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Inminds Human Rights Group - Review of 2018

inminds
5 January 2019

If you would like to join our actions this year please contact us so we can keep you informed.

Review Of 2018

In January Inminds focused on child prisoners including Ahed Tamimi, Fawzi al-Juneidi and Shadi Farah and UK corporate complicity in their abuse, in particular Hewlett Packard which provides the essential IT services and infrastructure that enable the Israeli Prison Service to function. Their prisons and interrogation centres where Palestinian children are caged and tortured are powered by HP.

In February we marked the 7th anniversary of the uprising of the Bahraini people against the brutal Khalifa dictatorship by a projection on the Bahraini embassy. Also in February we held a series of protests and projections to demand justice and freedom for Palestinian former child prisoner, now young father, Abdel Karim Abu Habel who has been tortured and imprisoned in Austria at the behest of Israel. The actions were timed with the imminent verdict of the Austrian Court of Appeal.

The anniversary of the martyrdom of Malcolm X was commemorated in Windrush Square outside the Black Cultural Archives in Brixton. Fifty three quotations from Malcolm X, one for each year of his anniversary, were projected on to Brixton’s famous ‘Bovril’ wall. Hot drinks and food was served to the audience during the two hour projection. Songs and eulogies dedicated to Malcolm X, and parts of his speeches, along with songs from the struggle to free Palestine were played during the event.

In March, Inminds held a projection on Parliament, demanding the arrest of Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, during his UK visit, for crimes in Yemen, Bahrain as well as Saudi Arabia.

With upcoming trials of BDS activists in France, accused of persuading French singer Vanessa Paradis, seven years ago, of boycotting Israel, a vigil was held outside the French consulate in March demanding an end to the witch hunt.

March also saw the kick off of our campaign against Adidas sponsorship of settlement football teams with a protest outside their flagship store on Oxford Street. The call of 130 Palestinian sports club asking Adidas to respect their human rights was eventually heard and few months later Adidas ended its apartheid sponsorship.

On Palestinian prisoners day in April we focused on HP complicity in caging and torturing of Palestinian prisoners. April also so the launch of our annual Ramadan boycott Israel dates campaign.

In May we protested outside the gala of the Israeli government funded Seret film festival demanding freedom for Palestinian poet Dareen Tatour as part of our cultural boycott campaign.

The first anniversary of the Duraz massacre of May 2017 by the Khalifa dictatorship in Bahrain was marked with a projection on the Bahraini embassy.

On 24th May we protested Israel's 70th anniversary celebrations in the Royal Albert Hall and a few days later protested the visit of the war criminal Ehud Barak.

In June we joined the annual international Al Quds Day, marching through London from the Saudi embassy to Downing street.

With the annual Kimberley Process Intersessional meeting coming up we held a vigil outside its current chair the European Commission demanding reform of the KP to included Israeli crafted diamonds.

In June we also successfully derailed a propaganda project of the Israeli tourism ministry, who had partnered with Timeout, to promote Jerusalem as Israels capital by giving out ice-creams in Bloomsbury Square.

In July, through a series of protests and projections on the Turkish embassy, we successfully demanded Turkey act to free Turkish citizen Ebru Ozkan who was imprisoned by Israel.

In August we protested outside the BBC demanding freedom for Palestinian journalists, in particular Lama Khater, whose targetting by Israel was ignored by the BBC. We also held a vigil outside the National Union of Journalists over their inaction in defending Palestinian journalists like Lama Khater.

August also saw the start of a courageous hunger strike in London, outside the Bahraini embassy by Ali Mushaima whose father, Hassan Mushaima - a leader of the peaceful uprising of the Bahraini people, is unjustly imprisoned in Bahrain, tortured, and denied medical care and family visits. Through out the hunger strike, during August and September we were privileged to hold regular protests and projections in solidarity, both outside the Bahraini embassy and the BBC. The hunger strike was partly successful in managing to force some concessions from the regime.

The 1000 days anniversary of the Zaria massacre by the Nigerian army was commemorated by a vigil and projection outside the Nigerian High Commission in September.

Puma shamelessly took over sponsorship of the Israeli football association after Adidas had pulled out. In solidarity with the call of over 215 Palestinian sports clubs asking Puma to end its apartheid sponsorship, Inminds in October launched its campaign against Puma with a protest outside Puma's flagship store on Carnaby Street.

Also in October Inminds protested the Israeli Embassy's '70 years of Israel cinema' festival hosted by the Curzon Cinema Soho in London.

At the start of November Inminds protested outside Jinjuu restaurant in Soho, to ask its owner and head chef Judy Joo, to cancel her scheduled participation in an Israeli government sponsored propaganda culinary event 'Round Tables' in Tel Aviv.

Also as part of the cultural boycott, later in November, Inminds carried out a guerilla projection on BBC Broadcasting House, to ask the BBC, as part of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) which produces the Eurovision Song Contest, to boycott next years Eurovision Song Contest which is scheduled to be held in apartheid Israel.

In solidarity with political commentator and scholar Dr Marc Lamont Hill, who was fired by CNN after making a passionate speech defending Palestinian rights at the United Nations, Inminds held a vigil outside Turner House, the UK headquarters of CNN, demanding CNN respect free speech on Palestine and reinstate Dr Hill.

Inminds finished a busy year with a Christmas protest on 21st December outside the world's largest diamond company, Be Beers Jewellers, in London, to highlight the link between diamond jewellery and Israeli war crimes in Palestine.

Source: www.inminds.com

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