Palestine: Resistance Until Return

When: Friday April 19, 6:00 pm

Where: Whitney Museum of American Art (99 Gansevoort St.) Closest trains: A/C/E/L

Join us Friday April 19 us as we mobilize with Decolonize This Place to uplift the resistance in Gaza, honor the martyrs of the Great Return March and raise our voices to demand the removal of Warren Kanders, the CEO of tear gas manufacturer Safariland, from the Whitney board of trustees. Save the date and help us spread the word by inviting your friends! ??

THERE IS NO SAFE SPACE FOR PROFITEERS OF ISRAELI TERRORISM!

The backstory:

In November 2018, a group of Central American asylum seekers made up mostly of women and children were fired upon with tear gas by US border patrol agents on the Mexico/US border. Shortly afterward, news reports revealed that the Vice Chairman of the Whitney Museum Board of Trustees Warren Kanders is the CEO and owner of Safariland Group, the weapons manufacturer who makes the tear gas that was used to attack the migrant caravan on the border.

In response, nearly 100 staff members at the Whitney published an open letter in which they criticized the museum's complicity in white supremacy and state violence and laid out a series of demands, including Kanders's removal from the board.

Last month, Decolonize This Place launched 9 Weeks of Art and Action to uplift the demands laid out by the Whitney staff and put pressure on the museum to remove Kanders. Every week, DTP and its collaborators have been mapping out the reach of Safariland's weapons around the world and the struggles of those who are fighting for their freedom under clouds of tear gas. The tear gas that Safariland manufactures has not only been used against migrant families at the Mexico/US border, but against water protectors at Standing Rock, Black freedom fighters in Ferguson, and Palestinians in Gaza during the Great Return March.

On March 30, 2018, tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza marched on the eastern border with the israeli occupation, demanding the right to return to 1948 Palestine and an end to the siege and blockade. The mass protest, dubbed the Great Return March, was initially planned to last from Land Day, March 30, until the 70th anniversary of the Nakba on May 15. Over one year later, our heroic people in Gaza are still resisting and marching on the border by the thousands every single Friday.

In the past year, over 270 Palestinians have been martyred by occupation forces while participating in the Great Return March, including women, children, disabled people, medics and journalists alike who have been shot dead in cold blood by israeli snipers. More than 25,000 have been injured, the majority by tear gas inhalation.

#freepalestine #greatreturnmarch #decolonizethisplace #kandersmustgo

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NOTE: Meet in the lobby. Don't buy tickets or stand in line. If possible, avoid bringing backpacks and other large bags to this action. There is a separate line for coat/bag check that you will be able to avoid. We can help you skip the long line outside the museum if you're not carrying a bag.