0:00:10.120,0:00:16.320 The world that we inhabit bears the indelible[br]scars of centuries of colonial violence. 0:00:16.320,0:00:21.720 The legacy of this historic violation[br]lies at the root of many of today’s 0:00:21.720,0:00:24.400 most intractable problems. 0:00:24.400,0:00:30.060 Colonization is the military, economic,[br]political and cultural subjugation 0:00:30.060,0:00:33.200 of one nation by another. 0:00:33.200,0:00:35.739 It is the domination of one people by another. 0:00:35.740,0:00:40.780 And there are few places on earth fortunate[br]enough to have escaped its reach. 0:00:41.740,0:00:45.079 For thousands of years,[br]land has changed hands according to 0:00:45.080,0:00:48.560 the aims and whims of conquering armies. 0:00:48.560,0:00:53.780 But beginning in the 15th century, the character[br]and scope of this warfare shifted. 0:00:55.560,0:01:00.640 Europe’s genocidal invasion and pillage[br]of the so-called ‘New World’ was an apocalypse 0:01:00.640,0:01:04.280 for the continents’ original inhabitants. 0:01:04.280,0:01:07.480 And from the ashes of[br]these ancient civilizations 0:01:07.480,0:01:11.100 arose capitalism and the[br]modern system of nation states. 0:01:12.720,0:01:18.800 Subsequent waves of European expansion saw[br]the colonization of Australia and New Zealand, 0:01:18.800,0:01:22.120 along with large swathes of Africa and Asia. 0:01:23.320,0:01:29.140 Some of these colonies were chosen for mass[br]European settlement, while others were delegated 0:01:29.140,0:01:33.740 as sources of hyper-exploited [br]labour and resource extraction. 0:01:34.540,0:01:40.380 Colonial borders, drawn up by foreign aristocrats[br]and dignitaries, were agreed upon through 0:01:40.380,0:01:44.160 diplomatic treaties and internecine wars. 0:01:44.160,0:01:50.180 Many of these arbitrary lines persist to this[br]day, cutting blindly across tribes and major 0:01:50.180,0:01:56.640 ethnic groups, scattering peoples like the[br]Kurds and Tuaregs over multiple states, and 0:01:56.640,0:02:02.549 planting the seeds for bitter sectarian rivalries[br]and civil wars. 0:02:02.549,0:02:08.619 Successive national liberation struggles waged[br]in the decades following World War II allowed 0:02:08.619,0:02:13.849 much of the world to cast off the shackles[br]of the old colonial arrangement. 0:02:13.849,0:02:20.100 Yet in case after case, national aspirations[br]for self-determination have been thwarted 0:02:20.100,0:02:26.150 by the emergence of a new neo-colonial ruling[br]class, whose members remain subservient to 0:02:26.150,0:02:33.480 the imperial systems of global finance controlled[br]by the colonial masters of yesteryear. 0:02:33.480,0:02:39.060 That is not to say that older forms of colonialism[br]have disappeared, or that the flames of 0:02:39.160,0:02:42.360 anti-colonial revolt have died out. 0:02:43.060,0:02:47.940 Over the next thirty minutes, we’ll take[br]a closer look at two such sites of active 0:02:47.940,0:02:55.630 settler colonialism and anti-colonial resistance:[br]namely, the areas around the Great Lakes region 0:02:55.630,0:03:01.060 that make up the historic homeland of the[br]Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, 0:03:01.060,0:03:04.520 and the militarily-occupied [br]territories of Palestine. 0:03:04.520,0:03:09.740 Along the way, we’ll talk to a number of[br]individuals as they share their own experiences 0:03:09.740,0:03:14.060 of navigating colonial dynamics, fighting[br]for self-determination... 0:03:14.060,0:03:16.500 and making a whole lot of trouble. 0:03:54.280,0:03:59.580 Indians, Natives, Aboriginal... there’s[br]so many different terms that people use 0:03:59.580,0:04:02.300 just to address who we are. 0:04:03.120,0:04:10.260 But I feel that we need to address ourselves[br]the way we believe we should be addressed. 0:04:10.260,0:04:13.160 And for me, I say I’m Kanienʼkehá꞉ka. 0:04:14.760,0:04:15.900 I’m not Mohawk. 0:04:15.900,0:04:16.699 I’m not an Indian. 0:04:16.699,0:04:18.539 I’m not an aboriginal. 0:04:18.539,0:04:23.530 Y’know... these are all different terms[br]that have come after. 0:04:23.530,0:04:27.780 These terms decolonization and anti-colonial,[br]I had to google them 0:04:27.780,0:04:30.580 because I don’t use those terms a lot. 0:04:30.580,0:04:34.000 We have no English terms [br]to use but what’s there. 0:04:34.009,0:04:37.099 But in our own language [br]we have all the words that we need. 0:04:37.100,0:04:41.820 How to explain it to someone who doesn’t[br]have the language is what gets difficult. 0:04:42.220,0:04:50.280 Decolonization has become such a buzzword[br]used by a variety of organizations, institutions... 0:04:50.280,0:04:53.800 I mean, the federal government [br]is using the word. 0:04:53.800,0:04:59.960 And it certainly has been watered down in[br]the context of universities and academics 0:04:59.960,0:05:02.080 clinging to this buzzword. 0:05:02.740,0:05:07.720 But in reality, decolonization is a very [br]unsettling and disruptive force. 0:05:07.720,0:05:11.640 And so when I think about what that means[br]to me, and how I should relate to it as 0:05:11.640,0:05:16.260 a non-Indigenous anarchist, [br]I don’t have any straight-forward answers. 0:05:16.840,0:05:19.139 I have some reflections. 0:05:20.060,0:05:21.700 They’re always changing. 0:05:22.560,0:05:27.220 Decolonization is a very large [br]and complex issue for me. 0:05:27.220,0:05:30.700 It involves decolonizing the way we think. 0:05:30.700,0:05:34.280 The way that we’re sort of [br]wired to experience reality, 0:05:34.280,0:05:37.380 and the ideologies in which we’re saturated. 