{"id":75649,"date":"2023-08-10T08:50:12","date_gmt":"2023-08-10T11:50:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=75649"},"modified":"2025-05-27T14:01:33","modified_gmt":"2025-05-27T17:01:33","slug":"eighth-black-july-insurgent-media-unites-brazil-and-palestine-in-the-fight-to-combat-violence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=75649","title":{"rendered":"8th Black July: Insurgent Media Unites Brazil and Palestine in Fight Against State Violence"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Gizele<\/a>
Gizele Martins in a meeting with residents and leaders in a Bedouin village in the Jordan Valley, a Palestinian region in the West Bank threatened with illegal annexation by the Israeli government. Photo: Personal Archive<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

On July 25, the livestream event “<\/span>Insurgent Communication: From Brazil to Palestine<\/span><\/a>” was held as part of the Eighth\u00a0<\/span>Black July<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>an international initiative aimed at combating violence,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>the militarization of life<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>racism<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>apartheid<\/span><\/a>. In 2023, the initiative reached its eighth edition. It was founded in 2016 by <\/span>mothers and family members<\/span><\/a> of victims of State violence and organizations in<\/span>Rio de Janeiro<\/span> liaising directly with <\/span>social movements in other countries<\/span><\/a> that also face the impacts of militarization and its consequences.<\/p>\n

With support from the Right to Memory and Racial Justice<\/span> Initiative (<\/span>IDMJRacial<\/span><\/a>),\u00a0<\/span>Mar\u00e9 0800<\/span><\/a> Collective, and\u00a0the Institute of Alternative Policies for the Southern Cone (<\/span>PACS<\/span><\/a>), the event was mediated by journalist and Black July organizer\u00a0<\/span>Gizele Martins<\/span><\/a> and featured Barbara Amorim,<\/span> a member of a Palestinian-Brazilian insurgent media collective<\/span>;\u00a0<\/span>Thais Siqueira<\/span><\/a>, founding journalist of\u00a0<\/span>Desenrola e N\u00e3o Me Enrola<\/span><\/a> which works on the outskirts of\u00a0<\/span>S\u00e3o Paulo<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and is part\u00a0<\/span>of the <\/span>Coalition of Peripheral, Favela, Quilombola, and Indigenous Media<\/span>;\u00a0<\/span>and Andr\u00e9 Vieira,\u00a0<\/span>Telesur<\/span><\/i><\/a>\u00a0correspondent in\u00a0<\/span>Rio de Janeiro<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Gizele<\/a>
Gizele Martins, community journalist from Mar\u00e9, in a Bedouin village in Palestine holding the Palestinian flag. Photo: Personal Archive<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to Gizele Martins, a resident of <\/span>Complexo da Mar\u00e9<\/span><\/a> in Rio de Janeiro, media insurgency is about building new images of favela residents based on narratives that center stories on the favelas themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we talk about building our memory, [which is] historically erased, we reaffirm the dissolution of stereotypes within and outside the community, especially for those who criminalize us. In addition to denouncing the militarization present in our lives.<\/span>\u201d <\/span>\u2014 Gizele Martins<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In 2017, <\/span>Martins was invited through the organization Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS Brasil<\/a>) to represent <\/span>favela movements in Rio<\/span><\/a> as part of a Brazilian delegation visit to Palestine<\/a> to understand and report what was happening in the country. She made her second visit to Palestine earlier this year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“As soon as I got there, I saw the same violence experienced in Mar\u00e9, but intensified by apartheid<\/a>. Palestine has the weapons most sold in the world and they are the same ones that come to the favelas of Rio. There I was able to get out of my own context and understand that violence is an international State project. So journalism also needs to transcend the invisible barriers of these conflicts<\/span>.\u201d \u2014 Gizele Martins<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Barbara Amorim is a member of a media project about the reality in Palestine aimed at a Brazilian audience that has been running since the 1980s. <\/span>She shared the difficulty of fighting for the<\/span> mainstream media to listen, even amid the massacres experienced both by people in Palestine and the favelas, whether it’s perpetrated by the State of Israel or the Brazilian State.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur biggest challenge is to sensitize media outlets to open up to Palestinian issues, trying to show the strong connection with Brazil. Conflicts are poorly perceived issues and face reduced visibility due to algorithms, which means we have to circumvent subtitles with numbers instead of letters. This complicates content dissemination and hinders raising awareness of this reality. At the time when simultaneous conflicts occurred in Palestine and Jacarezinho<\/a>, we also identified numerous shared problems, such as inefficient Internet services and [therefore communication]. Just like us [Black, favela residents from the urban periphery in Brazil], Palestinians are arrested without much justification or rights, the Internet is cut, or access is limited, the power supply is only four hours, making any communication even more difficult. We have to reinvent everything. And we can’t overlook the persecution of journalists: in the past 22 years, 44 Palestinian media professionals have been killed on the job.