Call for Protest Against Heavy Equipment Manufacturer Caterpillar

Media Release: Palestine Human Rights Campaign
Wednesday, 13 April 2005, 1:50pm

Call for Protest Against Heavy Equipment Manufacturer Caterpillar

The Palestine Human Rights Campaign in Auckland, New Zealand calls on all concerned people to join the family and friends of the late Rachel Corrie in remembrance on the International Day of Action Against Caterpillar, April 13.

Rachel Corrie, 23, of Olympia, Washington, died of her injuries on March 13, 2003 after an Israeli military Caterpillar bulldozer ran over her when she attempted to stop it destroying a Palestinian home in Rafah, in the Gaza Strip.

On March 15 this year, nearly two years after the killing of their daughter, Craig and Cindy Corrie have pressed forward in their quest for accountability from Caterpillar. With legal assistance from the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), a suit has been filed in US District Court in Washington State alleging that Caterpillar Inc. violated international and state law by providing specially designed bulldozers to Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). The suit alleges that Caterpillar knew the equipment would be used to demolish homes and endanger civilians. The Corrie family has also initiated historic lawsuits against the State of Israel, the Israeli Defence Forces and the Israeli Defence Ministry for their role in Rachel's death. The massive armoured machines are used by the IDF for home demolitions, ripping up roads, power, water and sewage lines and for other acts of collective punishment in the Occupied Palestinian Territories — all are considered to be war crimes under the Geneva Convention.

The call to action against Caterpillar is being issued by Jewish Voice for Peace and SUSTAIN (Stop US Tax-Funded Aid to Israel Now). It is officially supported by over 30 other well known groups including Amnesty International, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Christian Peacemaker Teams, the Presbyterian Church USA, Not in My Name, and the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), the group Rachel Corrie was affiliated with while in Rafah.

At least 40 demonstrations are planned in the US alone. Similar demonstrations are taking place in Europe and elsewhere around the world. The Palestine Human Rights Campaign supports the growing global movement in sending the board of directors and the Caterpillar dealerships a strong message that complicity in human rights abuses will not be tolerated.

Contacts: Palestine Human Rights Campaign

Tuma Hazou Ph. 09.4738677

David Wakim Ph. 09.5200201

For interviews and additional information, contact our webmaster via the web at:

http://www.palestine.org.nz/cgi-bin/borg.cgi?mode=312

The Palestine Human Rights Campaign was formed in 1982 with the aim of informing all New Zealanders about the cruel and unusual injustices inflicted daily on the Palestinian People by successive Israeli Governments.

Our policy is to use peaceful demonstration, education and an intensive media protest campaign to bring about changes in the attitude of the NZ Government and people toward the Palestinian crisis.

Palestine Human Rights Campaign P.O. Box 56-150 Auckland

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