I and like others on the real Left have pointed out for a very long time
 the contradictions of Hamas. One of the first acts when they came to power
in Gaza was to close down union halls and burned some down, attack  trade
unionists, attack the rights of women and force them to wear the veil,
recently detain journalists covering demos and have closed down youth groups
and centers that do not adhere to their ideology and even have attack other
tendencies in Gaza.   See the articles below :
http://azvsas.blogspot.com/   Tuesday,
15 February 2011
 The lousy Hamas
government<http://azvsas.blogspot.com/2011/02/lousy-hamas-government.html>

<http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5je20UJxj5M/TVrPyYHglmI/AAAAAAAAF6s/O6T0UC5rT1U/s1600/Gaza%2Bdemonstration%2Bin%2Bsupport%2Bof%2BEgypt%2B2.jpg><http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wGqsYL797vM/TVrPyDenMgI/AAAAAAAAF6k/B7jDo6C0uuU/s1600/Gaza%2Bdemonstration%2Bin%2Bsupport%2Bof%2BEgypt.jpg><http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_m0tnq81hUA/TVrPx-1JGNI/AAAAAAAAF6c/Cl3dVodl7Hc/s1600/101102-eid-hamas.jpeg>I
have written before on how Hamas
represses<http://azvsas.blogspot.com/2011/01/gaza-youth-demand-freedom.html>,
wherever possible, the population of Gaza.

The latter 
post<http://azvsas.blogspot.com/2010/12/hamas-speaking-with-forked-tongue.html>,
citing as it does an important article by Haidar Eid, an Associate Professor
at Gaza's Al Aqsa University is particularly important.




I was e-mailed today by someone who was previously unknown to me, one Nahida.
Nahida confined her argument to the Subject line: ' Would you please get
your facts right and stop spreading zionist propaganda poison and lies
against the Palestinian Resistance'. Although clearly an Islamist, her
argument belongs in what we used to call the Stalinist School of
Falsification. 70 years ago, if you criticised Stalinism you were supporting
imperialism. Today if you criticise Hamas you are criticising the
Palestinian struggle, as if the resistance is embodied in an Islamic
movement that is both incoherent politically and inarticulate.




She cites the demonstrations in Gaza as some kind of proof that
Hamastherefore supported the Revolution in Egypt. I have no doubt that
youths and
others in Gaza supported and took part in demonstrations against Mubarak and
in support of the Egyptian revolution but that doesn't mean Hamas was
responsible for, or supported, those demonstrations.



It is a fact that the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, of which Hamas is
essentially the Gazan wing, did not support the Egyptian protests for the
first few days and was cautious afterwards. This is consistent with its
historical record of being a very conservative and reactionary political
formation and one which has always been cautious about supporting mass
movements.




The people of Gaza and Hamas are of course not one and the same. Hamas did
try to stop demonstrations against Mubarak but found it impossible to
maintain such a stance, in view of the siege of Gaza by Egypt. But according
to Nahida's 'logic' maybe the blogger Angry Arab is also a Zionist when he
posted the 
following<http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/lousy-hamas-government.html>on
Tuesday, February 01 2011:

The lousy Hamas government in Gaza yesterday stopped Palestinians in Gaza
from demonstrating in support of the Egyptian people's uprising. They even
apprehended the protesters for a few hours. So the Palestinian people now
live under double oppression: that of Israeli occupation, and that of Fatah
in West Bank and Hamas in Gaza.

Another argument of Nahida is that Ha'aretz is a Zionist paper. But of
course it is irrelevant whether or not Haaretz is a Zionist paper or not. There
is no Zionist interest in showing that Hamas is also opposed, alongside the
Israeli government, to democracy in the Arab world. In fact Israeli and
western propaganda has been designed to show that Islamic fundamentalism is
behind the protests. This is the argument of the US neo-cons and anyone who
saw the interview of John Bolton, the Bush assistant Secretary of State last
week.

But of course Islamic fundamentalists are not democrats since the word of
god is not open to debate or question. Haaretz is also Israel’s only liberal
Zionist paper and as such has printed many articles that anti-Zionists and
supporters of the Palestinians have used. Indeed Zionists regularly complain
about Haaretz’s failure to be a propaganda sheet. Neither Amira Hass and
Gideon Levy are Zionists and I know that Amira Hass, who lived in Gaza, is
very critical of the authoritarianism of Hamas, as I’m sure is Gideon Levy.



