The Socialist Equality Group and the International Youth and Students for Social Equality in New Zealand is holding a public meeting calling for an end to the genocidal war being unleashed on the Palestinian population in Gaza.

Important update: This public meeting, on Monday November 13 at 6.00 p.m., is being moved online due to a speaker being potentially exposed to COVID-19. To take part in this Zoom webinar, please register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_EhkxChEuT9W_ZWzA3cq8ew

There is still an option to attend in person. The webinar will be broadcast in room AM 103 in the Alan Macdiarmid Building, Victoria University of Wellington (Kelburn campus). If you are attending in person, we strongly urge the use of high-quality N95 facemasks to reduce any risk of spreading COVID.

Israel’s assault on Gaza is an historic crime, perpetrated by the Netanyahu regime and its imperialist accomplices led by the United States. Millions have protested throughout the world, including tens of thousands in New Zealand, against the horrific bombing of the city of more than two million people. These demonstrations have united people of different nationalities and faiths, including large numbers of Jewish people, and are overwhelmingly young. An entire generation is being politicised.

They are taking a stand not only against the Zionist regime, but its imperialist backers in the Biden administration in Washington, the war propagandists in the media, and the New Zealand political establishment. The outgoing Labour Party government and the new National Party government have responded to the mass murder of Palestinians by declaring their support for Israel’s “right to defend itself.” This is a fraudulent pretext for ethnic cleansing.

The eruption of mass anti-imperialist sentiment must now be armed with the political perspective necessary for victory. The United Nations and human rights groups will only issue appeals for a ceasefire that will be ignored by Israel and its backers. This gives the US and its NATO allies free rein to prepare a broader conflict in the entire region targeting Iran, Syria and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The Australian and New Zealand ruling class, allies of US imperialism, support this agenda; all the imperialist powers view the conflict in the Middle East as one front of a global war that includes the conflict with Russia in Ukraine and preparations for war against China.

The only force that can defend the Palestinians and put an end to the global eruption of imperialist violence is the international working class. The mass movement in support of the Palestinians comes amid a global strike wave by workers in every part of the world and in every industry—including recent strikes in New Zealand by tens of thousands of healthcare workers, teachers and others. The class struggle will only intensify in the months ahead, as the ruling class carries out an escalating assault on social and living conditions to funnel billions of dollars to war.

The working class must be mobilised. Industrial action must be taken to deprive the Israeli regime of the resources they need to prosecute this war. Above all, such a struggle necessitates a fight against capitalism.

At this meeting, members of the Socialist Equality Group and the International Committee of the Fourth International will discuss the socialist and internationalist program required to stop the war against Gaza and the descent into a Third World War. We urge students, workers and young people to join us in this urgent discussion.

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