The Israeli massacre of 9 humanitarian aid activists on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla May 31 marks a turning point in the years-long blockade of food, medicine and other necessities to Gaza, an open-air prison camp of 1.5 million innocent Palestinians.
At Socialism 2010, Viva Palestina coordinator Kevin Ovenden who was aboard the attacked Turkish ship, the Mavi Marmara, will describe what he saw and experienced at the hands of armed Israeli commandos. He will be joined by award-winning author and activist, Tariq Ali, Middle East scholar and author, Gilbert Achcar, and International Socialist Review editor, Ahmed Shawki.
KEVIN OVENDEN Kevin Ovenden is an organizer of the Viva Palestina solidarity group and veteran of two convoys to Gaza. He was on the main ship of the Gaza freedom flotilla that was attacked in international waters by Israeli Commandos on May 31, in which at least 9 people were killed.
GILBERT ACHCAR is professor at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London. He is the author of several books on the Middle East and world politics, including Perilous Power: The Middle East and US Foreign Policy, co-authored with Noam Chomsky. His latest book is The Arabs and the Holocaust: The Arab-Israeli War of Narratives.
TARIQ ALI is a writer and filmmaker. He has written more than two dozen books on world history and politics, and seven novels (translated into over a dozen languages) as well as scripts for the stage and screen. He is an editor of New Left Review and lives in London. See his web site at TariqAli.org.
AHMED SHAWKI is editor of the International Socialist Review and the author of Black Liberation and Socialism, an analysis of historic movements against racism in the United States.
| Date: | Friday, June 18, 2010 |
| Time: | 7:30pm - 9:00pm |
| Location: | The Palmer House Hotel |
| Street: | 17 East Monroe Street |
| City/Town: | Chicago, IL |
This event is part of Socialism 2010: Ideas for Changing the World-- (Chicago June 17-20; Oakland July 1-4)-- a weekend with dozens of debates and discussions, and will draw hundreds of activists, authors, and academics from across the nation.
Check us out online:
http://www.socialismconference.org/
