In the aftermath of the Israeli Air Force massacre at the Tel al-Sultan refugee camp in Rafah on May 26, two events have built solidarity with Palestine in Bundjalung country.
More than 70 people attended a screening of Palestine Under Siege on May 30.
Organised by Northern Rivers Friends of Palestine and Green Left, filmmakers Jill Hickson and John Reynolds joined online afterwards for a lively discussion.
Participants agreed that a mass solidarity campaign of political and economic pressure including rallies, campus occupations demanding divestment, blockades of arms manufacturers and shipping corporations supporting Israel and electoral pressure on Labor was needed.
The film night, the first Green Left-sponsored event in the region since 2009, helped build the local campaign, including an action on May 31.
As part of a national day of action targeting Labor MPs, around 50 people staged a die-in outside the office of Lismore MP Janelle Saffin. Many passing drivers honked and waved in support.
Saffin has a reputation for supporting human rights, here and overseas. In the 1990s, she supported a local campaign for a free East Timor. But she has remained silent on the Gaza genocide. A delegation asked to speak to Saffin, but was told she was not available.
The next solidarity event in the region will be a rally in Cavanbah/Byron Bay on June 30.