By Aditi Roy

On Nov. 20, four pro-Palestine activists and artists graced the stage at the 401 Richmond building for a panel focused on building Indigenous-Palestinian solidarity.

Hosted by Toronto Metropolitan University’s (TMU) Office of Social Innovation, the panel was part of their “Free School” series, which according to their website is “rooted in the idea of learning through community, activism and collective inquiry.”

This campus initiative illustrated the value of art and intersectionality in shaping Indigenous and Palestinian movements for freedom and justice.

Lamya Amleh, an engineering professor at TMU, moderated the discussion. Featured speakers included Quill Christie-Peters, an Anishinaabe artist and educational developer in Indigenous pedagogies and curriculum at TMU; Maysam Ghani, a Palestinian poet; Ala’ Qadi, vice chair of the OPSEU’s Coalition of Racialized Workers; and Elizabeth Ha, a labour and equity activist.

The discussion unfolded into a conversation about the significant roles that art and union organizations play in the ongoing movement for colonial resistance.

Artists Christie-Peters and Ghani detailed their ongoing initiative with Anishinaabeg Palestine Alliance—an annual delegation that brings together youth and Palestinians from the Greater Toronto Area to experience Treaty 3 in an effort to build solidarity.

“For Anishinaabe people, relationships are truly the heart of our worldview and the heart of everything that we do,” said Christie-Peters, explaining the foundation on which the initiative is built.

The immersive experience allowed the two communities to work in tandem building lodges for community members in Treaty 3 and expressing their creativity through storytelling, singing and painting panels on the cabins.

“We say globalize the Intifada…but what if we localize it a little?” said Ghani. She encouraged the audience to seek solidarity by standing alongside local communities and continuing the fight against oppression.

Christie-Peters voiced her passion for this initiative, pointing out the importance of shared labour and arguing that it goes beyond rhetoric, becoming a political act in itself.

Amleh said, “From Turtle Island to Palestine is not a metaphor. It is a lived set of relationships, responsibilities and solidarities built through land based practice, political risk taking, community care and commitment to the liberation that crosses movement and borders.”

When highlighting the shared struggle for land, Ghani said, “When I think of Land Back, [it] is the equivalent to the right of return for Palestinians.”

In reference to the work the delegation accomplished on the premises of Treaty 3, Christie-Peters said, “Our land knows you. Our land misses you. Land misses me too.”

On the necessity for art, Qadi chimed in, pointing out that “we need to pay more intentional attention to how we’re doing this work.”

“We are all the victims of colonialism—it works with the same principle; you just dehumanize the occupied…and blame the victim,” he added. He noted the value of intersectionality as various ethnic groups have historically faced the same suffering that Palestinians endure today.

Ghani said that her visit to Treaty 3 was exactly that. She recounted her joyous experience vividly describing the fusion of Indigenous and Palestinian traditions. “Singing our prisoners’ songs to the waters…just being with one another outside of stating all of the talking points in response to our enemies.”

Jane*, a PhD candidate at TMU, said she felt at ease attending the discussion among like-minded people. “You get to be around people who keep you going…remind you that we should keep on fighting,” she said.

Jane believes that such initiatives help create a safe place for pro-Palestine students at TMU.

*This source has requested an alias due to the sensitive nature of the matter.