0:05:37.380,0:05:43.500 And taking steps to rectify the wrongs [br]that were done, so that we can have 0:05:43.500,0:05:45.600 a just and equal society. 0:05:45.600,0:05:50.360 And a rich society, a diverse society, [br]and a society that benefits 0:05:50.360,0:05:53.600 from the wisdom of Indigenous cultures. 0:05:54.260,0:06:02.740 For Palestinians that means the Israeli occupation[br]that started in 1948 should be stopped, 0:06:02.740,0:06:08.200 and the Palestinian people should have [br]their own rights for freedom, justice 0:06:08.200,0:06:10.080 and control of themselves. 0:06:10.080,0:06:11.660 Like all nations in the world. 0:06:14.600,0:06:21.719 Fundamentally, the Arab world lives in the[br]aftermath of the colonial project. 0:06:21.719,0:06:26.529 The reason why these states are there [br]is because of colonialism. 0:06:26.529,0:06:32.160 The borders were drawn up not by the people[br]who live there, but by Sykes-Picot. 0:06:32.160,0:06:34.520 By the British and the French. 0:06:34.520,0:06:36.540 There would be no Israel without colonialism. 0:06:37.260,0:06:43.920 It is a western colony in the Arab world. 0:06:43.920,0:06:51.560 Just like Apartheid South Africa [br]was a western colony in Africa. 0:06:51.560,0:06:54.879 Europe treats Israel as a European [br]colony in the Middle East. 0:06:54.879,0:06:59.580 So in terms of the trade agreements that give[br]it preferable conditions in trading. 0:06:59.580,0:07:02.000 Y’know, the arms that are [br]being bought and sold. 0:07:02.000,0:07:05.020 Europeans are partners in the Zionist project. 0:07:05.020,0:07:07.120 And they are responsible. 0:07:07.120,0:07:10.260 When the west sees Israel, they see themselves. 0:07:10.260,0:07:13.920 And when the United States sees Israel, [br]they certainly see themselves. 0:07:13.930,0:07:19.430 It’s a state where western white people[br]came in and threw the native population 0:07:19.430,0:07:22.280 off the land — it’s a little baby America. 0:07:23.200,0:07:27.620 Rectifying the wrongs of the colonization[br]of Palestine would first of all involve the 0:07:27.620,0:07:33.889 return of the Palestinian refugees and reparations[br]for the suffering from being ethnically cleansed 0:07:33.889,0:07:35.180 from their homeland. 0:07:35.180,0:07:40.540 Palestinians, when they were forced [br]to emigrate from here as refugees, 0:07:40.540,0:07:43.480 there were 800,000 at that time. 0:07:43.480,0:07:49.980 It will become around 8,000,000 now, after[br]seventy or eighty years of occupation. 0:07:53.720,0:07:59.800 When we’re talking about colonialism [br]in relation to the Canadian settler-colonial state, 0:07:59.800,0:08:06.780 I think it’s important to understand[br]that the state is not a completed political 0:08:06.780,0:08:08.860 and economic entity. 0:08:08.860,0:08:13.000 In fact, the Canadian state [br]is quite weak and vulnerable. 0:08:16.440,0:08:20.260 What you need to understand is [br]that if you look at each reservation, 0:08:20.260,0:08:22.640 where we are, [br]you need to poke a hole in that map. 0:08:22.640,0:08:26.160 Because we’re not a part of Canada, [br]and we’re not a part of the United States. 0:08:26.160,0:08:27.840 The Mohawk people are a nation. 0:08:27.840,0:08:31.040 The whole Haudenosaunee [br]Confederacy are all nations. 0:08:31.050,0:08:34.710 So what the United States and Canada wanna[br]be is they wanna be a nation. 0:08:34.710,0:08:36.659 They wanna be like the Mohawks and the Seneca. 0:08:37.400,0:08:40.780 When they came on their ship, they brought[br]that government and those ideologies with them. 0:08:40.780,0:08:42.179 They didn’t start nothing new. 0:08:42.179,0:08:43.600 They didn’t make up their own language. 0:08:43.600,0:08:44.700 They didn’t make up their own [br]government here. 0:08:44.700,0:08:46.620 They copied ours and brought theirs with them. 0:08:46.620,0:08:49.420 So they can’t say that [br]they’re their own nation. 0:08:52.340,0:09:02.120 They have no idea what it is to actually listen[br]to us, and to listen to the reasons why 0:09:02.120,0:09:04.740 this land is so important to us. 0:09:04.740,0:09:06.480 They’ll never know. 0:09:06.480,0:09:09.920 Because they don’t even want to [br]hear what we have to say. 0:09:09.930,0:09:12.500 To them, it’s like it’s all about money. 0:09:12.500,0:09:18.040 “Who the fuck gives a shit about [br]what these Indians want with the land?” 0:09:18.040,0:09:19.860 This is their attitude. 0:09:19.860,0:09:22.540 Y’know, it’s like [br]“Oh, sit down and negotiate.” 0:09:22.540,0:09:23.540 Sit down and negotiate. 0:09:23.540,0:09:25.680 What negotiations? 0:09:25.680,0:09:30.180 You sit down and it’s all of what they want,[br]and everything that we come back with 0:09:30.180,0:09:35.840 — the importance of our culture, our land [br]...it don’t mean fuck all to them. 0:09:37.980,0:09:39.840 It doesn’t mean a thing to them. 0:09:48.460,0:09:53.100 Human history is a steady stream of [br]massacres and bloodshed. 0:09:53.100,0:09:57.140 But when it comes to scope and scale [br]of atrocities, nothing compares to 0:09:57.140,0:10:00.020 the colonization of the so-called Americas. 0:10:00.020,0:10:05.780 What is now tacitly acknowledged as a genocide[br]against the continents’ original inhabitants, 0:10:05.780,0:10:11.500 was in fact a series of dozens, if not hundreds[br]of different genocides carried out against 0:10:11.500,0:10:17.519 distinct nations by Spanish, Portuguese, French[br]and British armies, who were aided in this 0:10:17.520,0:10:23.360 task by the copious and often deliberate spread[br]of European-borne diseases. 