Who we are
The Palestine Solidarity Committee of Saint John (PSC-SJ) is a community-based group in Saint John, New Brunswick. The Palestine Solidarity Committee of Saint John is a community-based organization that focuses on spreading awareness about the ongoing struggle for liberation in Palestine. We support the Palestinian struggle for self-determination, equality and an end to Israel's illegal and brutal occupation and theft of Palestinian lands.
Although our backgrounds are diverse, we are united in a shared belief that Israel's flouting of international law, continued military occupation of Palestine, and systematic discrimination against Palestinians are unacceptable. We aim to correct and counter the decades of hateful propaganda by the news media, our government, and the lobbying groups and corporations profiting from the occupation.
what we do
Through grassroots activism and advocacy, we strive to highlight the human rights violations perpetrated by Israel's apartheid regime and work towards ending the oppressive policies that have been imposed on the Palestinian people. By organizing events, rallies, and educational workshops, the Palestine Solidarity Committee of Saint John aims to engage and empower individuals to take action and support the Palestinian cause.
Every voice has power. The more people stand together to demand justice, equality, and liberation, the louder our collective voice becomes. United, we can take on the might of governments, corporations, and the media – and together, we can win.
Click here to learn more about ways to help the Palestinian cause.
what we believe
We believe that true peace will only be achieved when self-determination and equality are guaranteed to all Palestinians.
This can only happen if:
1. Israel ends its occupation of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem, withdrawing entirely from all occupied lands and dismantling its wall, and an end to Israel's racist and discriminatory apartheid regime.
2. Israel is finally held accountable for the multitude of egregious and illegal human rights and war crimes it has inflicted on the Palestinian people, and Palestinian land.
3. Palestinian refugees are given the right to return to their homes and land, a right denied to them by Israel for more than eighty (80) years simply because they are Palestinian.
Canada is complicit in Israel’s war crimes. As Canadians, we demand Canada stop its unconditional support of Israel (including all financial and military aid), cease impeding investigations into Israel's crimes, and formally recognize the Palestinian state.
how we build community
PSC-SJ is proud to work with diverse community groups in New Brunswick and the Atlantic Canada region, including the solidarity movements in Moncton and Fredericton, the Atlantic Canada Arab Society, local Indigenous leaders, and the New Brunswick chapter of Independent Jewish Voices Canada (IJV).
we want collective liberation
We recognize the parallels between the ethnic cleansing and genocide in Palestine and the ethnic cleansing and genocide of Indigenous Peoples on Turtle Island. We stand in solidarity with Indigenous communities across Canada and are deeply honoured by their long-standing recognition and support for Palestinian liberation. We look forward to more opportunities to work with local First Nations.
“No one is free until we are all free.” The worldwide abuses of imperial capitalist regimes are interconnected. Decolonizing must be intersectional, from Palestine to the genocides in the Congo and Sudan, and the abusive financial exploitation of Haiti and west-African nations, to the crippling mass deforestation in South America and South East Asia, and the Black Lives Matter, MMIWG2S/MMIP, and Idle No More movements.
#EveryChildMatters
#Landback
#FreeCongo
#MMIWG2S
#BLM
#SaveSudan
Our official statements
You can find our official statement regarding the ongoing genocide and Israel’s war on Gaza [here'].
The page also includes our official statements regarding the recent online harassment and doxxing of PSC-SJ members by local elected officials and their staff, and their lack of oversight regarding instances of physical and online attacks by members of the public, are available here, along with video footage of the events.
We also encourage visitors to check out our FAQ page.
but do you condem hamas
Palestinians and Palestinian supporters have long been misrepresented in the media and are frequently targeted and harassed. Since October 7, 2023, misinformation and anti-Arab and Islamophobic rhetoric have only increased, and the lack of accountability and condemnation have emboldened this dangerous behaviour.
In an effort to combat misinformation and promote media literacy, we’ve created a growing media library with links to the source material, available on our Tools & Resources page. There you will find videos, articles, reports, and book recommendations from reputable and easily verifiable sources about Israel's decades-long illegal occupation and apartheid, and Israel’s long, meticulously documented history of human rights abuses and war crimes.
In addition to Palestinian voices, we’ll included interviews, books, testimonies, and human rights reports from Israelis, including Israeli historians, former Israeli Defense Force soldiers, and Israeli human rights groups, and from Holocaust survivors and international human rights agencies.
Nobody ever asks how should Palestinians respond to Israel's daily brutal treatment for 75 years.
-Dr. Gabor Maté, Holocaust Survivor
Jewish solidarity
Did you know Albert Einstein was an anti-Zionist? So was Dr. Marek Edelman, the last surviving leader of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, and Holocaust survivors like Dr. Rudolf Vrba (Auschwitz) and Dr. Hajo Meyer (Auschwitz).
Jewish people have been part of the Palestinian liberation movement since the beginning, and continue to be dedicated and outspoken allies. In fact, members of the Jewish community are deeply involved in organizaing protests, sit-ins, and boycotts. They fight for Palestine, but also to decolonize and dismantle Zionism.
For centuries, Jews, Muslims, and Christians lived together in fellowship as Palestinians, which you can learn more about [here].
Zionism and antisemitism
The Palestinian Solidarity Committee - Saint John unequivically condemns any hatred or discrimination against any racial, ethnic, or religious group. It has no place in the Palestinian movement or the PSC-SJ, and will not be tolerated.
The state of Israel and Zionism are purposefully conflated by Zionists, politicians, and Western media to label anti-Zionists, critics and criticisms of Israel, and Palestinian supporters as antisemitic. It is also weaponized to erase the rich history of Palestinian Jews and has been used by Zionists to frighten Arab Jews into moving to Israel.
It must be re-iterated:
Palestinians and pro-Palestine supporters are NOT antisemitic and are NOT calling for the death of Jewish people.
The State of Israel does NOT represent all Jewish people and NOT all Jewish people support Israel. That is like saying the Vatican represents all Christians and all Christians support the Vatican and the Catholic Church.
Zionism,—the belief in a Jewish ethnostate— is a deeply racist, colonial, and antisemitic political ideology. It is NOT a part of Judaism. Rather, it goes against the core teachings of Judaism.
NOT all Zionists are Jewish and NOT all Jewish people support Zionism. In fact, evangelical Christians make up the majority of Zionists.
Criticizing the State of Israel and anti-Zionism is NOT antisemitic.
Palestinian liberation or calling for the dissolution of the apartheid State of Israel is NOT antisemitic. It is NOT a call for the ethnic cleansing or genocide of Jewish people.
Equally problematic is Canada's adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Working Definition of Antisemitism (IHRA-WDA) definition of antisemitism under the guise of Holocaust remembrance and includes criticism of Israel, Zionism, and the Boycott, Divestment Sanctions (BDS) movement as antisemitic.
As described by Independent Jewish Voices (IJV), the IHRA-WDA's definition of antisemitism is used by Israel and Zionist groups "to beat back criticism of Israel, anti-Zionist and Palestinian rights discourses, and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Zionist organizations and their allies are now working to give the IHRA-WDA legal and administrative power, something it was never intended to have and for which it is totally unfit."
The IJV's report, How Not to Fight Antisemitism: A Critique of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Working Definition of Antisemitism (IHRA-WDA), notes, "Their goal is to suppress — and even criminalize — criticism of Israel and support for Palestinian rights."
We encourage you to read the IJV's report to learn more about Israel, Zionism, and Zionist propaganda. An executive summary of the report is available here.
You can also find sources on our Tools & Resources page.
Interested in the IJV? Visit their website, here.