PSNA Newsletter No 211 - 22 October 2025

22 Whiringa-ā-nuku 2025 2025
22 October 2025

Newsletter No 211

Items in this newsletter

Nationwide rallies/marches/vigils this week
Join the National Strike Day tomorrow for Palestine
Pause and Act – can you help with these two things?
Ronnie Stash and the Resistance
University Workers are demanding that Unisaver divest from genocide
Runners for Justice in Palestine (Boston) call for BOYCOTT REEBOK!
Quotes of the week
Would you like to join Judith Collins for morning tea?
Carterton stands with Palestine
Two PSNA media release this week
Qaher – new short film
A Moon Will Rise from the Darkness
Complicit with Genocide
Sitting on the Fence
Keep spreading the message about the Genocide Hotline!
Important stories this week
Merchandise for sale

Nationwide rallies/marches/MP protests/vigils this week

We have discontinued the Rally list in the newsletter as it can be out of date as soon as the newsletter is sent. We have added a page to the PSNA website which is posted on Wednesday afternoon and then updated as any moves adds and changes are available. See first option.

To view events around Aotearoa. Options:

There is now a page on the PSNA website where you can see the coming events for the week. It is updated on Wednesday afternoons for coming events. It is also updated with any late events or if an event needs to be changed. See here. Check back on Fridays to see if there are any changes. Give it a try right now. Email Admin@PSNA.nz if there are any events missing or a change is required.
Go to the PSNA Homepage – www.PSNA.nz Scroll down to the button “For a list of events Nationwide, please click here - Check back often for updates” and Click the button. Check back on Friday for any moves, adds or changes
Or go directly to events on the PSNA Facebook events page here
There is also a QR code which will take you to the PSNA events page on the PSNA website

There are more than 30 events around the Motu this week.

Join the National Strike Day tomorrow for Palestine

We encourage our supporters to join in and support local unions tomorrow on the National Strike Day which involves teachers, nurses, doctors, healthcare workers etc It’s the largest combined strike since the 1991 Employment Contracts Act.

Local events around the country are here https://www.psa.org.nz/campaigns/23-october

Pause and Act – can you help with these two events?

Simultaneous sit-ins at local MP offices around the country: This is an initiative from Ōtautahi/Christchurch activists who are planning this event. If your centre or people in your centre are interested in finding our more please send me the name/phone number of your local contact person (email Co-Chair2@PSNA.nz) for this action and we will add them to a Signal group chat (Signal is an open source app which is the most secure way to discuss sensitive events such as this – it is free to download)
Children’s shoes: The Whaingaroa/Raglan group are planning an event over Labour weekend where they want to display thousands of children’s shoes in the centre of the town. They would love your help in getting these from all over the country (Once they do it the shoes can then be sent to other centres for similar events) If you can help please email secretary@PSNA.nz and Anne will give you the address to send the shoes to.

Ronnie Stash and the Resistance

The three piece rock band from Southland, “Ronnie Stash & The Resistance” sing for the liberation of Gaza here

University Workers are demanding that Unisaver divest from genocide

University Workers across the country are demanding that UniSaver, the favoured superannuation provider for most universities, divest from the genocide in Gaza.

Uni Saver is currently invested in genocide-profiteering corporations like Elbit Systems & Palantir Technologies (among others).

Have a read of the letter, sign and share! Link to media release is here.

Runners for Justice in Palestine (Boston) call for BOYCOTT REEBOK!

Message from Runners for Justice in Palestine:
Here are some photos and videos from our (Runners for Justice in Palestine Boston) letter delivery action yesterday morning. Runners ran 10 miles from Cambridge to the Reebok HQ in Seaport to deliver the letter, and passed out 400 Boycott Reebok flyers to Bostonians attending the Head of the Charles Regatta. We had Palestinian athletes speak and read the letter out loud at the rally including, Amel Younis, a rower on Palestine's national rowing team. When we arrived at Reebok they locked the doors immediately. We shut down their business for an hour. Reebok then called the police on us, and one of our Palestinian athlete speakers was accosted by a security guard. We will attempt a letter re-delivery during business hours with a smaller group this week. The runners said that they felt proud, inspired, and energized, and are looking forward to next steps.

Click this link for photos and videos!

Quotes for the week

“I did witness a patient from Gaza being brought with a gunshot wound to the left chest. He was also blindfolded and handcuffed, naked as he arrived at the emergency department.

Another patient, with a right-leg gunshot wound also arrived at my hospital in similar conditions.”

—Anonymous Whistleblower

Many died in detention, others lost their minds. Some had limbs amputated. They suffered sexual and physical abuse. They brought dogs that urinated on us. When I asked why I had been arrested, they answered: ‘We have killed all the journalists. They died once. But we brought you here and you will die hundreds of times.’”

—Shadi Abu Seido; Palestinian Journalist

“The unprecedented number of Palestinians who have died in Israeli custody, together with verified evidence documented of deaths resulting from torture and medical neglect – and now the findings on the returned bodies – leave no doubt: an independent international investigation is urgently needed to hold those responsible in Israel accountable.”

