Palestinians and their supporters refer to this time as the Nakba (‘Catastrophe’), and in May each year we gather to commemorate the Nakba, grieve lost lives, and to show our ongoing support and solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Over the past seventy-five years, the Nakba has continued. Palestinians have been subject to increasing surveillance, and the state of Israel exerts increasing control of every aspect of their lives. Palestinians in Gaza are forced to live in the most crowded place on Earth, with minimal access to water, food and electricity, and under regular bombardment by a military superpower. Olive groves that pre-date the creation of the state of Israel have been burned or poisoned. Holy sites such as the Al Aqsa mosque have been stormed and raided. Palestinians in the West Bank live in fear of regular military raids, which have left over two hundred Palestinians dead in the past twelve months alone.

As the Nakba continues, so too does Palestinians’ struggle for freedom and for their land back.

Speakers:
Sara Saleh - Palestinian Poet and Activist
Dr Mehreen Faruqi - Federal Greens Senator
Marcelo Svirsky - Long Time Friend of the Palestinian Struggle
Rev. Gordon Bradbury - Mayor of Wollongong