The following is a partial translation of a letter circulated among the Sheikh Jarrah activists on May 30th. Please recall that these legal procedures put a tremendous financial burden on the activists – a burden they cannot carry alone. Please consider making a donation today.
On Sunday, May 30th, Judge Eilata Ziskind of the Jerusalem Magistrate’s court delivered her ruling in the case of the 14 protestors arrested during the May 14th demonstration. Ziskind’s ruling stipulates that the arrestees, many of whom are pivotal activists cherry-picked by police officers on the ground, will be prohibited from entering Shiekh Jarrah, and, moreover, prohibited from taking part in any protest concerning Sheikh Jarrah, for a duration of 5 months. By doing so, the court has sided unequivocally with the Jerusalem police, joining in its efforts to suppress and break the struggle. Yet as in previous suppression attempts, the police’s actions will only empower the Sheikh Jarrah movement, and bring more people to stand with us each week.
In the face of this new challenge, we shall move forward with the only response we can offer: solidarity. Solidarity with our Palestinian partners, against the attempt to forcibly “Judaize” their neighborhood and expel them from their homes; solidarity with our arrested friends against the attempt to silence their protest; solidarity with our fellow citizens who wish to live in a democratic society in which the same laws apply to everyone. We know that discriminatory enforcement of laws undermines their very legitimacy.
In the name of solidarity, we call on all of you to attend the demonstration in the neighborhood this coming Friday, and stand together, delivering a clear message to the Magistrates’ Court and the settler police: You will not suppress our popular dissent !
Now is the time for all of us to come together, invite friends and join in, standing shoulder to shoulder against the corruption of the law enforcement systems, in which the cancer of occupation has metastasized.
Friday, 16:00, Sheikh Jarah. We call on you to join us. Further details will be circulated in the coming days.
Sincerely,
Sheikh Jarah Activists
