AFOPA 2023-2024 AGM Chairperson’s Report
Introduction
In October 2023 our carefully laid plans for 2023-24 was suddenly upended by Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza and its trapped population.
It was clear that we had to respond quickly and differently to this new horror perpetrated by the apartheid state of Israel. As the days weeks and months passed, it became abundantly clear that the occupying state would not stop until Palestinians in Gaza were exterminated and Gaza totally obliterated.
Tonight, I will outline our major responses to this catastrophe, along with some of the challenges we have faced.
I am immensely grateful to AFOPA’s hard working, (illegible) and tireless Executive Committee for rising to this challenge and doing so with generosity and endless humanity for the people of Gaza. I am also hugely grateful to our members and everyone of the thousands of people who have contacted us and come through our door in the last 12 months. They are ordinary Australians, many of whom have never engaged with the issue of occupied Palestine, who have shared our grief have been moved to support our work and the people of Gaza, by joining us as members, donating, purchasing merchandise and volunteering their time and skills or donating special artwork.
Most of all thank you for your many kind words, which we were often what kept us going. Thank you to every single one of you.
As we have told the Australian and South Australian governments, they have severely underestimated the steep rise in support for Palestinians and the anger directed at these governments for their unwavering complicity with the apartheid state of Israel.
If there is any kind of silver lining to be found in the horror of the last nine months, it is in the way organisations in South Australia have worked together seamlessly to maximise our effectiveness. This has been demonstrated in two ways:
1. Strong (illegible) cooperation and collaboration with already active organisations such as the Islamic Society of South Australia (ISSA), the Palestinian community organisation Glimmer of Hope, Students for Palestine, the Adelaide Campaign Against Racism and Facism and the Adelaide Sisters Association. It has been a privilege to work in solidarity with these amazing groups.
2. Cooperation and collaboration with new grassroots groups that have emerged during this crisis, such as The Big Ride for Palestine South Australia, Free Palestine Adelaide, Health Care Workers for Palestine and Unionists for Palestine.
I will now outline some of the key areas of our work within the framework of our 3 strategic priorities:
Advocate and Influence: Political Advocacy
1. Prior to October 2023 we rigorously continued our efforts to influence Australian political attitudes and effect policy change in relation to Palestine. A key element of this effort was lobbying the Australian Government to honour their election commitments to recognise Palestine made during the ALP National Convention. As we know this advocacy fell on deaf ears.
2. After October 2023 we took our message to South Australia's politicians by advocating for pro-Palestine candidates during the Dunstan by-election. Our aim was to send a message to the major two parties that policies on Palestine will be a factor in the lead up to the 2025 federal election. It is notable that of the three major parties only the Greens provided us with responses to our questions on policy positions on Palestine. The ALP and Liberal candidates did not deign to respond.
3. At the local level we faced anti-Palestinianism on many fronts, necessitating strong and substantial challenges. We faced these challenges on many fronts – federal government, South Australian Government and its departments, local councils, institutions of higher education, iconic sporting and cultural events, the media and even a local gym. It was painfully and clearly evident that these bodies are steeped in Zionism and the Zionist narrative, unable to see beyond Israel’s and the Zionist’s lobby’s propaganda. Some examples are:
⎯ the Premier’s 17 October 2023 motion in parliament to fully support Israel ⎯ the lighting up of South Australia’s Parliament House, Adelaide Oval and (illegible) in Israeli colours, while stubbornly refusing to do the same in Palestinian colours, even when the slaughter of Palestinians and the obliteration of Gaza was at its peak ⎯ the South Australian Education Department demanding that an Aboriginal artist remove the words “ From the river to the sea” from a mural at Bowden-Brompton Primary School
⎯ Multicultural SA in the Department of the Premier and Cabinet demanding that the Palestinian Community association, Glimmer of Hope remove a map of Palestine from their Palestine Cultural Day promotional material
⎯ Adelaide City Council’s lighting up of the Adelaide Town Hall in Israeli colours and rejecting a motion to light up the town hall in Palestinian colours
⎯ the city of Holdfast Bay making the approval of the hire of Wigley Reserve conditional on the words “From the river to the sea” being removed from the application, even when it was explained that the ride element would start at the River Torrens ending at the sea where the run was taking place.
