The Augur Magazine Literary Society stands in solidarity with Palestinians in their ongoing struggle for self-determination and liberation against the illegal occupation of settler-colonial Israel since 1948. We condemn the ongoing apartheid and genocide, reject harmful, false “both-sides” rhetoric, and support the calls for a ceasefire. 

Following the events of October 7th, the state of Israel has responded with war crimes and collective punishment in the form of constant bombings, including of hospitals, schools, and refugee camps; the cessation of water, electricity, communications technology; the use of white phosphorous; the mass displacement of civilians, and more acts of violence. We grieve the horrific loss of life and urge an end to the bloodshed. We grieve alongside the Palestinian community, who continue to face unspeakable violences in their struggle for freedom. We grieve alongside the Jewish community, who continue to speak out against genocide even amidst their own losses and the weaponization of their grief. And we stand with our Jewish and Muslim community members in the face of increasing antisemitism and Islamophobic sentiment both in Canada and elsewhere. 

As individuals living on the land known colonially as Canada, we stand against settler colonialism and state violence against marginalized peoples. As of the time this statement was written, the Canadian government has not yet called for a ceasefire. Yet the government and Canadian companies have already seen profits of over $900 million through investments in weapons companies and the sale of “military goods” to Israel. Canadian complicity in this violence is undeniable, and we invite our community to join us in applying pressure to political figures to refuse war profiteering and call for a ceasefire. 

Due to the dire situation in Palestine, we encourage folks who are able to follow the calls for direct action and organizing initiated by Palestinian activists. In Canada, this can look like calling your MP, emailing political representatives, signing petitions, attending protests, amplifying the voices of Palestinian people, participating in the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) movement, and combating misinformation.

As an arts organization, we actively support and uplift the voices and works of marginalized and underrepresented artists, in our mission and practice. We encourage our community to read, share and support the work of Palestinian artists, writers, and activists. This is especially crucial when much of Western media is sharing biased information and obfuscating the facts. We condemn this silencing of Palestinian voices and offer starting points for learning directly from Palestinian creators. Within the speculative fiction space, an excellent place to begin is Strange Horizon’s Palestine Issue, FIYAH Magazine’s Palestinian Special Issue, and this Palestinian SpecFic reading list compiled by Sonia Sulaiman. Other resources include Lambda Literary’s Queer as in Free Palestine list and Sa’ed Atshan’s book, Queer Palestine and the Empire of Critique. 

Please visit DecolonizePalestine.com, the Palestine Digital Action Toolkit, and the Palestinian Youth Movement’s reading list for more education on Palestine, and visit BDSMovement.net for information on the ongoing Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Movement.

To create this statement, we referred to our 2021 Palestine Solidarity Statement, which was created through reference to the FIYAH Magazine and Strange Horizons statements in 2021. We then built upon it with reference to the Room Magazine and the Writers in Solidarity with Palestine statements to create our own, and we are glad to stand in solidarity with these organizations and creators as well. We hope more arts organizations and publishers, especially in the speculative fiction space, will join us in taking a clear stance against oppression.