Palestinian Refugee Voices

We will hear directly from Palestinian refugees who are working to overcome the realities of precarious status and systemic racism within the context of Canadian state institutions.

We will learn how some of them successfully organized at a local level to confront deportation orders and have won status, specifically members of the Coalition Against the Deportation of Palestinian Refugees, one of the community networks that was involved in the founding of Solidarity Across Borders in 2004. 

Presentations by: 

• Norma Rantisi (Academics for Palestine at Concordia)
• Stefan Christoff (CKUT Radio host & History student)
• Omar Ben Ali (#StatusForOmar campaign)
• Hadi Eid (#BringBissanHome campaign)
• Youssef Ismail (stateless Palestinian refugee)
• Ahmad Rustom & Bashar Faour (The Coalition Against the Deportation of Palestinian Refugees)

SPOKEN + VISUAL ARCHIVES: 

Stefan Christoff, community activist, artist and history student at Concordia, will share archival posters for the mobilization of this campaign and excerpts of radio broadcasts as aired on CKUT 90.3FM campus / community radio.

Among the speakers, we will hear from Hadi Eid, father of Bissan Eid, a former Concordia student who was blocked from returning home from Gaza in 2017. After a major on campus and community-based campaign, Bissan returned home. 

Youssef Ismail, a stateless Palestinian refugee living in Parc extension who has lived without status for many years, will join us. Given that the Canadian state is not able to deport Youssef to the occupied West Bank, today Youssef lives without status and in limbo.

Omar Ben Ali, a stateless Palestinian refugee who faced a similar legal quagmire of statelessness and successfully campaigned for status for himself and his family, will share his story. 

This event is co-presented by the Social Justice Centre, CKUT 90.3FM, Academics for Palestine at Concordia University, the Palestinian Youth Movement (Montreal chapter), and the Immigrant Workers Centre.

Welcome to all, please contact sjc@concordia.ca for questions or accessibility issues. 

*Light refreshments will be served

When: Friday, October 28th, 3pm

Where: Concordia University, Hall Building, Room 1271 (1455 Boul. de Maisonneuve Ouest, Montréal)