0:10:23.360,0:10:28.340 While there’s no single definitive figure,[br]most historians estimate that between 0:10:28.340,0:10:34.340 50 and 112 million Indigenous people [br]were killed during the invasion and settlement 0:10:34.340,0:10:40.060 of the so-called Americas, [br]or nearly 95% of the local population. 0:10:40.060,0:10:42.920 Many nations were entirely wiped out. 0:10:42.920,0:10:47.210 There’s also no recorded figure for the[br]number of Africans killed during the four 0:10:47.210,0:10:54.940 centuries of the transatlantic slave trade,[br]but most estimates range from 14 to 60 million. 0:10:54.940,0:10:58.940 This includes an estimated two million people[br]that died on slave ships, 0:10:58.940,0:11:02.020 only to be unceremoniously dumped into the ocean. 0:11:03.120,0:11:07.260 The echoes of these crimes continue [br]to reverberate to this day. 0:11:07.900,0:11:13.550 In the Great Lakes region of so-called North[br]America, Dutch, French and British colonizers 0:11:13.550,0:11:20.950 first encountered the Haudenosaunee Confederacy,[br]a powerful alliance of five indigenous nations: 0:11:20.950,0:11:27.660 the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga and Seneca[br]– with a sixth nation, the Tuscarora, 0:11:27.660,0:11:30.560 joining in 1722. 0:11:30.560,0:11:36.779 These settlers were fascinated by the Haudenosaunee’s[br]system of governance, which was much more 0:11:36.780,0:11:40.600 sophisticated than any found [br]during that time in Europe. 0:11:40.600,0:11:47.360 So much so, that many of its principles eventually[br]found their way into the US Constitution. 0:11:47.360,0:11:52.850 Yet despite signing treaties of mutual respect[br]and co-existence with the Haudenosaunee, most 0:11:52.850,0:11:59.230 notably the Two-Row Wampum, or Guswhenta,[br]settler populations in the territories now 0:11:59.230,0:12:05.260 ruled by the American and Canadians states[br]have repeatedly failed to live up to their obligations. 0:12:05.580,0:12:10.240 This has been the source of sustained tensions,[br]and several stand-offs that have galvanized 0:12:10.240,0:12:15.040 Indigenous anti-colonial resistance [br]across Turtle Island. 0:12:21.460,0:12:28.080 I grew up seeing land struggles and struggles[br]about land and being involved in it as a child. 0:12:30.240,0:12:37.220 My mother’s family were very, very involved[br]in a lot of political struggles away from 0:12:37.220,0:12:38.980 the band council system. 0:12:40.589,0:12:45.199 I grew up hearing stories from my aunt and[br]everybody about everything that happened. 0:12:45.199,0:12:48.870 Whenever I really started to get passionate[br]about everything, I was like 16. 0:12:48.870,0:12:53.100 But, I got pregnant so that’s [br]what put that off to the side. 0:12:53.100,0:12:56.139 Ten years down the road, I’m in a place[br]in my life when I can actually do something 0:12:56.140,0:12:59.750 and that’s what brought me together with[br]some like-minded people. 0:13:00.440,0:13:04.780 We’re not following band council, we’re not[br]following Canada, and we’re not following Quebec. 0:13:04.780,0:13:09.200 We’re following our own rights as [br]indigenous people, as native people, 0:13:09.200,0:13:11.400 as Kanienʼkehá꞉ka people. 0:13:11.400,0:13:16.620 We don’t all agree on everything, but at[br]the same time we bring our strengths together. 0:13:16.620,0:13:19.380 And we’re taking back our land. 0:13:25.180,0:13:31.000 The mayor of Oka came and brought this proposal[br]and said they wanna expand the golf course 0:13:31.000,0:13:37.980 into the pine forest where right at the line[br]of where the golf club ends and the pine forest 0:13:37.980,0:13:44.779 begins, we have a graveyard there of graves[br]that have been there for hundreds of years. 0:13:44.779,0:13:51.793 And the pine forest is like, thousands of[br]years old, I mean the pines are huge. 0:13:51.793,0:13:55.449 The native people in Kanehsatake said “No. 0:13:55.449,0:14:01.000 You’re not building a golf course and tearing[br]up our graveyard and cutting down all the pines." 0:14:01.000,0:14:05.060 The answer was no immediately. 0:14:05.060,0:14:06.380 And that’s what sparked everything. 0:14:09.520,0:14:14.839 I didn’t go to the meetings in the beginning[br]but by May, I jumped in a car with a bunch 0:14:14.840,0:14:18.009 of ladies and we all took off [br]and went to Kanehsatake. 0:14:19.220,0:14:24.460 In my early twenties I was trying to give[br]my son at the time who was just only like 0:14:24.470,0:14:30.889 2-3 years old a better example [br]of what a role-model that I could be. 0:14:30.889,0:14:35.900 That time came to stand there and say “I’m[br]gonna be part of this because now I’m a 0:14:35.900,0:14:39.180 woman, I’m not a child [br]where my mother had to just bring me.” 0:14:40.880,0:14:45.940 We can’t stop fighting for this because[br]land is like, one of the most important things 0:14:45.940,0:14:47.100 to native people. 0:14:47.100,0:14:50.490 How do you practice a culture [br]when you don’t have a land base? 0:14:50.490,0:14:54.280 How do your survive a culture [br]when you don’t have a land base? 0:14:54.280,0:14:58.220 This is what we used to teach [br]our children and our people. 0:15:03.220,0:15:05.580 It was just a regular day. 0:15:05.580,0:15:10.060 It was like really early in the morning, [br]people weren’t even really awake yet. 0:15:10.060,0:15:15.380 There was a few people puttering around or[br]whatever you know, either fixing a fire or 0:15:15.380,0:15:19.680 making coffee or doing something you know[br]not everyone was awake at the time. 0:15:19.680,0:15:27.920 And then, all I remember the women telling[br]me is that they just heard cars and car doors 0:15:27.920,0:15:31.920 and then they looked up towards the highway,[br]because they were in the pines, 0:15:31.920,0:15:33.600 and they looked up towards the highway. 