<\/span>\u201d \u2014 Barbara Amorim<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Telesur<\/span><\/i> correspondent Andr\u00e9 Vieira explained that the similarities between the two countries are not <\/span>mere coincidence.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we cross-checked data<\/a> collected by the Fluminense Federal University’s (UFF<\/a>) Study Group on the New Illegalities (GENI<\/a>) regarding violence in the Greater Rio de Janeiro metropolitan region, we could see the relationship between the escalation of violence in the city and the 2014 World Cup<\/a>. At that time, there was a militarization of communities and also a closer relationship between the Israeli arms industry and the Rio de Janeiro state government. The study found an upsurge and intensification of violence. This is the result when we analyze the facts. The [commercial] press does not draw a connection between these events, so it’s very significant when the struggles connect.<\/span>\u201d \u2014 Andr\u00e9 Vieira<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Telesur<\/a>
Telesur correspondent Andr\u00e9 Vieira.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Thais Siqueira represented the Coalition of Media<\/a> on its Brazil visit to Palestine earlier this year alongside Gizele Martins. She described<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>forced evictions<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>neglect<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>State violence<\/span><\/a> as similarly present in both countries. She revealed that the same process playing out in the <\/span>hyper-incarceration<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>genocide of Black youth<\/span><\/a> in Brazil also plays out in Palestine with youth <\/span>murdered and imprisoned<\/span><\/a>\u00a0by the Israel Defense Forces (<\/span>IDF<\/span><\/a>). Rather than defend, as their name claims, the IDF<\/span> attack<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>occupy, and expropriate<\/span><\/a>, and play a role in <\/span>ethnic cleansing<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>demographic change<\/span><\/a>\u00a0in the region.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDuring my five days there, I got to know these places, the homes of Bedouins<\/a> who are being threatened with eviction in the Jordan Valley<\/a> and the incarceration of Black youth from the periphery. A lot of men there have already been arrested, for various reasons. We, here in Brazil, still manage to guarantee some basic rights. In Palestine, this is not the case. Children as young as four or five are arrested! How did an already persecuted people come to persecute and exterminate another ethnic group in their territory? Does the act of defending oneself against these abuses by the Israeli people make Palestinians terrorists? If you are attacked, you need to defend yourself somehow! However, whoever can communicate holds the power… My time there brought me questions about how we can have effective attitudes in enhancing this communication to the world<\/span>.\u201d \u2014 Thais Siqueira<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Siqueira also highlighted that she felt at home in Palestine and often commented to Martins how situations reminded her of where she lives on the outskirts of S\u00e3o Paulo\u2014how the refugee camps, villages, and cities are similar to the favelas and urban peripheries of Brazil. She mentioned her visit to the <\/span>Aida Camp<\/span><\/a> in\u00a0<\/span>Bethlehem<\/span><\/a> and the shocking realization that violations continue to be perpetrated by Israeli forces, even with <\/span>UN<\/span><\/a> presence on the ground.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was very struck by the situation in Palestinian refugee camps and cities, which reminded me a lot of the favelas and urban peripheries [of Brazil]. As soon as we enter, the situation is very similar. So much so that I remember joking with Gi Martins, ‘well, I’m home! This is the periphery for me!’… the Israeli army pointing heavy weapons at old ladies… I was struck by the murder of Palestinian youth… just like Brazil… and the incarceration of Palestinian youth struck me in relation to what happens in Brazil with Black youth from the urban periphery…. [in Brazil] over 60% of people in prison are Black men and youth from the urban periphery… in Palestine, there is the issue that almost all men have already been arrested for whatever reason… how can this kind of thing be happening, and the world not do anything? … in the Aida Refugee Camp there is a huge UN building and then I was like: ‘My God in heaven! The UN is here and nothing is done?’ These are things that impact you<\/span>.\u201d \u2014 Thais Siqueira<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Thais<\/a>
