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Palestine: Political Imprisonment and Daily Life Under Settler-Colonial Occupation

Palestine: Political Imprisonment and Daily Life Under Settler-Colonial Occupation

A panel discussion on settler colonialism in Palestine and on Turtle Island. We will be discussing issues ranging from colonial occupation, administrative detention, resistance, and continuities between settler-colonial forms of management (including both indigenous populations and racialized immigrants/settlers). Speakers include: Shaira Vadasaria, Sâkihitowin Awâsis, and David Heap. 

Special thanks to No One Is Illegal: 
http://www.nooneisillegal.org/london/

Shaira Vadasaria is a doctoral student in the Department of Sociology at York University. She completed a master’s degree in Socio-Legal studies and a bachelor’s degree in Women Studies and Social Justice and Peace Studies. After completing her master’s degree, she spent time in Palestine working with Addameer Prisoner’s support and human rights association. As an anti-racist feminist academic, her areas of interest lie at the intersection of colonial violence and political imprisonment, and the forms of contestation made possible within and against formations of social and political violence. Her doctoral research explores Palestinian women’s encounters with carcerality, in the context of both political imprisonment and daily militarization under colonial occupation. 

Sâkihitowin  (Cortney Dakin) is an Oji-Cree Métis spoken word artist, writer, and freedom fighter currently cultivating resistance to the tar sands pipelines locally and illegal occupation of Indigenous lands globally. She is continuously inspired by acts of decolonization, resurgence, and community healing.

David Heap is a teacher-researcher (French & Linguistics) at Western and father of two, David participated in the 2009-2010 Gaza Freedom March. A Steering Committee member with the Canadian Boat to Gaza since 2010, he was on board the Tahrir in November 2011 when it was captured by the Israeli navy. Deported to Canada after six days in Israeli prison, he later joined the Swedish ship to Gaza Estelle for part of its voyage in September 2012, and he visited Gaza in October 2012 with a group of linguist colleagues (including Naom Chomsky). He has been speaking about previous Freedom Flotilla voyages and the current Gaza Ark campaign challenging the blockade from the inside out.