There is a great deal in common between South African and Israeli apartheid policies. There are also many differences with the zionists often surpassing even the Afrikaaners. Who is better placed than an anti-apartheid struggler of South Africa to talk about these issues? Yusuf “Jojo” Saloojee, a former South African ambassador will speak at Israeli Apartheid Week events across Canada.
Toronto, Crescent-online
Monday March 03, 2014, 08:17 EST
Former South African Ambassador and former African National Congress (ANC) Chief Representative to Canada, Ambassador Yusuf “JoJo” Saloojee, will participate in a speaking tour of Canada from March 03 – 11, 2014.
Ambassador Saloojee will tour and deliver lectures at several Canadian universities as part of the international “Israeli Apartheid Week” (IAW) campaign.
He is scheduled to speak at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) in Toronto on Tuesday March 4 evening (7 pm) followed by similar events at other campuses across the country.
His other speaking engagements are:
Wednesday March 05: Carlton Univeristy, Ottawa;
Thursday March 06: University of Western Ontario, London, ON;
Friday March 07: Waterloo/Wilfred Laurier University, Waterloo, ON.
Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) was launched by Palestinian students in Canada in 2005 and has now spread to more than 50 countries. This year, at least 250 cities are observing Israeli Apartheid Week.
It is an annual international series of events (including rallies, lectures, cultural performances, music shows, films and workshops) that seek to raise awareness of Israel's apartheid policies against the indigenous Palestinians. Further, the IAW generates support for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel. Like the IAW, BDS has also gone global.
While in Canada, the IAW will take place between March 3 and 11, in South Africa it is slated for March 10 to 16.
Commenting on IAW-related events, Ambassador Saloojee said: “The Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) campaign in solidarity with the Palestinian people is very similar to the campaigns, events and actions that were held in the 1980s in solidarity with us South Africans. I am honored to be participating in this important campaign.”
In 1978, Ambassador Saloojee established an ANC office in Toronto to advance the anti-apartheid struggle in Canada. He served as the ANC Chief Representative to Canada between 1978 and 1989.
He returns to Canada to lend support to another campaign against an apartheid regime, this time based in Occupied Palestine. It is fitting that a South African anti-apartheid struggler should do so.
It is interesting to note that two South African researchers, Suraya Dadoo and Dr Firoz Osman of the Media Review Network recently published a book, Why Israel? The Anatomy of Zionist apartheid: A South African Perspective (see www.crescent-online-net), exposing similarities between the two. They also show how Israeli apartheid is even more brutal than what South African apartheid was.
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