11 YEAR PROTEST GOING STRONG
PAJU weekly demo marks 11th anniversary. 　
Longest-running protest calls for boycott of Israel.
　
This week marks the 11th anniversary of the PAJU (Palestinian and Jewish Unity) weekly protest vigil against Israeli apartheid. The demonstration is held every Friday at noon in the heart of downtown Montreal.
　
PAJU is a Montreal human rights organization made up of activists from the Jewish and Palestinian communities as well as other Quebecers of diverse origins. PAJU works for a lasting settlement to the Israel/Palestine conflict based on the principles of human rights and the strict application of international law.
　
PAJU was founded in November 2000. In February 2001, with other groups for a just peace, it began to hold a protest vigil in front of the Israeli consulate in downtown Montreal every Friday from noon until one o’clock. The vigil denounced Israel’s illegal and brutal occupation of the Palestinian Territories.
　
Over the years, the vigil has become a focal point in Montreal for support of the Palestinian People living under Israel’s apartheid-style repression. Through winter storms and summer heat the PAJU demonstrators have returned, without fail, every week, holding banners and carrying signs that denounce Israel’s apartheid system, its illegal occupation of the West Bank and, later, its ongoing siege of Gaza. Always peaceful, the PAJU demonstrators distribute literature informing passers-by about the reality of Israel’s brutal and illegal occupation.
　
When the PAJU vigil succeeded in driving the Israeli consulate from Montreal’s downtown core, PAJU moved the vigil to a new location in the heart of Montreal at the corner of Ste-Catherine Street and McGill College Avenue. Since then the vigil has continued every Friday at noon in front of the Indigo Book Store. The vigil targets Indigo for boycott because the owners of the book chain Indigo-Chapters are major supporters of the Israeli army and have set up a foundation – the Hesig Foundation – to financially reward non-Israelis who join the Israeli army, thereby assisting Israel’s oppression of the Palestinian people.
　
This Friday’s vigil marks 11 years of PAJU solidarity with the Palestinian People living under brutal Israeli oppression. Members of the media and Montrealers committed to peace and justice are invited to join PAJU this Friday, Feb. 10, 2011, in front of Indigo from noon until 1:00 PM at the corner of Ste-Catherine and McGill College.
　
Israeli apartheid must end!
　
For information, call Bruce Katz, 514-582-1642