stand against war and genocide, it is an “influential coalition”. This petition, on which the demonstration planned for next month is based, links military base closure not just to the struggle against military occupation, but also to the broad issue of saying no to war and to genocide that rely on military bases, of which the USA has some 700 outside of its borders.
Lindsey Collen, for LALIT
