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To: Hamilton City Mayor Paula Southgate, and Hamilton City Council

Calling Hamilton City Council to call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire

I want to give a massive mihi to all those who are continuing to mount the pressure on our elected officials to stand up and condemn the blatant genocide we have all been witnessing for at least the last 9 weeks, but which has been occurring for 75 years. Kia haha, kia māia, kia manawanui. Keep up the pressure and do not relent - they underestimate the power of the people.

Whilst we had indications that the petition would be able to be added to the agenda at the final public hui of the year, December 14th, those verbal assurances were not honoured by those who uttered them. Instead, the petition has to be validated by governance, which must be done within 60 days or 2 meeting cycles depending on what comes first. Once validated and accepted, the petition will be added to the agenda and the public/petitioners should be invited to speak. We do intend to speak to council should the petition make it to an agenda, and bring up their utter failure on not honouring the critical nature of this issue and limiting their humanity to the bounds of ‘council policy’. We will update you in due course.

BUT, THIS IS NOT THE END. I want to issue another call to action for you all. A suggestion of various actions you can and should take to make sure the pressure does not let up this holiday season.

Continue to email and message Mayor Paula Southgate ([email protected]) and remind her that a private statement is not the same as a statement from HCC and does not mean much when her power is so much more - and reference the hypocrisy of all HCC did for Ukraine in 2022.
Comment on HCC and elected officials instagram and FB posts with “Free Palestine”, “HCC must stand against genocide” etc. Let them know we’re judging them.
Do steps 1 and 2 for our national government officials too!
Keep an eye on local events, rallies, and vigils and SHARE and show up if you can. Presence matters.
BOYCOTT AND CANCEL - https://boycott.thewitness.news/ https://bdsmovement.net/
Continue to talk about the issue with everyone, and keep sharing.
Keep signing and sharing other petitions.
Again, thank you for all you do/are doing. Keep up the pressure, we owe Palestine endurance. Mai te ara, ki te moana, Free Palestine.

Ngā mihi,
E

We respectfully request the following of our elected officials:
- HCC calls for the Government of New Zealand to use its influence to demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire, along with; the unrestricted entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza and a restoration of basic services required for survival, including water, food, electricity and fuel; respect for international humanitarian law by all parties; and the release of all hostages by Israel and Hamas.
~ that HCC makes a clear public statement condemning the violent destruction and genocide being committed by the Israeli state in Gaza and occupied-Palestine.
~ HCC to fly the Palestinian flag above all HCC buildings, in solidarity and memory of Palestinian lives, for at least 30 days. Like HCC did for Ukraine in 2022 (1);

Why is this important?

In this present moment, the world is witnessing the merciless genocide of Palestinian people by the state of Israel. It is estimated that over 20,000 Palestinian’s have been martyred, thousands are trapped beneath rubble, and millions have been displaced (2). There is an utmost urgency for us to stand in solidarity with Palestine, rather than “neutrality”, as they suffer under blatant breaches of international humanitarian law.

“Silence the guns and return to dialogue – the suffering inflicted on civilians is too much to bear” - UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk, 03/12/23 (3)

References:
1. https://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/300543010/civic-service-in-hamilton-to-stand-with-ukraine

2.https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2023/12/4/israel-gaza-war-live-israel-expands-ground-attack-in-southern-gaza?update=2532359

3. https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/12/gaza-unbearable-suffering-civilians-demands-end-violence-turk

How it will be delivered

We will be collecting signatures online from people we cannot reach in person, but we will also be carrying around physical petitions to collect signatures over the next week to reach our 150 mark by Thursday December 14th. This is when we will deliver this petition to Hamilton City Council for their last public hui of the year - where we will have people speak to the petition's purpose.

Hamilton, New Zealand

Maps © Stamen; Data © OSM and contributors, ODbL

Updates

2024-03-14 20:48:19 +1300

500 signatures reached

2023-12-13 12:36:56 +1300

Petition is successful with 480 signatures

2023-12-13 12:04:24 +1300

A heartfelt mihi to everyone tirelessly exerting pressure on our elected representatives to unequivocally condemn the ongoing genocide, a tragedy witnessed over the past nine weeks and spanning a staggering 75 years. Kia haha, kia māia, kia manawanui. Keep up the pressure and do not relent. Despite verbal assurances that our petition would be addressed at the year's final public hui on December 14th, these went unfulfilled. The petition now awaits validation by governance, a process mandated within 60 days or two meeting cycles, whichever comes first. Upon validation, it will join the agenda, affording the public and petitioners the opportunity to voice their concerns. Should the petition reach the agenda, we plan to address the council, highlighting their failure to acknowledge the gravity of this issue and their confinement of humanity within 'council policy' constraints. Updates will follow in due course.
Ngā mihi,
E

2023-12-12 16:21:11 +1300

Petition was delivered to HCC today! Has to be considered within 60 days, or 2 meeting cycles. Whatever comes first.

2023-12-07 15:53:13 +1300

100 signatures reached

2023-12-07 13:47:18 +1300

50 signatures reached

2023-12-07 12:31:59 +1300

25 signatures reached

2023-12-07 11:50:14 +1300

10 signatures reached