But let's see what Haidar Eid, who no-one can accuse of being a 'Zionist'
said in Tough Questions for Hamas
<http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11605.shtml>*of* 2 November 2010:

 'Despite its somewhat fiery statements, Hamas's impulse and willingness to
deal with American propositions are indeed astonishing. Two letters were
sent, as far as I know, to the new Obama administration after the term of
former US President George W. Bush ended. The Americans emphasized that they
declined to accept the first letter.



 However, it is the content of the letters and how they reflect the
aspirations of Palestinians -- both in all of historic Palestine as well as
in the Diaspora -- that is significant.

The content of these letters along with statements made by senior
Hamasleaders indicate to the US
Hamas's acceptance of and commitment to the two-state solution; i.e. the
creation of an independent Palestinian state on the territories occupied by
Israel in 1967. Yet many Hamas leaders simultaneously accentuate their
refusal to recognize the State of Israel and accept the two-state solution!
Simply put, the Palestinian leadership elected by the majority of one-third
of the Palestinian people, i.e. the population in the West Bank and Gaza
Strip, is announcing its commitment to a racist solution that disregards the
rights of 6-7 million Palestinian refugees, and the national and cultural
rights of 1.4 million Palestinians in Israel....



Hamas's success in the 2006 elections was due mainly to the fact that the
Palestinian national movement failed to accomplish its declared goals,
abandoned the "interim program" and accepted an exceptionally racist
solution that denies internationally legitimated historical rights. However,
Hamas's acceptance of the two-state solution, or a Palestinian state within
the 1967 borders as it is often called, is not at odds politically with
either the left or right wing of the national movement.

But what does this state look like? And does Hamas have an alternative to
the two-state, or two-prison, solution which has become impossible to
achieve?

The experience of Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip offers a miniature model of
an Islamic state, whereas the West Bank stands as the Bantustan state to be
declared in November 2011. It is common knowledge that Gaza has recently
undergone ideological social transformations through laws that are enforced
without being enacted. Such laws target individual freedoms, particularly
those of women, who are no longer allowed to smoke water pipe in public or
ride behind their spouses on motorcycles. Likewise, female students are now
forced to wear the *jilbab* and the *hijab*, while female lawyers must wear
the *hijab*. Of course, these practices claim to "protect our customs and
traditions," but is there a traditional text that bars women from smoking,
for instance? The democracy that provided the foundation for the 2006
elections is based on guaranteeing individual freedoms. Many statements made
by Hamas leaders inside and outside of Gaza before the elections emphasized
that those leaders would respect such freedoms if elected.

The transformation of many members of the resistance, who are willing to
sacrifice their lives for their homeland and who exerted impressive efforts
to defend Gaza in 2009, into religious police like those in Saudi Arabia
requires a serious and critical revision by Hamas.

Therefore, it is obvious that Hamas is unable to realize that the war on
Gaza in 2009 has created a new political reality whereby Israel pulled the
trigger on the racist two-state/two-prison solution. Hamas insists on
adopting this approach and claims it is a temporary tactic until the balance
of power shifts, as the movement assumes it will within the truce period of
ten or twenty years. During this time, it plans to build a state after its
model in Gaza. This only indicates the lack of a clear strategic vision to
end the conflict, a vision that draws on past global struggles against
colonialism, particularly against the abhorrent South African apartheid
regime, which collapsed resoundingly in 1994.

Unfortunately, there has been no indication, based on my reading of many
statements made by Hamas leaders, of a clear understanding within the
movement either of the apartheid nature of the State of Israel or of the
tools used by the South African anti-apartheid movement. One such tool is
the international boycott campaign, without which the apartheid regime would
not have ended. This demonstrates Hamas's failure to understand the role of
the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement (BDS).



As a recent report by the Israel-based Reut Institute indicates, even the
Israelis themselves are concerned about the momentum the BDS movement is
gaining. There is no statement whatsoever, either in public speeches of
Hamas officials or in its literature, which indicates an understanding of
these efforts which, as Reut claimed, served to "delegitimize Israel" and
"pose a threat to its very existence."




Hamas is politically reactionary in many ways. But for the Israeli/Egyptian
siege it would have stepped up its own repression of Palestinians in the
Gaza Strip. It has made efforts to force women to wear the veil, it has
attacked supporters of the PFLP and it has been guilty of torture and
ill-treatment of prisoners. I support the liberation of Palestine not the
substitution of one form of oppression for another. I support Hamas when it
confronts Israel, not when it confronts its own people.