0:15:33.600,0:15:35.279 It was just SQ cars. 0:15:35.279,0:15:38.680 Just kept pulling up, [br]pulling up, pulling up, pulling up. 0:15:38.680,0:15:43.439 And then they just started getting out of[br]the cars fully dressed with all their bulletproof 0:15:43.440,0:15:46.680 vests and their assault rifles. 0:15:48.620,0:15:54.579 The women just looked and they were like [br]“what the fuck is going on?” 0:15:54.579,0:16:01.050 And then they just decided to run to the front[br]and they all locked arms and they stood across 0:16:01.050,0:16:05.870 the dirt road that came into the pines, and[br]the police were telling them “you have to 0:16:05.870,0:16:07.700 get out, you have to leave.” 0:16:07.700,0:16:09.420 And they said “we’re not leaving. 0:16:09.420,0:16:10.939 We’re not going anywhere. 0:16:10.940,0:16:14.800 We’re staying right here, this is our land[br]we’re not leaving.” 0:16:15.680,0:16:19.720 And of course they didn’t listen to them[br]you know, they just started throwing tear 0:16:19.720,0:16:24.600 gas and I think that’s [br]when all hell broke loose. 0:16:26.960,0:16:28.360 Reporter: I don’t know [br]if you can hear any of that. 0:16:28.360,0:16:29.440 News Anchor: Yes. 0:16:29.440,0:16:30.060 It sounds like shots. 0:16:30.060,0:16:34.820 Reporter: Uhh they launched, I don’t know, [br]about half a dozen or a dozen canisters of tear gas. 0:16:34.820,0:16:36.140 There’s smoke. 0:16:38.060,0:16:42.240 Anchor: Ivan, as much as you can see [br]are the warriors pulling back now? 0:16:42.260,0:16:43.680 Reporter: Oh, uhm, everybody was. 0:16:43.680,0:16:46.480 I mean we’re cars, we’re moving tents,[br]we’re moving people. 0:16:46.480,0:16:48.280 Uh reporters are- 0:16:50.740,0:16:51.780 News Anchor: Are those shots? 0:16:51.780,0:16:52.580 Ivan? 0:16:54.480,0:16:55.480 Hello? 0:16:55.780,0:17:00.520 It was a bloody day at the Mohawk Indian [br]community in Oka, Quebec near Montreal. 0:17:00.529,0:17:04.920 Provincial police in riot gear stormed the[br]barricades the Mohawks had set up. 0:17:04.920,0:17:08.180 There were clouds of tear gas, [br]a hail of bullets, 0:17:08.180,0:17:11.000 and in the midst of the battle[br]a policeman was killed. 0:17:13.680,0:17:19.300 For us as Ongwehonweh, or native people that[br]have already been here. 0:17:19.310,0:17:23.440 We have a culture, we have a way of life,[br]and we have a connection. 0:17:23.440,0:17:29.360 And all of that is a combination of what we[br]stand for and how we stand up for our beliefs. 0:17:29.360,0:17:40.580 And going as far as having a physical confrontation[br]with police forces, Swat teams, Army, 0:17:40.580,0:17:43.260 we’ve done it.[br]And succeeded. 0:17:54.940,0:17:58.900 You got other people trying to say there’s[br]no place for the warriors or no place for 0:17:58.900,0:18:01.230 weapons and we’re all peaceful forever. 0:18:01.230,0:18:04.480 That’s not how it’s supposed to be. 0:18:04.480,0:18:06.410 We’re not here to kill people. 0:18:06.410,0:18:10.740 We’re here to protect our land, we’re[br]here to protect ourselves and that’s always, 0:18:10.740,0:18:12.360 always the goal. 0:18:13.400,0:18:20.280 If it comes to those extreme cases like in[br]1990, of course people are gonna have weapons. 0:18:20.290,0:18:23.070 But the weapons are not to be used. 0:18:23.070,0:18:26.100 This is our understanding that [br]we have in our culture. 0:18:26.100,0:18:29.080 We’re not there to hurt, we’re not there[br]to kill anybody. 0:18:30.660,0:18:34.500 In my belief, I’m traditional, [br]and that’s all there is to it. 0:18:34.500,0:18:37.280 But, what comes with being traditional? 0:18:37.280,0:18:40.420 It comes with the political aspects and it[br]comes with the ceremonial aspects 0:18:40.420,0:18:42.040 so we have to take care of both. 0:18:43.320,0:18:48.080 Practising sovereignty [br]is not holding a band card. 0:18:48.080,0:18:52.070 It doesn’t mean anything, it means that[br]you have a number form the government to say 0:18:52.070,0:18:54.860 that you’re registered [br]and you’re on their list. 0:18:54.860,0:19:00.620 Practising sovereignty is practising your[br]culture, your beliefs and you’re standing 0:19:00.620,0:19:02.340 up for what you believe in. 0:19:14.480,0:19:18.940 There are few geopolitical conflicts more[br]intractable than the decades-long struggle 0:19:18.950,0:19:25.070 for the establishment of a Palestinian homeland[br]in the areas claimed by the Israeli state. 0:19:25.070,0:19:29.640 The fertile lands between the Jordan River[br]and the Mediterranean, have been fought over 0:19:29.640,0:19:32.080 for thousands of years. 0:19:32.080,0:19:37.720 Their capital, Jerusalem, is considered holy[br]by all three Abrahamic religions 0:19:37.720,0:19:40.480 – Islam, Christianity and Judaism. 0:19:41.360,0:19:47.380 Zionism, an ideological movement based around[br]the imagined return of Jews to their biblical 0:19:47.380,0:19:52.410 homeland, Israel, began to [br]pick up steam in the early 20th century. 0:19:53.100,0:19:58.200 It was seen at the time as a potential solution[br]to the centuries of anti-semitic persecution 0:19:58.200,0:20:02.650 the Jewish people had faced [br]at the hands of European Christians. 