On Sunday May 3rd, Jews Against the Occupation '48 (JAO48) and Eastern Suburbs for Palestine
(ES4P) will be holding a free community event at Coogee Beach (flyer above).
Fourteen Australians are sailing with the Global Sumud Flotilla, attempting to break Israel's illegal
nineteen-year naval blockade of Gaza, and bring humanitarian aid to Palestinians enduring Israel's
genocide. One of them is JAO48 member Anny Mokotow.
As our flyer makes clear, our event is not a protest. We welcome keffiyehs, flags, and banners, but
there will be no speeches, chants, or slogans. There will be music and fruit to share, and the
opportunity for people to make their own origami boats to add to our array.
Predictably, Zionist sensibilities were inflamed. At the Randwick Council meeting on April 28th,
Councillor Rosenfeld moved that our event be prevented from going ahead on several spurious
grounds. This is clearly a politically-motivated attack on the rights of all Australian communities to use our public spaces for peaceful purposes.
Contrary to Cr Rosenfeld's hastily cobbled-together motion without recourse to establishing the facts,
there is no requirement for events such as ours to obtain "formal approval, booking, or appropriate
insurance bond", and no evidence that it will "impact public amenity, safety, or the environment"
.
Had councillor Rosenfeld contacted us, or considered our previous "Origami Flotilla" event at Bondi Beach, he would have known that our paper boats are arranged on the sand and then carefully
collected afterwards, thus not "involving the placement of foreign objects or materials into the
marine environment".
Cr Rosenfeld notes that "Council is currently undertaking public consultation on its Draft Social
Cohesion and Multicultural Plan, which seeks to promote community harmony, inclusion, and
respect".
Presumably, "multicultural" still means "composed of diverse cultures" and that inclusion
extends to Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims, Jews, Christians, and others irrespective of their politics.
Cr Rosenfeld is so exercised by the idea of our peaceful community gathering that he wants the
assistance of "the NSW Premier, NSW Minister for Police, and NSW Attorney General" to assist in
"maintaining public order and safety".
As the Global Sumud Flotilla has just been unlawfully intercepted in international waters by the Israeli Navy in blatant violation of international law, we would expect our Council to support endeavours to direct attention to unfolding events and assist in all efforts to keep Australian citizens safe.
As responsible members of the community, we will do our part to keep our event safe for all and
enjoyable for our attendees. We have extended an invitation to all members of Randwick Council to
attend this event, and trust that at least some will choose to participate.