Nahida's argument is similar to those who say that because Iran is under
threat by US imperialism we should therefore not support pro-democracy
protestors. On the contrary I say that the best way to defeat imperialism is
the maximum democracy in the Arab world and Iran.


Hamas is politically illiterate. It says it wants one Arab/Muslim state in
Palestine and also says in private that it would accept 2 states as a
solution. It cites as authentic the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, an
anti-Semitic forgery of the Czarist secret police, which was the bible of
anti-Jewish racists in Europe. Anti-semitism i.e. anti-Jewish racism in
Europe directly led to the creation of the Zionist movement with all the
consequences we know. The creation of the Israeli state, a state based on
racial exclusivism and separation, was Hitler’s final achievement. To give
any support to anti-Semitism is effectively to support those who were
themselves responsible for the expulsion and dispossession of the
Palestinians.


I should add that the demand for an Islamic or Arab state in Palestine does
not take any account of non-Arabs including Israeli Jews. In short it is no
solution and the idea that a religious sectarian movement can represent
Palestinians who are not just followers of Islam but contain for example
Christians, illustrates the problems of supporting uncritically such a
group.

Rather than employing a well reasoned argument, something which is of course
impossible, especially for a supporter of Political Islam, Nahida uses this
‘guilt by association’ technique which calls Haaretz ‘Zionist’ as a means of
avoiding the fact that Hamas did try to prevent demonstrations in Gaza.

Tony Greenstein
 PFLP Subject to Hamas Attacks

<http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FKUpGU_Jbp0/S941U7HaBLI/AAAAAAAADwo/Gs4zCL76fsg/s1600/pflp01.jpg><http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FKUpGU_Jbp0/S941BEPeZbI/AAAAAAAADvI/Wnr1SFpxBUg/s1600/pchr.jpg><http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FKUpGU_Jbp0/S941UjvLnKI/AAAAAAAADwg/cLaUc4X4ltQ/s1600/pflp_09121200.jpg><http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FKUpGU_Jbp0/S941UVOFcXI/AAAAAAAADwY/WOGZA5xfLko/s1600/pflp_09121202.jpg><http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FKUpGU_Jbp0/S941MzXslgI/AAAAAAAADwQ/NynLe7zLMV0/s1600/pflp_09121203.jpg><http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FKUpGU_Jbp0/S941MmS64qI/AAAAAAAADwI/tN_hb1BCqDY/s1600/gazarally11.jpg><http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FKUpGU_Jbp0/S941MMk2j8I/AAAAAAAADv4/5s1YTg6P2qY/s1600/pflp_09121209.jpg><http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FKUpGU_Jbp0/S941BwVL17I/AAAAAAAADvg/LCgWX2JiOoI/s1600/gazarally9.preview.jpg><http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FKUpGU_Jbp0/S941L_m5H1I/AAAAAAAADvw/-eMCICljxHA/s1600/pflp_09121211.jpg><http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FKUpGU_Jbp0/S941BdqpA7I/AAAAAAAADvQ/0nY7T0n54QM/s1600/DSC_0758.preview.JPG>
In the Report below by the PFLP, over 70,000 demonstrators rallied in Gaza
for the leftist Palestinian PFLP. Independent observers put the numbers at
50,000 which is still a significant number Of course, like Israeli politics,
Palestinian politics do not easily fit into conventional definitions. For
the PFLP, socialism often takes the form of being more militarist than
Hamas. And historically with its hijackings the PFLP has been the
organisation most consistently in favour of the armed struggle. Nonetheless
the PFLP is the only significant leftist Palestinian group today and has
been the subject of fierce repression by the Israeli state and its PA client
as well as Hamas. For that reason alone it should be supported by the Left
outside Palestine. The PFLP is not alone among left nationalist groups in
its militarism and an example nearer to home was the IRSP/Irish National
Liberation Army in Ireland. The Palestinian left have often distinguished
themselves by supporting or being supported by different regimes in the
Middle East, those which are nominally opposed to the United States, such as
Syria and Iran, rather than the openly pro-imperialist states that Fateh has
relations with. The PCHR report beneath also makes dismal reading as it is
clear that Hamas is determined to suppress and clamp down on any Palestinian
cultural event of gathering which doesn’t have its Islamist stamp upon it. Tony
Greenstein