0:20:02.650,0:20:09.430 Following the horrors of the Holocaust, in[br]which two-thirds of European Jews were killed, 0:20:09.430,0:20:13.320 support within the colonial ruling classes[br]swung behind the establishment 0:20:13.320,0:20:15.540 of a Jewish homeland. 0:20:15.540,0:20:20.840 But rather than establish it within the restructured[br]borders of Europe, the Zionist movement was 0:20:20.840,0:20:27.520 granted a sliver of the Arab World, in an[br]area the Ancient Greeks referred to as Palestina. 0:20:27.520,0:20:34.210 Since then, the Israeli state has methodically[br]expanded its borders, while tightening restrictions 0:20:34.210,0:20:36.120 on its internal Arab population. 0:20:37.940,0:20:43.200 Under the unquestioned protection of the Trump[br]regime, they have largely abandoned any pretense 0:20:43.200,0:20:48.590 of seeking a lasting peace with their Palestinian[br]neighbours, seeking instead to increase the 0:20:48.590,0:20:54.510 pace of settlement construction in [br]the territories they occupied in 1967. 0:20:54.510,0:21:00.610 But Palestinians displaced during the Nakba[br]of 1948 have never given up their dreams of 0:21:00.610,0:21:02.560 returning to their homeland. 0:21:02.560,0:21:06.670 And the brave resistance of [br]the Palestinian people to Israeli occupation 0:21:06.670,0:21:09.880 is famous all around the world. 0:21:19.820,0:21:23.220 I was born in Tel Aviv a long time ago. 0:21:23.220,0:21:27.880 Growing up, [br]initially I bought everything that I was told. 0:21:27.880,0:21:30.960 That we, the Jewish people, [br]were constant victims. 0:21:30.960,0:21:33.220 We’d never harmed anyone. 0:21:33.220,0:21:39.380 But then, as I was getting close to the age[br]where every Israeli is supposed to go to the 0:21:39.380,0:21:44.180 army – every Jewish Israeli – I started[br]hearing about things that were happening. 0:21:44.180,0:21:48.760 And it... uhhh... yeah it was incredibly painful. 0:21:48.760,0:21:54.800 It really ripped up my illusions about what[br]I was a part of, and what my people were doing. 0:21:55.640,0:21:59.160 And I did not understand much. 0:21:59.160,0:22:02.530 But I knew that people were [br]fighting for their freedom. 0:22:02.530,0:22:04.600 And we were killing them for it. 0:22:06.020,0:22:07.840 Palestine is not just about statehood. 0:22:07.840,0:22:13.040 It’s about the return of the [br]Palestinians to their historic homeland, 0:22:13.040,0:22:17.800 which is from the Jordan River [br]to the Mediterranean. 0:22:18.680,0:22:25.960 The Jewish colony in Palestine — the Jewish[br]state — was created by the British, 0:22:25.970,0:22:29.860 who promised the Palestinian land, [br]that they had colonized, to Jews. 0:22:29.860,0:22:38.290 So this colonial act, the fact that Britain[br]felt that they could promise this land to 0:22:38.290,0:22:42.700 whoever they wanted [br]was the kind of original sin here. 0:22:43.280,0:22:48.540 At the same time the British were crushing[br]popular Palestinian uprisings. 0:22:49.720,0:22:54.520 Between 1936 and 1939 – it’s called the[br]Great Revolt – ten percent of the male population 0:22:54.520,0:22:56.760 of Palestine was either exiled or killed. 0:22:56.760,0:22:59.840 So by 1948, the population was depleted. 0:22:59.840,0:23:04.600 So that’s how thirty percent of the population[br]of Palestine, which by that time was Jewish, 0:23:04.600,0:23:10.120 could overpower, and displace, [br]and disenfranchise, and throw out 0:23:10.120,0:23:13.060 the Palestinian people from these areas. 0:23:14.040,0:23:20.900 That the security of the Israeli people will be[br]reconciled with the hopes of the Palestinian people, 0:23:20.900,0:23:26.870 this brave gamble that the future[br]can be better than the past, must endure. 0:23:31.700,0:23:38.080 It was a big mistake that the PLO [br]made this foolish Oslo agreement. 0:23:38.080,0:23:43.550 The Palestinian Authority, in entering into[br]the Oslo Accords, effectively surrendered 0:23:43.550,0:23:45.680 its right to armed struggle. 0:23:45.680,0:23:53.080 And from that moment on, they’ve worked[br]with the Israeli state to control and actually 0:23:53.080,0:23:56.520 dampen popular resistance inside Palestine. 0:23:56.520,0:24:01.020 They took the role of local affairs. 0:24:01.020,0:24:08.500 All the main issues – the borders, the independent[br]state, the settlements, Jerusalem, water even... 0:24:08.500,0:24:13.940 energy – and sixty percent of the lands[br]stayed in the hands of the Israeli occupation. 0:24:13.940,0:24:15.540 Nothing changed. 0:24:16.660,0:24:20.820 There is no legal system in [br]the Palestinian Authority. 0:24:20.820,0:24:27.740 The security forces here – which have different[br]names, different factions, different brigades 0:24:27.740,0:24:32.060 — they just... without any kind of law,[br]they arrest people. 0:24:32.060,0:24:33.620 The Israelis? 0:24:33.620,0:24:36.980 There’s a system... not a real system, [br]but a military system. 0:24:36.980,0:24:41.460 They charge the Palestinians [br]for any reason, a long time. 0:24:41.460,0:24:47.260 As long as the Palestinian Authority arrests[br]whoever Israel tells them to arrest, 0:24:47.260,0:24:53.180 shares intelligence, proves its worth[br]... it’s allowed to exist. 0:24:53.180,0:24:58.720 If the role of the Palestinian Authority becomes[br]like this, only taking the dirty work from 0:24:58.720,0:25:03.120 the occupation, [br]it becomes a very corrupted authority. 0:25:06.240,0:25:11.180 Thousands of demonstrators advanced on the[br]border fence that separates Gaza from Israel. 0:25:11.180,0:25:14.780 The Israeli military accused some [br]in the crowd of being terrorists. 