Eric Cantona reads 'If I Must Die' by Refaat Alareer
Dr. Refaat Alareer was an editor, poet, creative writing mentor, and English Literature professor at the Islamic University of Gaza. He was a mentor and an inspiration to a whole generation of Palestinian writers, and a fierce, unflinching critic of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. He refused to be censored, 'framed' or in any way told how to describe his experience of the Israeli occupation, having lost his brother and their family to Israeli bombing in 2014.
His outspoken interview appearances and social media posts, including one particular joke about the almost nonsensical Israeli propaganda that was being repeated verbatim by the world’s media, led to him being deliberately targeted, many believe, by the Israeli military. On 6 December 2023, he was killed by an Israeli missile, along with his sister, brother-in-law and four nieces and nephews. All because of one tweet.
Four and a half months later, on 26 April 2024, his daughter, Shayma’a, her husband and their baby were also targeted and killed.
Voices of Resilience is a collective of volunteers activists and arts workers, affiliated to Comma Press, dedicated to fighting the silencing of Palestinian voices in cultural spaces.
All proceeds from ticket sales and books sales of Don’t Look Left: A Diary of Genocide by Atef Abu Saif go to the following three relief charities. Please, please donate.
Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)
www.map.org.uk
Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA)
www.mecaforpeace.org
Sheffield PSC (relief fund)
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