Thais Siqueira is a journalist and founder of Desenrola e N\u00e3o Me Enrola [Unwind and Don’t Wind Me Up] in the urban periphery of S\u00e3o Paulo and part of the Coalition of Media.<\/figcaption><\/figure>Criticizing standard <\/span>mainstream press coverage<\/span><\/a>, Barbara Amorim flagged how prejudices are reinforced:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe deaths of Black men, just like Palestinians, are not tallied… here [in Brazil] because they are considered criminals… [there in Palestine] terrorists… This meeting is very important for us because it shows the strength that the collective has for people who are marginalized. The stronger they think they are, the more strength we have to break down these barriers and walls<\/span>.\u201d \u2014 Barbara Amorim<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

She also spoke about the <\/span>systematic persecution of journalists<\/span><\/a> in Palestine by the State of Israel.\u00a0Amorim recalled journalist <\/span>Shireen Abu Akleh<\/span><\/a>, who was <\/span>gunned down by Israeli soldiers<\/span><\/a> in 2022 while covering protests at the <\/span>Jenin Refugee Camp<\/span><\/a> in the northern\u00a0<\/span>West Bank<\/span><\/a>. A <\/span>Palestinian-American journalist<\/span><\/a>\u00a0for\u00a0<\/span>Al Jazeera<\/span><\/a>, Abu Akleh was crouched with other journalists behind a wall, all wearing helmets and bulletproof vests labeled \u201cpress\u201d and yet she was shot in the head by an Israeli soldier. After the murder, even with all the <\/span>international repercussions<\/span><\/a>, Israel\u00a0<\/span>decided not to open an\u00a0investigation into<\/span><\/a>\u00a0the case that, to this day, remains unpunished.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf we’re discussing insurgent media and Palestine, we can’t overlook the persecution of journalists, which Israel carries out with great force and commitment. From 2000 to 2022, 44 journalists were killed by Israel while on the job. The most recent and shocking case was that of Shireen Abu Akleh, who was murdered while covering yet another massacre [perpetrated by Israel] at the Jenin Refugee Camp… she was murdered by an Israeli soldier, despite wearing full journalist protective gear. This only highlights Israel’s track record against Palestinian media, whether it is against Shireen, who worked for a commercial media outlet such as Al Jazeera, or against Palestinian grassroots journalists<\/a>.\u201d \u2014 Barbara Amorim<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Grafite<\/a>
Mural of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, assassinated while reporting on the Israeli forces in the city of\u00a0 na cidade de Jenin, in northern Palestine, on May 11, 2022. Photo: Julio Santos Filho \/ EAPPI<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Militarization Trade, Denial of Rights, and Lack of Access<\/b><\/h3>\n

Held in April in Rio de Janeiro, the <\/span>LAAD Defence and Security<\/span><\/a> arms fair<\/span> exhibited various products including a new armored tank by Combat Armor Defense do Brasil, created exclusively for use in Brazil.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis fair is the biggest in the Latin American arms sector and showcased, during the event, an ad for an armored vehicle, showing scenes of violence in Palestine. The company used these images to make a case for the product’s resilience, showing that it had been tested in the worst scenarios. A very difficult reality to witness<\/span>.\u201d \u2014 Andr\u00e9 Vieira<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Graffiti<\/a>
Mural in Bethlehem, Palestine, on the separation wall representing the everyday militarization of life with a girl playing on a tank as if it were a swing. Photo: Julio Santos Filho\/EAPPI<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The market of violence reveals itself in other, less visible ways, such as the deprivation of fundamental rights, like the right to property and access to public services, including the Internet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is digital racism<\/a> [in Palestine] too, manifesting as the difficulty in accessing the Internet… We had a really hard time with photos, videos, being able to upload the content we produced… The lack of connectivity is alarming.<\/span>\u201d \u2014 Thais Siqueira<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Thais<\/a>
Thais Siqueira with the separation wall in the background. Photo: Personal Archive<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Gizele Martins experienced the same situation just before the Black July livestream. <\/span>The Mar\u00e9 favela journalist analyzed her situation by comparing digital racism in Mar\u00e9 and Palestine. To her, the parallels do not end there. Martins understands that there are parallels including environmental racism and the abandonment suffered in the pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was here thinking about digital racism. Before I managed to join [this livestream], I tried to connect to the Internet seven times… I’m not going to stress out about the Internet because I already know how it works: it doesn’t work… throughout the whole pandemic, our Internet was cut off, right?… when we talk about environmental racism, we see a lot of other connections… During the pandemic, at my home in Mar\u00e9, we went six months without water…. I remember testimonials in the Aida Refugee Camp saying that water is only available for four hours a day. In Ramallah, it’s once a week, but, for example, in Gaza [Palestinian territory with no territorial connection to the West Bank that was not visited by Martins and Siqueira because it is under Israeli blockade<\/a>], nobody even knows about that situation!… Apartheid restricts everything, takes everything away from people!<\/span>\u201d \u2014 Gizele Martins<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In addition, Martins told the story of a 23-year-old who has been arrested 33 times: \u201c<\/span>What childhood do<\/span><\/a> these people have? The same in Brazil.\u201d Finally, she invited participants to suggest possible ways to overcome the oppression of colonial, racist, and militarized systems in Brazil and Palestine.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Gizele<\/a>
