Palestine Vigil at Wembley Stadium for the England–Israel Euro 2008 Qualifier

Saturday 8th September 2007

Start 3pm until kickoff 5pm

Show Israeli Racism the Red Card - Fair Play for the Palestinians – Kick Israeli Apartheid Out of Football


The vigil will be taking place along the Olympic Way, between Bridge road and Fulton Road, on the main route to Wembley stadium from Wembley park Underground station.

Directions: come out of Wembley Park tube station (Metropolitan and Jubilee lines), turn right at the bottom of the stairs, cross the road and walk along to enter the Stadium Retail Park on your left. Cross the car park towards Currys. The vigil will be held through the gate on the left of the entrance to Currys.

See a map here:  http://tinyurl.com/yp78tw

Organised by the PSC, with the support of the BIG and J-BIG campaigns, the Scottish PSC and Friends of Al Aqsa.

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PALESTINE NATIONAL YOUTH (under 19) TEAM IN THE UK

ATTENTION: Action Alert: Britain Denies U19 Palestinians into the UK

www.palestinecampaign.org

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PLEASE MAKE SURE TO ATTEND THIS EVENT TO SHOW YOUR SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINE!

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FURTHER ACTIONS

In the meantime we would like to ask you to take the following actions:

• Sign and circulate the petition calling on UEFA, the FA and FIFA to suspend Israel from international football until it abides by international law. The petition can be signed here!

You can also download a hard copy from the PSC website

• Write letters to FIFA ( contact@fifa.org), the FA ( info@thefa.com) and UEFA (  media@uefa.ch and  info@euro2008.com) and to 'Kick Racism out of Football' ( hermanouseley@aol.com) calling for the Israeli team, who represent a racist state to be suspended from international fixtures until it complies with international law. Please use the points below for you letters.

• Write to the national and local media, about this and explain why we are asking for the Israeli team to be suspended. Please consider intervening on radio and online forums to promote this campaign, as well as all sports media.

• Write to you local football clubs, fan clubs and club fanzines etc. to ask for support and to explain the issues below.


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Here are some suggestions for letters:

"On September 8th, England is due to play Israel in a return UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier at the new Wembley Stadium. But there are good reasons why this match should not be happening.

Israel's military occupation of Palestine prevents Palestinian footballers training and playing for international fixtures.

In September 2005, Palestine was in a good position in its Asian zone group in the qualifying rounds for the 2006 World Cup, but the Israeli authorities stopped five key players travelling and Palestine failed to qualify.

In April last year, Israeli missiles destroyed the only stadium in Gaza, where 1.2 million Palestinians live.

Israeli forces regularly KILL young kids kicking a ball around with friends.

Israeli and Palestinian human rights organisations recorded these killings in one refugee camp near the Egyptian border:

Khalil al-Mughrabi (11) hit in the head by a burst of gunfire in July 2001. Two friends aged 10 and 12 were wounded.

Jihad Hassan Barhoum (16) shot in the abdomen in October 2004. A seven-year old was hit in the back.

Ashraf Samir Ahmad Mussa and Khaled Fuad Shaker Ghanam (both 15) and 16-year-old Hassan Ahmad Khalil Abu Zeid, shot dead in April 2005.

Israel has been illegally occupying Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights since 1967.

Palestinians and Israeli Jews who care about human rights have called for an international boycott of Israel until it pulls out all its troops and settlers and gives the land back to its true owners. Until this happens there will be endless conflict and no chance for Palestinians to enjoy the beautiful game in peace. Israel should not be in UEFA and the FA should not be hosting the September fixture.

Kick Israeli Apartheid Out of Football - Fair Play for the Palestinians


Signed"

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Open letter sent to UEFA, FA and FIFA

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) urges the Football Association (FA), the Union of European Football Association (UEFA) and the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) to take appropriate measures to suspend the national Israeli football team from all international fixtures until the state of Israel entirely complies with International law and relevant United Nations resolutions to end Israeli occupation. This should include a suspension of the Israeli team from the current Euro 2008 qualifiers.

The Palestinian people are experiencing their fortieth year of military occupation.

Israel operates an entrenched system of racial Apartheid against its own non-Jewish inhabitants and has been illegally occupying Palestinian land in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights since 1967. It has sought to further annex these lands and has systematically transferred its own civilian population into these occupied territories in contravention of international law. Israel continues to build the illegal Apartheid wall, annexing vast swathes of Palestinian land in the West Bank and creating Palestinian ghettos, despite the ruling of the International Court of Justice that it is illegal.

Palestinians are effectively barred from international football by the extreme restrictions placed on them by the Israeli occupation. In September 2005, Palestine was in a good position in its Asian zone group in the qualifying rounds for the 2006 World Cup, but the Israeli authorities stopped five key players traveling outside Gaza and Palestine failed to qualify.

In April last year, Israeli missiles destroyed the only stadium in Gaza, where 1.2 million Palestinians live. Israeli authorities admitted that the stadium was specifically targeted, this amounts to a war crime under the International Criminal Court Act.

A broad alliance of Palestinian civil society groups has called for an international movement of boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israeli apartheid. This movement is partly based on the boycott movement against apartheid South Africa. It is important to remember that South Africa was barred from the Olympic Games as well as international cricket and rugby until 1992. This sporting boycott played an important part in the international boycott of South Africa which strengthened the successful movement to end the apartheid regime.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign calls for UEFA, FIFA and the FA to take immediate action to end the Israeli national team's participation in Euro 2008. To continue normal relations with Israeli national sports teams is tantamount to an acceptance of the Israeli state's crimes against the Palestinian people. A ban on Israeli participation would send a clear message that Israeli apartheid and occupation, like all other forms of racism, are not welcome in international football.


Signed
Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Boycott Israeli Goods Campaign
Jews for Boycott of Israeli Goods
Friends of Al Aqsa UK

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Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Box BM PSA
London
WC1N 3XX
Email: info[at]palestinecampaign.org
Tel: 020 7700 6192
Fax: 020 7609 7779
Web: www.palestinecampaign.org