Posted
6th June 2001
Israel, The View From Aotea Square
by Austin Whitten in Auckland NZ
The rally at Aotea Square yesterday went well although we had
some audio competition from two nearby tents in the Square,
one containing the "Marimba Band of Hamilton" - not too bad,
considering the nature of marimbas, albeit the band numbered
about 20 - and the second holding forth with native drummers,
which proved to be more daunting. In the end, we had the PA
system cranked up to full volume and when I talked to David
Wakim, the organiser, at the end and said that it had been challenging,
he replied, "yes, but I think we won". I couldn't help thinking
whilst David spoke at the rally that this was probably going
to be the most intelligent commentary I was likely to hear this
weekend on not just what was happening in Israel, but in the
world in general. What a gap between what is available in the
media and what I heard.
The
morning's news - the deaths of a young Palestinian by suicide
and of 17 Israeli youths from the bomb he carried - circulated
through the gathering, was sobering and highlighted why we were
there. The rally began with a minute of silence for those who
had died. There were no signs of vengeance, bloodlust or gloating,
just a degree of sadness for what was happening and a fervent
desire to see an end to it. The Saturday market at Aotea Square
is turning into a nice people place. People were relaxed and
seemed to accept the handouts without feeling threatened. More
people than usual stopped to read the signs and listen to the
speeches. Again, I was struck by the gap between the mainstream
and what I was seeing. Most people these days read about or
listen to news of world events in isolation, in their living
rooms, presented by institutions with economic and social agendas
that disqualify them as objective commentators.
There
is no opportunity to ask questions or to engage in discussions.
I suspect that most who attended the rally came away understanding
more and were less cynical than they would have been after reading
the daily paper or listening to the nightly news. And they certainly
stood a better chance of understanding more of the situation.
Some wise and intelligent speeches were given by Palestinians,
living in Auckland. There were eulogies for two notable Palestinians
who died recently. One was Faisal Husseini, a man of peace,
who I had just read about in the NY Times. The rallies will
take place on the first Saturday of every month, for one hour.
I would recommend them to anyone who would like to meet interesting
people, hear and participate in intelligent discussions and
to have a very nice people experience.
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