—Physicians for Human Rights; Statement

“The matter is not a ceasefire. We are talking about a managed genocide, a managed forcible displacement.”

—Ramy Abdu; Chair, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor

“The family expressed deep concern over his continued detention and reaffirms full trust in the legal team and all humanitarian efforts working toward his freedom. The family also calls on relevant institutions, human rights organizations, and the negotiating parties to actively address his case and work toward his immediate release.”

—Abu Safiyeh Family Statement on Dr. Hussam Abu Safiyeh

Would you like to join Judith Collins for morning tea?

Why go? We recommend bringing some flags, loudhailers and demands for sanctions against the genocidal apartheid state of Israel.

Carterton stands with Palestine

Two PSNA media releases from this week

1. Peters silent on Barghouti torture and Israeli non compliance with ceasefire

As nationwide protests against Israeli genocide continue this weekend into the third year, PSNA is demanding Peters condemn Israel torture of Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti and Israel’s failure to abide by the terms of the ceasefire.

PSNA’s Co-chair, John Minto, says Barghouti is Palestine’s equivalent to South African anti-apartheid leader, Nelson Mandela.

“Israel has held him in prison since 2002. He is revered as the most likely Palestinian to lead Palestinians out of occupation and apartheid. Though not affiliated to Hamas, he was top of their list of prisoners for Israel to release.”

“Israel refused. Instead, his jailers have kicked him unconscious and smashed his ribs.”

Minto says this is the clearest message to the world that Israel has no interest in allowing anybody like Nelson Mandela to ever emerge as a Palestinian leader to bring real peace and justice.

“Peters should be condemning this torture in the strongest terms.”

“He loudly complained that the protest movement in this country didn’t congratulate Trump when he outsourced the occupation of Gaza to Tony Blair and Egyptian secret police and Turkish soldiers.”

“But now, when Israel continues to kill Palestinians in Gaza every day, Peters is silent. Israeli snipers shot 35 Palestinians dead last Friday alone. Israel has also activated its al-Qaeda gangster gangs in Gaza to try to start a civil war. And its again blocking aid getting into Gaza, which is a clear breach of its peace deal obligations.”

“If Peters is to atone for his completely mistaken optimism about Trump’s peace plan, then he ought to be hauling in the Israeli ambassador today for an official rebuke and then send the ambassador packing.”

“Peters was quick yesterday to impose sanctions on Iran. But, as usual, no action on Israel.”

2. Judith Collins dog-whistles to her small choir to drown out Palestine

PSNA says Minister of Defence, Judith Collins’ open-letter attack on teachers, for daring to raise Palestine in their discussions with the government, says more about her own prejudices than teacher priorities.

Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa Co-chair Maher Nazzal say teachers, who have devoted their lives to educating children here, would be appalled at the wholesale slaughter of Palestinian school children in Gaza.

“Teachers who are committed to the education and development of the next generation of our country, would feel a special affinity with the children of another nation, who are being killed by Israeli bombing in their tens of thousands, see all their schools destroyed, and who will suffer the consequences of two-years of malnutrition for the rest of their lives.”

Nazzal says, only two months ago, Collins was on television, standing next to a damaged residential building in Kiev, condemning Russia for attacks which had killed Ukrainian children.

“But not a critical word of Israel from her, or her cabinet colleagues, despite Israel just now resuming its mass bombing in Gaza.”

“Ukrainian, Palestinian and New Zealand school children all deserve protection and we should expect our government to speak up loudly in their defence, without having to have a teachers’ union raise government inaction on Gaza with them.”

“But even after 24 months of genocide, Collins won’t find the words to express New Zealand’s horror at the indiscriminate killing of school children in Gaza. But she’s in her element dog-whistling to her small choir in the pro-Israel lobby.”

“Collins has already been referred to the International Criminal Court in the Hague, for complicity in Israel’s genocide by facilitating supply of military technology for Israeli use.”

“It’s more than time for Luxon to pull back his Israeli fanatic colleagues and uphold an ethical rule-based policy, and not default to blind prejudices.”

Qaher

Drama, 20m, Poland, Palestine, Egypt,

A Canadian Palestinian man returns to Palestine after years away to surprise his sister. As he embarks on his journey to reach her, he rediscovers the true meaning of Palestinian identity.

Dir/Writ: Nada Khalifa, Prod: Maciej Ślesicki

Film programme here

A Moon Will Rise from the Darkness

Reports on Israel’s Genocide in Palestine

By Francesca Albanese

Foreword by Richard Falk, John Dugard and Michael Lynk.

You can purchase this book here

Complicit with genocide

Sitting on the Fence

Daniel Cleary is making a documentary called “Sitting on the Fence” about NZ’s complicity in the genocide. It’s an independent self-funded film which needs financial support.

You can view a short segment from the film at this link and help to get the full film completed.

