For Immediate Release
Media Advisory of Press Conference: Legal, Indigenous, and human rights organizations speak up against police brutality targeting Palestine Solidarity movement; lawyers detail avenues being pursued to demand accountability from VPD.
What: A press conference where community members will, for the first time, detail the police violence against Palestine solidarity activists on Friday May 31st at a rail blockade in East Vancouver. Lawyers from BC Civil Liberties Association will be joining to detail legal avenues being pursued to ensure accountability from the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) for egregious use of force and suppression of pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
When: Tuesday, June 18th at 12:00 pm
Where: Vancouver Police Department offices, 2021 Cambie Street, sÉ™lĚ“ĂlwÉ™taʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), xĘ·məθkwÉ™yĚ“É™m (Musqueam), and SkwxwĂş7mesh (Squamish) Territories (Vancouver, B.C.)
Who: The list of organizations who have condemned the police violence includes: BC Civil Liberties Association, Union of BC Indian Chiefs, Parents for Palestine, West Coast Legal Education and Action Fund, Pivot Legal Society, Worker Solidarity Network, Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, and World Beyond War. These organizations are calling for accountability from all police forces involved and the withdrawal of charges for the 14 people who were arrested.
Why: The VPD must be held to account after dozens of officers attacked a rail blockade in solidarity with Palestine on Friday, May 31 in East Vancouver. Pro-Palestine elders, parents, students, and community members were violently dragged, punched, kicked, pepper sprayed, choked, and strangled. A pregnant woman was punched in the stomach even after she informed the police she was pregnant. The VPD continued to violently assault and arrest people after the blockade had dispersed. These actions speak to a broader trend of growing police repression targeting the Palestine solidarity movement and Indigenous land defenders.
More information: @PalSolidarityCad on Instagram