Unity and steadfastness: Over 70,000 rally in Gaza for PFLP 42nd anniversary
(see 
photos)<http://www.pflp.ps/english/?q=unity-and-steadfastness-over-70000-rally-gaza-pflp>
gaza-rally.jpg<http://www.pflp.ps/english/?q=unity-and-steadfastness-over-70000-rally-gaza-pflp>

Over 70,000 cadres, members and supporters of the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine, and the people of the Gaza Strip, converged on
Palestine Stadium for the 42nd anniversary rally of the PFLP on December 12,
2009, spilling into the surrounding streets and carrying Palestinian flags,
PFLP banners and posters of the Front's martyrs and leaders.

>From the early morning hours, crowds of young and old, men, women and
children traveled from the various provinces of the Strip and all camps and
villages to Gaza City to the rally, answering the call of the Front to
attend under the slogan of "Unity, Steadfastness and Resistance - Towards
Victory!"

Comrade Dr. Rabah Muhanna, member of the Political Bureau of the PFLP and
leader of its branch in Gaza, called for maintenance and escalation of
resistance in general and armed struggle in particular against the Zionist
enemy, calling for a nationally coordinated resistance framework serving the
struggle to regain our rights.

Comrade Muhanna emphasized that the path of negotiations, from Oslo to
Annapolis, has clearly reached a dead end, and there must be a declaration
by all Palestinian forces of the final death of the path of so-called
"negotiations" and the immediate end of the so-called "transitional period,"
including a complete end of all security coordination with the occupier.

He expressed an urgent call for national unity, saying that it is a
necessity for victory and that all political detainees in the West Bank and
Gaza must be freed, and unity established on the basis of Palestinian
national cause and the Palestinian national interest, responding to the
sacrifices of thousands of martyrs, wounded and prisoners: ensuring an
independent state with Jerusalem as its capital, self-determination, and
return.

Comrade Muhanna saluted the Palestinian people in occupied Palestine '48, in
the West Bank, throughout Gaza, in the camps, and throughout the world in
diaspora and exile, expressing the Front's complete determination to fight
for the achievement of full victory over the criminal, fascist, occupation
regime.

He outlined the Front's historical experience in confronting Zionism, as an
extension of the struggle of the Arab Nationalist Movement. He said that the
Front will continue along the path of its history in the revolutionary
struggle to achieve victory and the utter defeat of the criminal Zionist
enemy and the entire camp behind it that provides it with its power and
aggression and weakens our people and prevents their progress, the
imperialist camp and its reactionary arms and components, under the savage
leadership of U.S. imperialism.

Comrade Muhanna closed his speech with a call for national unity, invoking
the colors of the Palestinian flag and the banners of the Palestinian
factions: green for Hamas, white for Fateh, black for Islamic Jihad and red
for the PFLP, calling for all of our people to be united together under the
complete national flag of Palestine.

Almazah Sammouni, who lost her family in the December 2008-January 2009
aggression on Gaza, spoke, saying "I came here today not to cry or to mourn
for my family," the Sammouni family, "who suffered under the fires and
missiles of the occupation like thousands of martyrs of our people, but I
come to express my pride for their sacrifices and commitment." She called
upon all Palestinian forces, particularly Fateh and Hamas, to unite under
the banner of the blood of the martyrs and the promise of a better future
for our people and children, and to fight to prosecute the occupation and
its leaders in international courts for their crimes against our Palestinian
people.

Comrade Amna Rimawi, the wife of imprisoned Comrade Majdi Rimawi and head of
the village council of Beit Rima, one of the heroes of the legendary October
17 operation that struck Zionist extremist tourism minister Rehavam Ze'evi,
spoke at the rally, expressing her greetings on behalf of the families of
the prisoners, and calling upon the captors of occupation soldier Gilad
Shalit and asking them to uphold the standards they have set for the
prisoner exchange, because the families and the prisoners know the only
means for their release comes through the resistance.

Mohammad Khalidi, an unemployed Palestinian worker, spoke wearing his work
uniform, denouncing poverty and unemployment caused by siege and occupation.
He said that "We are are to affirm our steadfastness as workers in the face
of the Zionist war machine, the unjust siege, and deadly unemployment."

