Right to Return Rally - April 7

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

>NO RETURN = NO PEACE MARCH AND RALLY - APRIL, 7 2001 - NEW YORK CITY
>
>PRESS RELEASE: THOUSANDS TO RALLY WORLDWIDE TO DEMAND REFUGEES' RIGHT TO
>RETURN
>
>
>For Immediate Release
>10 March 2001
>THOUSANDS TO RALLY WORLDWIDE TO DEMAND REFUGEES' RIGHT TO RETURN
>
>On 7 April 2001, thousands of Palestinians and people of conscience will
>take part in marches and rallies to demand implementation of the right of
>Palestinian refugees to return to homes and lands from which they were
>expelled.
>
>Marches and rallies will take place in New York (US) and other cities
>including those in Palestine, Canada, Spain and Australia. Protestors will
>call for an end to five decades of exile and demand that Palestinian
>refugees be permitted to return to their properties and homes of origin.
>These events will coincide with the fifty-third anniversary of the massacre
>of Palestinian civilians committed by Zionist forces in the village of Deir
>Yassin.
>
>Organizers intend to draw the public's attention to the human rights abuses
>and suffering inflicted on the Palestinian people. They also plan to send a
>strong signal of support to Palestinians in territories occupied since 1948
>and 1967. More than three hundred and fifty Palestinian civilians have been
>killed, and over 11,000 injured by Israeli occupation forces in the past few
>months. Many of those injured and killed are children.
>
>The April 7 marches and rallies follow from those successfully held in
>September 2000 simultaneously in Washington DC, London, Lebanon and
>Palestine. These events, spearheaded by Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to
>Return Coalition, are co-sponsored and endorsed by thousands of individuals
>and over one hundred and fifty organizations.
>
>Palestinian refugees, numbering more than 5 million in this year 2001,
>represent one of the oldest and largest refugee populations in the world.
>Their suffering is magnified by Israel's ongoing denial of their right to
>repatriation and restitution, as required by international law and UN
>Resolution 194.
>
>Among the confirmed speakers for the forthcoming rally in New York City are
>Dr. Souheil Natour, Dr. Mazin Al-Najjar, Muna Hamze, Dr. Sami el-Aryan,
>Rafael Cancel Miranda, IAP president Rafiq Jaber, Sarah Flounders and son of
>Deir Yassin massacre survivors Abbas Hamidah. The rally will also include a
>statement by George Habash former Secretary General of the Popular Front for
>the Liberation of Palestine. Internationally renowned musicians Marcel
>Khalife and Simon Shaheen have been invited to take part.
>
>For further rally related information, please visit http://al-awda.org:
>
>For media interviews, please visit our Press Room at
>http://al-awda.org/pressroom.htm
>
>To help defray costs associated with the rally, please address
>tax-deductible donations to:
>
>Al-Awda - Palestine Right To Return Coalition-USA
>PO Box 401
>Hummelstown, Pa 17036
>Fax: (717)832-1123
>Email: prrc at mail.com
>WWW: http://al-awda.org
>
>http://al-awda.org
>
>© 2001 PRRC
>The Palestine Right To Return Coalition, PRRC
>P.O. Box 401, Hummelstown, PA 17036