March 12, 2017 — NEW YORK On March 13, a rally will be held at the Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations at 115 East 65th Street in Manhattan starting at 5:30PM. This protest is one of many, including in San Francisco, Washington D.C., London, Berlin, Rabat, and Vienna to condemn the youth leader’s assassination by the Zionist occupation army, facilitated by the collusion of the Palestinian Authority. Rather than honoring the legacy of Basil, a revolutionary and a youth leader, the Palestinian Authority had planned to posthumously put him on trial on Sunday, March 12, along with other Palestinian activists working for the liberation of Palestine. This is one of many actions happening around the world in memory of Basil Al Araj.
Learn more about Basil:
DEMANDS: PYM emphasizes that the objective of the protest is to honor Basil’s legacy. To that end, we demand the return of Basil’s body, currently being held be in a refrigerator, violating his and his family’s religious rights. We also demand the end of security coordination, which we hold responsible for the murder of Basil. The protest will be led by local Palestinian voices in the United States, demanding to be heard by Palestinian authorities, whose job it is to represent those in the Diaspora, but who actively coordinate daily with the occupation to deny life and justice for Palestinians.
Basil Al Araj was unfortunately one of many Palestinian youth who have been and continue to be targeted by the Palestinian Authority. Basil Al Araj will be remembered as a hero, along with all the martyrs of the Palestinian struggle for liberation. His work and legacy will continue through the ongoing resistance of the Palestinian people.
The Palestinian Youth Movement (“PYM”) is a transnational, independent, grassroots movement of young Palestinians in Palestine and exiled worldwide as a result of the on-going Zionist colonization and occupation of our homeland. Our belonging to Palestine and our aspirations for justice and liberation motivates us to assume an active role as a young generation in our national struggle for the liberation of our homeland and people. Irrespective of our different political, cultural and social backgrounds, we strive to revive a tradition of pluralistic commitment toward our cause to ensure a better future characterized by freedom and justice on a social and political level for ourselves and subsequent generations.
For more information please contact: PYM.NewYork@gmail.com, Twitter: @PYM_USA