The rally, chaired by Comrade Hani Al-Thawabteh, member of the Central
Committee of Gaza Branch, and Comrade Shireen Abu-Oun, also included poetry,
artistic presentations, and dozens of congratulatory messages from the PFLP
leadership abroad, Hilda Habash, the wife of the founder, Dr. George Habash,
and the General Secretary of the Front, imprisoned Comrade Leader Ahmad
Sa'adat, and Abla Sa'adat and Sumoud Sa'adat, his wife and daughter.

Hamas Arrests PFLP Leaders in Khan
Younis<http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=280252>
Gaza - Ma'an - Hamas officials denied PFLP accusations that de facto
government forces had arrested dozens of the party's leaders in Khan Younis,
throwing a counter-punch and accusing the leftists of inciting violence and
threatening the stability of Gaza.

PFLP leader Kayed Al-Ghoul made the accusation on Wednesday, saying de facto
government police had raided the party's headquarters and detained two,
taking the ID of a third in the wake of a party statement accusing Hamas of
unfairly and harshly implementing a series of tax laws.

A statement from Hamas said both the tax accusations and those of arrests
were "inciting rumors distributed by the PFLP to hit the state of stability
and security in Gaza."

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum asked why the party was launching attacks on
Hamas, when its leaders in the West Bank "are being arrested and summoned on
for interrogation by the Fatah security departments, dozens of its
affiliates are arrested, prohibited from the right to resistance and
carrying out the ceremony of its anniversary."

Barhoum denied accusations that PFLP members had been detained, saying party
members along with its leaders are "granted full freedom of speech in Gaza
and is carrying all of its activities and organizing its occasions."

He accused the party of "taking advantage of the wide freedoms" they were
granted, but use those freedoms to "call for disturbances" in the coastal
enclave.

Palestinian faction warns of 'explosion' over Hamas
taxes<http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jAi-JlrkrUmiA8ANmRrtQTK6fEeg>

On 27 April 2010 the PFLP issued a press release condemning the performance
of the government and security services in the Gaza Strip. The press release
was entitled "Let the Hamas Government Stop Economic and Social Pressures
Practiced Against our People". The PFLP consider that the practices of the
government in Gaza – the latest of which involved the imposition of taxes on
different sector – aim at increasing the pressure and burden on Palestinian
civilians under an already strained economic and social situation. In its
press release, the PFLP called upon the Hamas movement and government "To
stop these measures and alleviate the suffering of civilians."

Later, the police and security services in Gaza detained many PFLP's members
in Khan Yunis, Gaza and Jabalya.

According to PCHR' documentation, on Tuesday, 27 April 2010, the police
detained 15 members of the PFLP, including 11 from al-Shati' refugee camp
and four from Tal el-Hawa. The detainees were transported to al-Shati' and
Ansar police stations, where they were interrogated regarding the press
release. During interrogation these individuals were subjected to
ill-treatment. PCHR was informed that the 11 members from al-Shati' were
released yesterday, at 7:30, while the four others remain in detention.

In Jabalya refugee camp, yesterday, at 1:30, the police detained two members
of the PFLP: Abdullah Abu Z'eiter, 25, and Tal'at el-Rafati, 34, while they
were at the entrance of the market in the camp. They were interrogated
regarding the source of the press release. They were released after a few
hours, following the intervention of national figures.

On Wednesday morning, 28 April 2010, members of the police and the Internal
Security Service tried to break into the PFLP's office located in the center
of Khan Yunis. They attacked some members of the PFLP following verbal
insults. According to the testimony of Mahmoud Abu Ras, head of PFLP's
office in the eastern area of Khan Yunis, policemen and members of the
Internal Security Service tried to break into the office and detained a PFLP
member, Saleh el-Saiqlai, 24. They had beaten his father, Ibrahim, 45, a
leader in the PFLP, when he arrived at the scene. PCHR was informed of
releasing el-Saiqali later.

In light of the above, PCHR:

1. Confirms that these measures taken by the security service in the Gaza
Strip constitute a violation of the right to freedom of opinion and
expression, which is guaranteed under the Palestinian Basic Law and relevant
international conventions.

2. Confirms on the right of political opposition to express political
opinion, including criticizing the government, and opposing its policy
through all forms ensured by the law, including press releases, peaceful
demonstrations and all forms of peaceful protest.