0:25:14.780,0:25:20.220 Soldiers opened fire, killing more than fifty[br]Palestinians, including eight children. 0:25:21.800,0:25:28.120 The Great March of Return is a popular act[br]of resistance that’s organized by 0:25:28.120,0:25:31.560 a large swathe of actors within Gaza. 0:25:31.560,0:25:37.420 It is popular resistance, and it has been[br]slightly misrepresented as somehow being created 0:25:37.420,0:25:39.330 by Hamas, which it was not. 0:25:39.330,0:25:45.040 Many of the protesters that go out every week[br]are not members of Hamas. 0:25:45.040,0:25:52.040 The people killed are from all political parties,[br]and many are not affiliated with a political party. 0:25:52.040,0:25:55.520 Y’know, not to mention the number of children[br]who have been murdered that are not, obviously, 0:25:55.520,0:25:57.620 politically affiliated. 0:25:57.620,0:26:01.060 People go to protest because the situation[br]is unbearable. 0:26:01.060,0:26:03.560 And they do it even when [br]they’re told not to. 0:26:03.560,0:26:05.340 Because they see no other option. 0:26:05.340,0:26:08.810 There is no other option of [br]a life with dignity right now in Gaza. 0:26:08.810,0:26:14.820 So it’s accepting a life without dignity,[br]or trying to fight for a different life. 0:26:14.820,0:26:20.380 These decentralized, but coordinated actions[br]go back to the First Intifada, which is why 0:26:20.380,0:26:22.030 the First Intifada was so special. 0:26:22.030,0:26:23.890 This moment of popular resistance. 0:26:23.890,0:26:28.020 A groundswell of resistance from all sectors[br]of Palestinian society. 0:26:28.020,0:26:31.500 Regardless of class, gender[br]... everyone was involved. 0:26:33.460,0:26:38.580 The Second Intifada started, after a few months,[br]to become an armed resistance. 0:26:38.580,0:26:41.880 But they discovered that it [br]cannot lead to anything. 0:26:41.880,0:26:46.640 Even Hamas, which is dependent on military[br]resistance, or armed resistance, 0:26:46.640,0:26:51.320 found that in order to continue [br]their control, their position, 0:26:51.320,0:26:54.340 they need to depend on popular resistance. 0:26:54.340,0:27:02.300 So the First Intifada is the big example for[br]the coming future for the Palestinian community. 0:27:02.300,0:27:08.210 In the West Bank, I think the situation is[br]going to be the Third Intifada. 0:27:08.210,0:27:12.340 And this situation will not remain [br]as it is for a long time. 0:27:15.540,0:27:21.380 There’s this continuity of Palestinians[br]resisting occupation since 1948. 0:27:21.380,0:27:23.840 Twenty percent of Israeli citizens are Palestinian. 0:27:23.840,0:27:28.580 Obviously Palestinians live in the West Bank,[br]Jerusalem – which is their capital – 0:27:28.580,0:27:29.780 and Gaza. 0:27:29.780,0:27:34.040 And then there are Palestinians living in[br]refugee camps throughout the Arab world. 0:27:34.040,0:27:36.380 And of course the global diaspora. 0:27:36.380,0:27:37.620 This is one people. 0:27:37.620,0:27:39.110 The Palestinians are one people. 0:27:39.110,0:27:40.940 The Palestinians know that. 0:27:40.940,0:27:43.710 The Palestinian Revolution [br]is there to break the status quo. 0:27:43.710,0:27:45.200 And the status quo won’t crush them. 0:28:01.560,0:28:05.460 Anarchists have a mixed history [br]when it comes to anti-colonial struggle. 0:28:05.460,0:28:10.540 We are generally critical of nationalism,[br]seeing it as an ideology that allows for the 0:28:10.540,0:28:14.040 papering over of other contradictions [br]within a given society. 0:28:14.040,0:28:19.160 According to this line of thought, buried[br]within the national aspirations that animate 0:28:19.160,0:28:24.240 anti-colonial struggle, are the seeds for[br]the reproduction of oppressive hierarchies, 0:28:24.260,0:28:26.340 and ultimately a new state. 0:28:26.340,0:28:33.080 That said, this criticism has, unsurprisingly,[br]been markedly less common among non-European 0:28:33.120,0:28:36.860 anarchists with first-hand [br]experience of national oppression. 0:28:36.860,0:28:40.620 From the famous Indian [br]revolutionary Bhagat Singh, 0:28:40.620,0:28:44.200 to the Cuban revolutionary [br]Camilo Cienfuegos... 0:28:44.200,0:28:47.760 many prominent anti-colonial figures have[br]either identified as anarchists, 0:28:47.760,0:28:51.020 or drawn inspiration from anarchist teachings. 0:28:51.020,0:28:56.460 And countless other lesser-known anarchists[br]have participated in struggles for national 0:28:56.460,0:29:03.280 self-determination, or continue to do so today...[br]from those waged by the Mapuche in Wallmapu 0:29:03.280,0:29:05.540 to the Kurds of Rojava. 0:29:08.500,0:29:14.040 So the international solidarity movement is[br]international volunteers that come to support 0:29:14.040,0:29:16.260 the Palestinian popular struggle. 0:29:16.260,0:29:21.780 Yesterday there were homes under threat of[br]demolition, the volunteers were in the homes 0:29:21.780,0:29:26.340 with the families trying to, you know, resist[br]them being removed from their homes. 0:29:26.340,0:29:28.020 There are demonstrations. 0:29:28.020,0:29:31.840 Areas of Hebron that are under Israeli control,[br]Tel Rumeida, the children are under constant 0:29:31.840,0:29:37.140 risk of attack and harassment, the volunteers[br]take the kids to school and bring them back 0:29:37.140,0:29:38.120 from school. 0:29:38.240,0:29:44.340 I see that those activists in solidarity with[br]the Palestinian people helps give us hope 0:29:44.340,0:29:50.910 that we are not alone, opens the eyes of the[br]world about the human rights issues and the 0:29:50.910,0:29:53.260 occupation happening in Palestine. 