The Muslim News

4pm The International Solidarity Movement:

According to Luisa Morgantini, Vice-President of the European Parliament, who participated in the protest, demonstrators gathered near the spot where Basem Abu Rahme was killed by a high velocity tear gas projectile on 17 April 2009 to erect a monument in his honor.

Despite a barrage of tear gas and rubber coated steel bullets, the protesters completed the monument. Ten were injured, 3 of which are Israeli activists, with rubber-coated steel bullets during the demonstration against the Wall. Another 15 suffered from serious tear gas inhalation.

Speech of Luisa Morgantini in Bil’in’s fourth International
Conference:

“First I want to show all my respect, love and solidarity to the Bassem family. Tomorrow when I will arrive Bassem won’t be there. I am not going to have again the opportunity to peacefully march with him calling upon the end of the occupation of the Palestinian territories.

Bassem is not going to be with us anymore because an Israeli soldier killed him while he was trying to protect an Israeli activist. The occupation has killed a person who was struggling for peace and freedom. Bassem, you will stay with us forever, like the Palestinian land.

Thank you for the organizers of the conference. We are here Palestinian, Israelis, internationals from everywhere to say together:
stop the occupation, stop building the wall, stop confiscating land, stop the siege of Gaza! But also to build together a strategy of popular nonviolent resistance. I would like to thanks specially the presence of Saddam Fayaad and his support to the popular nonviolent resistance. This is the duty of a leader. Hope the Palestinian Authority will be able to form a unity government and realized the dream of all the people like Bassem, who lost his life struggling for peace, unity and freedom.

I am committed, together with thousands of European organizations, to bring Israel in front of the International Court of Justice. Israel cannot remain unpunished for all the crimes that has committed. We are not going to forget the killing of Bassem.

I hope this conference will help on strengthening the campaigns of the international community. We need to learn how to work together for freedom, independence and the end of the occupation. Hope some justice will arrive soon.”

Last Friday, 17 April 2009, Basem Abu Rahme was shot with a high velocity tear-gas projectile in the chest from 30 meters during the weekly demonstration. Rahme died shortly thereafter in Ramallah hospital from the wounds he sustained. Rahme is the 18th individual to be killed during a demonstration against the Apartheid Wall.

On 13 March 2009, American citizen Tristan Anderson, was shot in the head with the same high-velocity tear gas projectile during a demonstration against the Wall in Ni’lin. He remains in critical condition at Tel Hashomer hospital, near Tel Aviv.

The International Solidarity Movement

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