Anarchists Against The Wall U.S. Tour, San Francisco, 1/19/11: audio

At Station 40 in San Francisco, Abrasha Blum spoke about the Israeli non-violent direct action collective known as Anarchists Against The Wall. He discussed their history and their uncompromising commitment to the Palestinian struggle for freedom from Israeli colonial settlement and occupation. In cities such as East Jerusalem or in West Bank villages like Beit Ommar and Bil'in, Anarchists Against The Wall risk arrest, injury, and persecution from the Israeli governement as they stand in solidarity with Palestinians. The evening opened with a trailer for a new documentary produced by Bay Area filmmakers, "Occupation Has No Future", which will premiere in San Francisco on February 3rd. Abrasha Blum presented four short films: two set to music and featuring slideshows of photographs from the Activestills collective of which he is also a member; the third centered around a humorous protest featuring a 20-foot purple phallus attached as a gun turret atop a cardboard army tank; and the fourth on a singing flash mob at the Tel Aviv opera house protesting a performance. Due to issues with the clarity of projected video images, an interview with Saed, a Palestinian from Ni'lin, was not played as it was at a previous AATW presentation in Berkeley. Instead, Abrasha Blum explained his relationship with Saed, as well as the popular committees in the West Bank, and what it means for Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals to come together in a joint struggle for Palestinian liberation. While the U.S. tour is a fundraiser to cover AATW legal expenses, Abrasha Blum emphasizes that the struggle is not about anarchists; it's a Palestinian struggle for justice and freedom.