Mural of a baby in a barbed wire womb on the wall separating Israel and Palestine in Bethlehem. Photo: Julio Santos Filho\/EAPPI<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For Barbara Amorim, persistent insurgent media work and strengthening of networks increase the chance of echoing this message from the point of view of local communities.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur struggle is one… against an oppressive system… that tries to crush the life and power of these people… When we dissociate ourselves from stereotypes, we can see what these people are and what they can add… The struggle of this community has everything to do with people from the favelas; the oppression is the same, we have to fight for these spaces… we need to fight for bridges to be built. So that the Palestinian [Arab] community in Brazil<\/a>\u2014and this is a criticism of mine\u2014understands that their struggle has everything to do with the struggle of people from the favelas. There’s an important class issue<\/a> we need to overcome… people have a hard time grasping that the oppression we face here is the same as what’s happening there… this encouragement from us to each other, strengthening each other, and spreading the word helps us make this world better: without oppression, without apartheid, without a wall<\/a>.<\/span>\u201d \u2014 Barbara Amorim<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Israeli-built separation wall prevents Palestinians from accessing their capital, Jerusalem. Photo shows the wall in Bethlehem, Palestine. Photo: Julio Santos Filho\/EAPPI<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Andr\u00e9 Viera expressed that it is everyone’s role to pressure governments and international organizations to change their positions and hold perpetrators of human rights violations to account. For him, solidarity is the main weapon for building possibilities to overcome the situations in Brazil and Palestine.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to demand from our governments, in defense of the Palestinian people… [and] a more assertive stance from the UN… The importance of solidarity is enormous, from supporting others to sharing people’s experiences and helping in the resistance… How this solidarity strengthens those being supportive, too. How your trip to Palestine strengthens this struggle here… solidarity is what will transform things, what will give us strength, and which cannot be lacking in any way. It is the element that endures when others are no longer there, no longer exist, solidarity is what [allows for] resistance, until the final moment if necessary. So, I think it is important to show these examples of solidarity so other people can understand, engage more with this reality, and even contribute<\/span>.\u201d \u2014 <\/span>Andr\u00e9 Vieira<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Thais Siqueira closed with a reflection comparing the <\/span>military dictatorship<\/span><\/a> in Brazil to Israel’s military occupation of Palestine and defending the full right to life in Palestine and Brazil.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe passed through several checkpoints<\/a>, Israeli army checkpoints, heavily armed… they were extremely tense moments for us… just as the military dictatorship in Brazil was ugly, undemocratic, not transformative of lives, and did not favor the people, what’s happening in Palestine, what Israel does with Palestinians, does not favor the people of Palestine. It only favors people who want to dominate a land that does not belong to them… I would like to close by talking about assurances, about thinking of ways of communicating, based on our activities, the assurance of rights, the right to come and go, the right to land, the right to live\u2014and not [just] survive\u2014the right to life!… basically, when we talk about the Palestinian people today, and when we live in peripheral territories, we are talking about the right to life.\u201d \u2014 Thais Siqueira<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And then, closing the 8th Black July, Gizele Martins reinforced Vieira and Siqueira’s statements about the role of solidarity in the struggle for the right to life. She said that insurgent media is a means to achieving different futures for Brazil and Palestine.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat unites us from Palestine to Mar\u00e9, from Palestine to Cap\u00e3o Redondo<\/a>, from Palestine to Macei\u00f3<\/a>, is the struggle for the right to life, the right to land, the right to air, the right to eat well, the right to live, which have been taken away from us… But, as Andr\u00e9 said, there is something they will not take away from us, which is this sense of solidarity, of a people, of communion… this coming together of insurgent media.\u201d \u2014 Gizele Martins<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Watch the 8th Black July<\/a> [in Portuguese]:<\/h3>\n