3. Calls upon the government in the Gaza Strip to investigate these measures
taken against members of PFLP and to prevent their re-occurrence.

GAZA CITY — A leftist Palestinian faction warned on Tuesday of an
"explosion" if the Islamist Hamas movement continues collecting a raft of
new taxes in its impoverished Gaza enclave.

The rare harsh criticism of the movement that has ruled Gaza since June 2007
came in response to new taxes that the Hamas-run government says are
necessary to address a financial "crisis."

"The pressure that Hamas forces are exerting in Gaza undermine the idea of
improving the steadfastness of our people, who are already exhausted," the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said.

"The increase in pressure and burdens on our citizens in this miserable
economic and social reality will give rise to problems and social maladies
and will push the youth towards emigration. "It may push society to rebel
against these behaviours, but the explosion will be in the face of the
perpetrators," it said.

In recent weeks Hamas has started collecting taxes on a wide range of goods
and services, including imposing a tax of up to 30 percent on cigarettes.

The territory of 1.5 million people has been sealed off from all but basic
goods since Israel and Egypt tightened border closures following Hamas's
bloody seizure of power nearly three years ago.

The economy has largely collapsed and most consumer goods are smuggled in
through tunnels beneath the border with Egypt.

Local bank branches in Gaza boycott the Hamas-run government because it is
considered a terrorist organisation by Israel, the United States and the
European Union.

Earlier this month, Hamas MP Jamal Nassar said that, combined with the
Egyptian barrier, has caused a financial "crisis" for the government.

The closures had never previously appeared to have much of an effect on
Hamas, which has regularly paid the salaries of some 20,000 civil servants
and security forces since it seized power.

Hamas has always been tight-lipped about its financial dealings but is
believed to receive considerable aid from Islamic charities, Syria and Iran.

PCHR is Deeply Concerned Regarding Measures Taken By Security Services in
the Gaza Strip against Members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine PDF Print E-mail
Thursday, 29 April 2010 11:30

PCHR is Deeply Concerned Regarding Measures Taken By Security Services in
the Gaza Strip against Members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine
<http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6626:pchr-is-deeply-concerned-regarding-measures-taken-by-security-services-in-the-gaza-strip-against-members-of-the-popular-front-for-the-liberation-of-palestine-&catid=36:pchrpressreleases&Itemid=194>

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) is deeply concerned by
measures taken by security services in the Gaza Strip against number of
members in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP); such
measures include the detention of individuals and arise consequent to a
press release distributed by the PFLP in Gaza, condemning the performance of
the government in Gaza. PCHR confirms that the right to freedom of opinion
and expression is guaranteed under the Palestinian Basic Law and relevant
international conventions.

Hamas Police Break Up Palestinian Cultural Show

Palestinian Centre for Human Rights Press Release

Ref: 30/2010
Date: 25 April 2010
Time: 12:00 GMT

PCHR Condemns Police's Prevention of Show in Gaza City

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns the police's
intervention yesterday to prevent convening a show in Rashad al-Shawa
Cultural Center in Gaza City, where hundreds of people attended.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 17:40 on
Saturday 24 April 2010, a force of the Palestinian police broke into Rashad
al-Shawa Cultural Center in Gaza, where the show was being carried out and
hundreds of people were attending. The show was organized by "B Boy Gaza"; a
local band which includes a number of young people. The policemen cancelled
the show, expelled the audience, and arrested six of the show's organizers.
The detainees were taken to al-Abbas police station in the center of Gaza
City. The policemen confiscated the videotapes and cameras that were used in
the show. According to the testimony of one of the organizers, the police
forced two of the arrested ones to sign a pledge not to organize shows
without obtaining permits from the Palestinian police. PCHR was informed
that all of the arrested persons were released.

In light of the above, PCHR:

1. Calls for stopping the unjustified intervention of security bodies and
the Ministry of Interior in public freedoms, and for respecting the right to
organize public and private meetings, which are ensured legally and
constitutionally.

2. Confirms that this show and similar shows are organized in closed halls,
which are not included in the Public Meetings Law # (12) of 1998. This Law
ensures the right to hold public meetings freely after the organizers send a
written notice regarding the meeting to the governor or the police chief at
least 48 hours prior to the time of the meeting.

For more information please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on +972 8
2824776 - 2825893
PCHR, 29 Omer El Mukhtar St., El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip.
E-mail: [email protected], Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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