0:29:55.800,0:30:01.860 I think there's a problem with Western and[br]white particular anarchists, that they're 0:30:01.860,0:30:07.420 not able to distinguish identity from national[br]aspirations. 0:30:09.320,0:30:14.260 Anarchists tend to say, well they're anti-national[br]so why do you want to fight for a nation state? 0:30:15.460,0:30:20.140 This is an incredibly facile and white way[br]of looking at things. 0:30:20.580,0:30:21.760 It is also arrogant. 0:30:23.000,0:30:28.840 Fannon understood the importance of national[br]liberation struggles as defined as national 0:30:28.840,0:30:33.680 liberation struggles, because that is how[br]they were confronted by settler-colonial regimes. 0:30:33.680,0:30:39.840 They were controlled as Bantu, as Algerian[br]Arabs, as Palestinians, as whatever. 0:30:39.840,0:30:46.140 You become those identities, all our identities[br]are constructed, but those are the identities 0:30:46.140,0:30:49.360 in which the Palestinians are acting now. 0:30:50.300,0:30:57.040 I feel it's impossible to talk about the dangers,[br]right now, you know of Palestinian nationalism. 0:30:57.520,0:31:05.240 Palestinians are stripped of their agency[br]to determine so many aspects of their lives 0:31:05.240,0:31:06.900 and their self-determination... 0:31:08.320,0:31:14.220 When power shifts, and Palestinians are in[br]control of their lives and of their land and 0:31:14.220,0:31:17.820 of their state, uh... then maybe we can revisit[br]this..? 0:31:17.820,0:31:21.320 But I don't feel that it's relevant to the[br]current situation 0:31:22.120,0:31:28.640 If you achieve your rights, justice, freedom[br]and others, you can think how to deal with 0:31:28.640,0:31:29.980 your neighbor. 0:31:30.000,0:31:32.140 Maybe united, cooperating... 0:31:32.160,0:31:33.460 I dunno. 0:31:33.520,0:31:36.920 But without this solution happening, nothing. 0:31:37.000,0:31:39.600 That conflict will continue. 0:31:40.240,0:31:50.500 The more racist Israelis will be going, and[br]the more religious or Salafist under the occupation 0:31:50.700,0:31:54.100 people in the Palestinian situation. 0:31:55.200,0:32:00.020 Palestine is the litmus test of a true revolutionary[br]in this country. 0:32:00.020,0:32:04.680 And if you're not one hundred percent on board,[br]then shut the fuck up. 0:32:04.680,0:32:08.580 And that goes for fucking anarchists, and[br]I don't care, or any sort of leftists. 0:32:08.580,0:32:12.380 Shut up and listen, and listen to the people[br]on the ground, listen to the people conducting 0:32:12.380,0:32:16.300 the BDS, listen to the revolutionaries in[br]Palestine. 0:32:16.300,0:32:18.180 And that's the way you do it. 0:32:25.100,0:32:28.260 Don't start something you can't finish. 0:32:28.260,0:32:28.760 You know? 0:32:28.760,0:32:33.080 Don't start trying to be something you're[br]not either, so whatever you're good at, find 0:32:33.080,0:32:38.160 if that's what you're passionate about and[br]find a way to mix it with your talents so 0:32:38.160,0:32:40.520 you're enjoying yourself because it does get[br]hard. 0:32:40.520,0:32:45.320 You know it's emotionally exhausting and there[br]comes a point where you just have to take 0:32:45.320,0:32:49.040 a step back and to remember to take care of[br]yourself. 0:32:49.040,0:32:53.520 Anarchist have to be careful to nuance how[br]they relate to the concept of sovereignty. 0:32:54.040,0:32:55.380 It shouldn't be fixed. 0:32:55.380,0:32:59.860 It needs to be a dynamic understanding of[br]the ways struggle demands from non-indigenous 0:32:59.860,0:33:06.960 anarchists to constantly rethink and reevaluate[br]their relationship to a set of ideas and practices. 0:33:08.220,0:33:11.360 Be aware of how whiteness functions in various[br]spaces of struggle. 0:33:11.360,0:33:15.740 You can be super down, and you can have a[br]great understanding of how whiteness operates 0:33:15.740,0:33:20.000 in the world, but you don't have control over[br]how people react to your whiteness. 0:33:20.060,0:33:26.100 So you've gotta be humble and understand that[br]no matter who you are, whiteness will always 0:33:26.140,0:33:28.000 be triggering for some people. 0:33:28.280,0:33:33.840 So know when to step back, when to be quiet[br]and know when just to walk away. 0:33:34.560,0:33:37.000 It's like, the way I envision it is like two[br]braids. 0:33:37.000,0:33:40.760 Like you have the boat here and you've got[br]like all your intermingling and all your people 0:33:40.760,0:33:43.520 and ideas, and over here we have our braid[br]going on. 0:33:43.520,0:33:47.920 And people have to realize that it's not just[br]one straight and narrow path that everyone 0:33:47.920,0:33:53.440 has to take, there's a weaving going on and[br]we're all connected one way or another. 0:33:54.080,0:33:58.840 You have to get away from colonialism's way[br]of thinking and you have to start thinking 0:33:58.840,0:34:00.440 on your own. 0:34:00.440,0:34:04.660 The main intention is not yourself as the[br]priority. 0:34:04.660,0:34:11.380 The main intention for this to work is the[br]priority of the other generations coming, 0:34:11.380,0:34:18.960 that we keep this equality and peaceful practices[br]going for them, not just for me. 0:34:19.420,0:34:25.080 Capitalism continues to fuel the aggressive[br]extractive projects snaking across the continent. 0:34:25.080,0:34:31.880 Anarchists fighting against exploitative processes[br]of capitalism should think about how important 0:34:31.880,0:34:35.480 it is to link their struggle to anti-colonial[br]resistance. 