A Message from the Niagara Movement for Justice in Palestine Israel
Posted February 26th, 2024 on Niagara At Large
THOROLD, ONTARIO – On Sunday, February 25, the Niagara Movement for Justice in Palestine Israel (NMJPI) called on Niagara Regional Council to recognize the trauma it caused its residents by blocking them from advocating in support a ceasefire in Palestine.
NMJPI issued a statement marking one month since Niagara Regional Council (on January 25th, 2024) blocked eighteen delegates and pulled the ceasefire motion of (St. Catharines Regional) Councillor Haley Bateman from its agenda.
The maneuver to remove (the moton) was by St. Catharines Mayor (and Regional Councillor) Mat Siscoe and seconded by St. Catharines (Regional) Councillor Laura Ip, who chairs the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committee, and who also immediately “called the question” killing any debate on removing the ceasefire motion.
NMJPI co-founder Desmond Sequeira explained; “Residents of Niagara continue to experience deep trauma. This is a fundamental and unprecedented mental health crisis arising out of evidence of scores of family deaths and displacements, in addition to that of thousands of others. NMJPI believes that such a crisis should be every bit ‘the business of the municipal government.’”
Niagara residents, many of them with family and friends in the Gaza Strip, of Palestinian ancestory, rally for ceasefire in front of St. Catharines’ Pen Centre shopping Mall this past December, file photo by Doug Draper
The Niagara Movement for Justice in Palestine Israel (NMJPI) was founded in 2020 and has organized demonstrations, letter writing, film screenings, fundraisers, and other actions to bring about permanent peace for all in Palestine and Israel. NMJPI believes the most effective vehicle to accomplish this goal is the global Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement targeting the Government and businesses of Israel and the illegal settlements encroaching on Palestinian land.
To watch a Hamilton CHCH TV report on the January 25th Niagara Regional Council meeting, click on the screen immediately below –
To visit a related piece Niagara At Large posted on this issue, click on – https://niagaraatlarge.com/2024/01/28/january-25th-niagara-regional-council-meeting-was-a-disgrace/ .
To visit a piece on this issue by Niagara, Ontario resident and community activist Ed Smith, click on – https://thepointer.com/article/2024-02-03/calls-of-racism-shame-and-disgust-directed-at-niagara-councillors-immediate-action-needed-to-salvage-trust .
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