Advocate and Influence: Direct Action
It became very clear that different and direct approaches were needed to demand action from Australia’s governments and leaders. In addition, our members and supporters looked to us to provide opportunities to come together to protest and to take direct action. Our response included:
1. Palestine solidarity rallies - eight months of fortnightly rallies on the steps of Parliament House, organised with Students for Palestine and Adelaide Campaign Against Racism and Fascism, consistently attended by thousands of South Australians
2. Tour Down Under - a rally and strong presence at the TDU opening city race, to protest the participation of the Israeli owned and managed cycling team, Israel Premier Tech. We also lobbied cycling's governing body the Unione Cycliste Internationale, the federal and South Australian Attorneys General, the Minister for Tourism and the South Australian Police Commissioner, framing our objections to this team’s participation in our iconic cycling event, within the legal consequences for third states as determined by the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice
3. WOMAdelaide - protested the inclusion of Zionist and fundraiser for the Israeli Occupation Forces, Ziggy Marley at WOMAdelaide, following WOMAD’s refusal to cancel his appearance. This incomprehensible decision by WOMAdelaide management in the midst of a genocide, was compounded by the shameful decision to uninvite Palestinian Jordanian group, 47Soul on the grounds of “public safety”
4. silent visuals including a poignant Nakba vigil, which commemorated both the 1948 Nakba and the ongoing Nakba which is now manifested in a genocide
5. Tell the Truth Advertiser campaign - following research on 342 articles, opinions and editorials in the Advertiser/Sunday Mail in the four months following Israel’s assault on Gaza, protesters lined the street in front of the Advertiser building over 5 lunch-time sessions to demonstrate the Advertiser’s inaccurate and biased reporting. Israel’s murder of journalists, health workers and children, was highlighted in the placards and banners held by protesters
6. Adelaide university student encampment- AFOPA provided material and moral support for the entirety of the student encampment, organised by Students for Palestine
7. BDS – AFOPA’s inspirational BDS group continued their weekly presence in Rundle Mall and elsewhere, handing out educational leaflets and engaging with members of the public on Palestine. This now 13 years of activism serves as a barometer for public opinion as well as an information and education project. The BDS group constantly
reported that while they experienced some anti-Palestinian abuse, most people by far were supportive and looking for information.
Member And Stakeholder Engagement
If there is one light in the darkness that has encouraged Palestinians in Gaza over the last eight months, as well as all of us who speak up and stand up for justice for Palestinians in their homeland, it is the sheer volume of people who have joined the struggle, attending rallies and events, visiting the Palestine Centre for Peace purchasing solidarity merchandise and providing their experience and skills as volunteers and helpers.
The strengthening of relationships with allies such as Students for Palestine, Adelaide Campaign Against Racism and Fascism, the Islamic Society of South Australia (ISSA) through the signing of a MOU, and Palestine Community organisation Glimmer of Hope and the Adelaide Sisters Association, through partnering on special events.
The emergence of new grass roots organisations, such as Health Care Workers for Palestine, Unionists for Palestine, The Big Ride for Palestine SA.
AFOPA is proud to have played a role in leading, inspiring and facilitating grassroots advocacy efforts. we could not have achieved what we have without the cooperation of these groups, and I believe that they will also say that a focused leadership and coordination has been important in helping them achieve their goals.
The emergence of young people as key drivers of change. In addition to collaboration with established groups such as Students for Palestine, our own newly formed Young AFOPA held three successful events attracting young people who had not previously engaged with the Palestine solidarity movement. These very well attended events were: “In conversation with Francesca Albanese at Adelaide University”, “ Let's Talk Palestine: Hard Questions and Conversations”, and Advocacy training with APAN's Nora Mansour. These events were invaluable in bringing young people together to learn new skills and to learn from each other.
The continuation of our successful internship programme bringing 5 Adelaide University students for a semester. Each year we add to the number of young people learning about Palestine, joining our network and contributing research to inform our work.
Inform and Educate
This area of our work raises awareness in the community of the reality of the Palestinian situation, where we ask people to join us and be a part of changing history. Highlights in 2023-24 were:
1. Edward Said Memorial Lecture (ESML) - the 2023 ESML was a once in a lifetime event. With the genocide unfolding our 2023 ESML speaker, Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, gave us an in depth and truthful account of Israel’s impunity in the face of international law within the framework of Edward Said’s Legacy 20 Years On”
2. In addition to the ESML, AFOPA coordinated a two week tour in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and New Zealand, supported on the ground by Free Palestine Melbourne, Palestinian Christians in Australia, Australia Palestine Advocacy Network and the New Zealand Palestine Association. During this time Francesca undertook 40 speaking and 20 media engagements. Her speech at the National Press Club has become legend
3. Visit by Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh, professor of Biodiversity and Sustainability at Bethlehem University. We organised a comprehensive schedule of 11 events in SA where Dr Qumsiyeh addressed students, environmentalists and church leaders on the environmental impacts of the occupation
4. Speaking event by Miko Peled, Israeli American activist and author of “The General’s Son: The Journey of an Israeli in Palestine”, webinar with Nathan Thrall American author and journalist based in Jerusalem and author of “A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy”, screening of the films “Where the Olive Trees Weep” and “Palestine Under Siege” in collaboration with Health Care Workers for Palestine.
5. Over 60 presentations made by members of AFOPA’s Executive Committee at rallies, vigils, fundraisers, book launches and union meetings.
Thank you
Thank you to our members; thank you for not only continuing to support AFOPA, but for stepping up in these unprecedented times. I want you to know that many times it was your kind words, your phone calls, your words of encouragement and your unflinching advocacy for justice for Palestine that has kept us motivated and spurred us to do more,
I'd also like to thank the organisations and groups that have worked tirelessly over the last eight months in solidarity with us and with each other. The energy and expertise that these groups have brought to the Palestine solidarity movement is beyond anything I could have envisaged.
Finally, I have the privilege of working with the finest group of people I've ever worked with. AFOPA’s Executive Committee: Jeanie Lucas, Mike Khizam. Edie Bransbury, Moira O'Leary, Paul Chambers, Eleana Christaki-Hedrick, Oceah Davis, Cameron Green, Margaret Cassar, Sam Shahin, Imad Mahmoud and our Project Officer Sally Jeremic. Thank you can never be enough for your hard work and extraordinary commitment that makes the impossible possible.
