End the Occupation Conference

dublin | rights, freedoms and repression | event notice Tuesday March 15, 2005 00:02 by Abdul Haseeb - Federation of Students Islamic Societies eto at fosis dot org dot uk www.fosis.org.uk 086 322 5963

Conference

'End the Occupation' Conference, March 21-22 is aimed to educate, motivate and activate participants. The conference includes talks by renouned experts; workshops on political lobbying, media monitoring, etc.;and films.

Open for all...

For further information, call 086 322 5963 or Email; eto@fosis.org.uk

The aim of the End the Occupation Conference (ETOC) can be summed up by the motto of the conference: “When injustice is law, resistance is duty”. Wherever we look around the world today, whether it is Palestine, Chechnya, Iraq or Tibet, where there is occupation for self-interest, there is oppression and injustice. There is inherent injustice within the system which necessitates people from around the world to resist in whatever way they can. Only an end to the occupation in these areas can bring about justice and freedom.

From this side of the world, our resistance may be carried out at various levels. The ETOC is aimed at educating, motivating and activating students in Ireland to join this resistance. Before any action may be taken, people must first be educated about the root causes of these conflicts. Only when the exact problem is identified may effective action be taken to solve it. Otherwise all our efforts are in vein. One can not treat cancer with the remedy for a common cold. The education process will be done through a series of lectures, films and exhibitions.

End the Occupation does not just refer to ending military occupation. It also refers to the occupation of the mind. Today, the mass media has by and large become a tool of the political establishment designed to legitimate the occupation of these lands. Through certain terminology, the omission of certain facts, the cover up of history, the usage of mass media has sought to strengthen the roots of the injustice. We aim to expose this and train delegates to challenge these myths.

Finally, the ETOC aims to arm the delegates with the skills necessary to effectively resist from this side of the world. This will be achieved through a series of workshops on issues such as media monitoring and response, political lobbying, supporting prisoners, and economic warfare, i.e. the boycott.

For further information, call 086 322 5963 or Email; eto@fosis.org.uk