In this episode our U.S. correspondent Michael Arria speaks to Huwaida Arraf, a Palestinian-American peace activist, human rights lawyer, and now candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Michigan.
Arraf launched her campaign to unseat an incumbent Republican. However, at the beginning of this year redistricting placed her in a race for an open seat.
Last week, Michael asked Arraf about growing up in Michigan, how she first became an international peace activist, and why she’s now turned toward electoral politics.
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Articles and Links mentioned in the show
- Huwaida Arraf’s campaign website
- ‘Our vision for human rights is louder than the hate they’re going to put out’: an interview with Michigan congressional candidate Huwaida Arraf – Michael Arria
- Subscribe to The Shift newsletter, Michael Arria’s weekly look at the changing politics on Palestine across the United States.
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“Palestinian American activist” brings to mind recent important events abroad:
Munich anti-BDS policy is illegal, German federal court rules | The Electronic Intifada
“Munich anti-BDS policy is illegal, German federal court rules”
The Electronic Intifada, Jan. 24/22
“In a victory for political freedom, a German federal court ruled that Munich’s refusal of a public venue for a debate on the city’s anti-BDS resolution was unconstitutional.
“The city’s policy ‘violates the fundamental right to freedom of expression,’ the court ruled.
“The decision is a slap in the face for the Munich city council which adopted a resolution in 2017 barring public funding or space for supporters of BDS – the boycott, divestment & sanctions campaign for Palestinian rights.
“The ruling has wide implications for free speech across Germany, where people face regular repression & smears from officials over their support for Palestinian rights.
“Meanwhile in neighboring Austria, the Vienna city government is suing a member of BDS Austria for ‘defamation’ over a Facebook post critical of Israeli apartheid.
“Munich broke the law:”In April 2018, resident Klaus Ried tried to book a room at the Munich City Museum to host a discussion about how the municipality’s anti-BDS resolution would affect freedom of speech.
“The city refused the booking for what it considered a BDS-related event.
“Ried took the matter to court. At first a lower court ruled against him, affirming that Munich had the right to impose such restrictions.
“He appealed and in 2020 won.
But Munich could not accept that & brought the case to federal court, hoping to overturn Ried’s victory.
“The attempt failed, however. On 20 January, Germany’s Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig issued its ruling siding with Ried.
“The federal court affirmed that German law ‘guarantees everyone the right to freely express and disseminate their opinion.’
“It found that the Munich city government was not allowed to violate that right by denying permission for an event because of ‘the expected expression of opinions on the BDS campaign or on its content, goals and topics.’
“The federal court also affirmed that Munich’s anti BDS-resolution is not a law.” (cont’d)
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“The landmark decision sends a warning to city councils across Germany that have passed similar resolutions and have been denying organizers of BDS-related events access to public venues.
“The ruling also has implications for the German parliament’s 2019 anti-BDS resolution which – although not legally binding – urges German institutions and public bodies to deny funding and facilities to groups that support the BDS movement.”BDS Austria under attackThe city government in the Austrian capital Vienna is suing a representative of BDS Austria for an August 2021 post on the activist group’s Facebook page.”The post shows a photo of a municipal billboard with a protest poster pasted over it, but leaving the city’s official logo still visible.”The protest poster resembles the famous ‘Visit Palestine‘ poster from the 1930s. But instead, it bears the words ‘Visit Apartheid.’ The protest poster also has the city’s logo on it.”