More details are on our website here https://www.psna.nz/sitting-on-the-fence which is at this QR code.

Keep spreading the message about the Genocide Hotline!

Remember possible action for local groups

For groups affiliated to PSNA we suggest the following actions could be taken at any time in support of this campaign

Asking your local backpacker accommodation to display the poster and draw it to the attention of any Israeli soldiers here on “rest and recreation” from the genocide.
Pasting the hotline poster (use the version in this newsletter which includes a contact email) around the vicinity of backpacker venues in your local area. This is already happening in some areas.
Hand out flyers to people in the vicinity of your local backpackers
Contact us on the hotline if you come across Israeli soldiers

Important stories from last week

Editor’s picks

After the genocide: What the future holds for Palestine here (Muhammed Shehada)
Genocide two years on: It is the West, not Gaza, that must be deradicalized here (Jonathan Cook)

Merchandise for sale - please check with your local branch and/or contact us Merchandise@PSNA.nz

If your local branch does not have what you are after we are ready to mail to you any of our t-shirts, long ($35) and short ($30) sleeved, hoodies ($45) bumper stickers ($3), Tino/Palestine pins ($3) flags large & medium ($10 or $7) and other items plus postage.

The watermelon and the fist stickers will be back in stock early next week.

See more on the PSNA website here.

Reminder: Annual Dates for Palestine Solidarity

28 Mar – 4 Apr Israel Apartheid Week

30 Mar Land Day Palestine

5 Apr Palestinian Childs Day

9 Apr Deir Yassin massacre - Irgun Terrorism - 107-120 Palestinian men, women and children massacred

17 Apr Palestinian Prisoners Day

11 May World Kufiya Day

15 May Nakba Day – marking the mass ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Palestine in 1948

5 Jun Nakba Day - Start of 1967 War - Land Grab – Invasion of Jerusalem, West Bank, Gaza, Egypt and Syria - 5 June 1967 – 10 June 1967

20 Jun Attack on Gaza - 6–21 May 2021 (2 weeks and 1 day)

16-18 Sep 40th anniversary of the Sabra and Shatila massacres

28 Sep Second Intifada - 28 Sept 2000 – 8 Feb 2005

2 Nov Balfour Declaration

29 Nov United Nations - International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People

8 Dec "First Intifada - 8 Dec 1987 – 13 Sept 1993

Are you able to donate a cup of coffee a month to the campaign?

We will need some serious money to make our campaign as effective as possible. For example, we will need somewhere in the vicinity of $25,000 to bring speakers to New Zealand over the next year and organise large public meetings to help spread the message.

You can help. Are you able to donate a cup of coffee a month to the campaign? In other words, can you afford to make an automatic payment of $5 per month to support the Palestinian struggle? (If you can afford more that would be great!)

Our account details are:

Account name: Palestine Solidarity Network
Account number: 38-9015-0849542-00

We are happy to provide a receipt upon request (however, we are not a registered charity so this is not tax-deductible)

Nationwide Rally list

To view events around Aotearoa:

Go to the PSNA Homepage – www.PSNA.nz. Scroll down to the button “For a list of events Nationwide, please click here - Check back often for updates”. Click the button. Check back on Friday for any moves, adds or changes
Or events are on the PSNA Facebook events page here
Or Scroll down to the bottom of this Newsletter for the detailed list of events for this week.
We have added a page to the PSNA website where we now post the Events list. You can find it here – www.PSNA.nz/Events

The QR code for this is:

It is updated on Wednesday afternoon and ongoing as events are notified to us. Please check back on Friday afternoon to see if there has been Additions or Changes.

More ways you can get involved

Forward this Newsletter – If you know people who may be interested in this movement, please forward this Newsletter to them.
Join in local activities in your area - Contact Secretary@PSNA.nz if you would like to know where and how to get Flags and Banners
Help set up a Students for Justice in Palestine groups on your campus
Tell Your MP your opinions on Divestment and Sanctions of Israel.
Write Letters to Newspapers – Call Talkback Radio
Keep in touch with the campaign on social media

o NZ Palestine Solidarity Network website: https://www.PSNA.nz

o NZ Palestine Solidarity Network Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/671376706283605/

o NZ Palestine Solidarity Network email: Secretary@PSNA.nz

The Palestine Human Rights Campaign produces the In Occupied Palestine newsletter. It is a regular daily newsletter on the daily situation in Palestine, compiled by Leslie Bravery and emailed to subscribers. If you would also like to become a subscriber, please contact Leslie at “lesliebravery @ icloud .com” (remove the spaces to use as an email address) for further information.
Keep Updated on our Facebook pages and websites (listed below)
Human rights for Uyghur refugees - In line with our support for human rights for the people of Palestine we have added our name to the petition in support of human rights for Uyghur refugees so they can be included in the government’s refugee quota. PSNA members who wish to also sign this petition can do so here - https://our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/open-letter-let-s-show-compassion-to-the-uyghur-community