0:34:35.480,0:34:43.219 And for many, I think this means rethinking[br]post-revolutionary ideas of industrial societies. 0:34:43.840,0:34:47.940 You have to go back to the beginning, to the[br]Royal Proclamation, if we're going to get 0:34:47.940,0:34:51.139 rid of Canada, that's what it comes down to. 0:34:51.139,0:34:54.120 Because if they're not upholding their agreements[br]then they need to leave. 0:34:54.120,0:34:57.860 That government system, I'm not saying all[br]non-native people have to leave, but that 0:34:57.860,0:35:01.000 political structure and that government system[br]need to go. 0:35:01.740,0:35:09.600 The Zionist State, Israel, would have to be[br]dismantled and a new system based on equality, 0:35:09.600,0:35:12.460 equal rights would have to be created. 0:35:12.500,0:35:15.020 One in which we could all live together as[br]equals. 0:35:15.020,0:35:21.220 And I believe that, I mean, I know how wonderful[br]that can be because my life is an example 0:35:21.220,0:35:22.860 of that. 0:35:22.860,0:35:26.860 So I'm really looking forward for that day,[br]for the refugees to return, the prisoners 0:35:26.860,0:35:32.320 to be freed and the occupation to end and[br]apartheid to be dismantled, where I can meet 0:35:32.320,0:35:37.300 my friends from Gaza on the beach of Haifa, and have a cappuccino 0:35:37.300,0:35:41.480 We have a date for that day. So, we're looking forward to it. 0:35:52.340,0:35:57.320 There are few struggles with higher stakes[br]than those waged by Indigenous peoples against 0:35:57.320,0:35:59.810 their colonial occupiers. 0:35:59.810,0:36:04.660 This is because the assertion of collective[br]self-determination that they represent is 0:36:04.660,0:36:09.720 a direct attack on the legitimacy of the dominant[br]colonial power structure. 0:36:10.400,0:36:16.040 For states, they are therefore existential[br]threats... and tend to be treated as such. 0:36:16.040,0:36:21.970 The intense level of conflict that often result[br]from these clashes can in turn rupture the 0:36:21.970,0:36:24.560 illusion of social peace. 0:36:24.560,0:36:29.220 This poses opportunities for revolutionaries,[br]but also considerable risks. 0:36:29.920,0:36:35.500 It draws clear battle lines, allowing states[br]to mobilize their own national identities, 0:36:35.510,0:36:40.140 in order to allow for the intensification[br]of repression. 0:36:40.140,0:36:45.240 Non-indigenous anarchists must be well aware[br]of these dynamics, both in order to anticipate 0:36:45.240,0:36:51.150 and help combat nationalist reaction, and[br]to be able to act in complicity with all those 0:36:51.150,0:36:57.390 who take up determined struggle against our[br]mutual enemies within the ruling class. 0:36:57.390,0:37:01.400 So at this point, we’d like to remind you[br]that Trouble is intended to be watched in 0:37:01.400,0:37:06.480 groups, and to be used as a resource to promote[br]discussion and collective organizing. 0:37:06.480,0:37:11.260 Are you interested in getting more involved[br]with Indigenous solidarity work in your area, 0:37:11.260,0:37:17.080 or starting a group to provide sustained material[br]support to folks on the ground in Palestine? 0:37:17.080,0:37:22.100 Consider getting together with some comrades,[br]organizing a screening of this film, and discussing 0:37:22.100,0:37:24.190 where to get started. 0:37:24.190,0:37:29.060 Interested in running regular screenings of[br]Trouble at your campus, infoshop, community 0:37:29.060,0:37:31.850 center, or even just at home with friends? 0:37:31.860,0:37:33.720 Become a Trouble-Maker! 0:37:33.720,0:37:37.920 For 10 bucks a month, we’ll hook you up[br]with an advanced copy of the show, and a screening 0:37:37.920,0:37:42.500 kit featuring additional resources and some[br]questions you can use to get a discussion 0:37:42.500,0:37:43.770 going. 0:37:43.770,0:37:47.010 If you can’t afford to support us financially,[br]no worries! 0:37:47.010,0:37:54.530 You can stream and/or download all our content[br]for free off our website: sub.media/trouble. 0:37:54.530,0:38:00.340 If you’ve got any suggestions for show topics,[br]or just want to get in touch, drop us a line 0:38:00.340,0:38:03.440 at trouble@sub.media. 0:38:03.440,0:38:06.850 Just a reminder that we’re still in the[br]middle of our 2019 fundraiser. 0:38:06.850,0:38:11.620 Thanks to everyone who’s chipped in so far...[br]with your help, we’re now more than half-way 0:38:11.620,0:38:15.980 to our goal of raising two thousand dollars[br]in monthly donations. 0:38:15.980,0:38:21.050 If you haven’t donated yet, but you like[br]what we do and want to see more of it, please 0:38:21.050,0:38:28.130 go to sub.media/donate and sign up to be a[br]monthly sustainer for as little as $2 per 0:38:28.130,0:38:29.130 month. 0:38:29.130,0:38:35.520 This episode would not have been possible[br]without the generous support of Chelsea, Whitney, 0:38:35.520,0:38:40.420 B, Mos'ab and the good folks at the International[br]Solidarity Movement. 0:38:40.420,0:38:46.480 Stay tuned next month for Trouble 22, as we[br]take a closer look at the rising tide of xenophobic 0:38:46.480,0:38:50.780 anti-migrant hysteria sweeping the so-called[br]United States... 0:38:50.780,0:38:54.720 ...they want all the rights and privileges[br]of being United Sates citizens and they don't 0:38:54.720,0:38:57.560 have those rights and privileges, they're[br]here illegally. 0:38:58.020,0:39:01.200 ...and what people are doing to fight back. 0:39:01.200,0:39:03.620 Now get out there…. and make some trouble!