Denver: Peace and Justice for Gaza New Year's Eve

Evan Herzoff — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 19:55:12 +0000

Yesterday evening a group of conscience-driven souls gathered in a glowing room inside a Unitarian Church on 14th and Lafayette in Denver, Colorado, to hear a dark and passionate reading and to send support, solidarity, and prayers to the people undergoing the ongoing blockade of Gaza, Palestine, by the Israeli government, and in continued protest of Israeli war crimes during the siege of Gaza nearly a year ago, which a United Nations commissioned report by Richard Goldstone, the South African jurist in recent headlines, documents in detail.

The indoor vigil and march to the capitol, under the title Peace and Justice for Gaza, December 31, 2009, was organized by the Social Action Counsel of First Unitarian Society of Denver in concert with the many marches, demonstrations and vigils held around the world this week on the one-year anniversary of the siege, and drawing pressure-building attention to the ongoing blockade, described by the Goldstone report as "collective punishment."

The pamphlet handed out at the indoor vigil, which included the program for the evening's activity, in recognition of the violence of denying medication and food to civilians as a form of 'collective punishment' condemned the blockade and siege as one in the same.

"The law is clear. The conscience of humankind is shocked. Yet, the siege of Gaza continues. It is time for us to take action!"

The words used are those of the global call to action for human rights and justice for Gaza, taken from the Gaza Freedom March pledge, circulated online by International Solidarity Movement (ISM): palsolidarity.org

Gary Anderson

Denver: Peace and Justice for Gaza New Year's Eve