When: Jan 31, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Where: Traditions Cafe, 5th and Water, Olympia
Islamophobia is on the rise, and the movement for Palestinian rights is coming under increasingly aggressive attacks from its pro-Israel opponents. This coming Tuesday, UC Irvine graduate and member of the “Irvine 11″ Osama Shabaik and local organizer Andrew Meyer will make connections between what at first appear as two unrelated developments – the unjust arrest and conviction of 11 UC Irvine students who were protesting at a campus speech by Israeli ambassador Michael Oren, and the filing of an unjust lawsuit against past and present board members of the Olympia Food Co-op over its boycott of Israeli goods.
Osama will speak about the ways in which the experiences of the Irvine 11 are tied to Islamophobia, infringements upon free speech, and the criminalization of dissent. Andrew will then link the experiences of the Irvine 11 to Olympia’s own experience of legal intimidation, showing how both the crackdown on the Irvine 11 and the lawsuit against the Co-op are part of an increasingly belligerent campaign against the growing movement for Palestinian liberation.
Osama graduated as a Regents scholar with honors from UC Irvine in June 2010 with a Bachelors in Economics and a Bachelors in International Studies with a focus on Africa/Middle East. Osama was also active outside the classroom as a member of the Muslim Student Union, serving first as the MSU’s Treasurer and later as its Vice President. Osama was the first student that stood up and spoke out during Ambassador Michael Oren’s speech at UC Irvine on February 8, 2010. He is currently applying to law schools.
Andrew is a long time Palestinian solidarity activist, currently organizes with Olympia BDS and TESCDivest, and serves on the board of the Rachel Corrie Foundation. He recently traveled to Palestine with the Maia Mural Project delegation. He is also a student at The Evergreen State College, with an academic focus on social movements and the Middle East.
» For more information on the Irvine 11
» For more information about the lawsuit against the Olympia Food Co-op
*This event is cosponsored by Olympia JVP, Olympia BDS, and the Rachel Corrie Foundation
